“Or J?” Jared asked.
Jag shook his head. “You only ever called me that in writing. Out loud, it was always Jeremy.” He reached out and tapped the book on Jared’s lap. “I’ll read it with you if you want, and give you my interpretation of the story. I can’t guarantee it’s the same as yours.”
Jared smiled. “I’d like that.”
“Let me get my copy.” Jag bounced up to his feet and left the room.
Alone, Jared stared at the book. They were talking, which was a start. Maybe, in time, they could become friends.
Jag returned a couple of minutes later with his well-read copy of the book. He sat on the sofa again, this time closer than before.
“Would you read it to me?” Jared asked, almost embarrassed to ask. “It’ll be faster that way. I can read,” he added hastily. “I just take words in more slowly than when I hear them.”
“You can probably get an audiobook version,” Jag suggested. “If you want to read it again on your own.”
Jared smiled. “That sounds like a good idea.” Although he’d liked listening to Kyrone read it to him, and hoped to persuade his lover to do so again. He liked the story, even though he didn’t fully understand it. Hopefully, with Jag’s help, he’d uncover the meaning hidden within the words.
“Do you want me to read the whole book, and then we can talk about it? Or should I stop when I get to sections we might want to talk through?”
“That,” Jared said. “The second option.”
Jag smiled and opened his copy of the book to the first page. He paused, with his thumb resting under the first word. “I’m glad you came.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. It’s weird and hard, but I’d like to be friends too.”
“Me too.” Jared felt a little lighter and a lot more hopeful that things were going to be okay and that maybe, just maybe, him being in Jag’s life again would help him heal from the pain of his past. If that happened, it really would mean that something good had come out of his accident.
“Shall we start?” Jag asked.
“Please.”
Jag dragged in a breath and then began to read.
28Kyrone
Kyrone hadn’t been able to get an appointment at Ink Envy until over three weeks after they’d visited Jared’s parents. As curious as he was about the tattoo Jared had designed for him, he hadn’t asked or made any attempt to sneak a peek at his lover’s sketch pad. He trusted Jared and adored his artwork, so knew that whatever the tattoo was, he would love it.
Jared had moved into the flat. About the only difference it made was that he no longer had to waste time going back to his tiny room to pick up spare clothes. It was a bit of a squeeze to get all their things in, especially in the bedroom, but they managed, and within a week it was like Jared had always been there. There had been no answer to Kyrone’s proposal, but he was staying true to his word by not pressuring Jared about it. He’d even managed to make sure that the question hadn’t popped out during sex again.
Jared was waiting for him in the reception area when he arrived at the shop. He’d had some paperwork to see to on campus, so hadn’t been able to walk Jared to work that morning, as he liked to do.
“Hey, babe,” he said, grinning from ear to ear.
“You look pleased with yourself.”
Kyrone leant over the counter to kiss Jared. “My course swap is official. As from September, I’ll be starting an MSc in physiotherapy.”
The more he’d thought about Jared’s idea, the more he’d fallen in love with it. He’d spoken to the careers advisors at the university and arranged to switch courses. He had to start from scratch, but that didn’t bother him.
Jared’s eyes lit up. “That’s great!”
“Celebrate with me after you finish work?”
“Of course.” Jared tilted his head. “What about the rest of the academic year?”
“There’s not much left, but there’s also no point in me carrying on. The courses are so different that I can’t carry any credit across, so I’m going to see if I can get a few hours at one of the gyms in town, working as a personal trainer to save money towards all the extra course fees. Mac is going to put a good word in for me.”
