“Nope. None of that,” Ollie cut them off. “Get your ass home to your sexy man and say thank you. If you’re truly freaking out that your relationship is too new to survive you two not living under the same roof, maybe that’s something you could bring up to him. It sounds to me like moving out isexactlywhat you need to prove to yourself that this is real.”
“He’ll think I’m too needy and clingy if I tell him that. Keaton likes his space.”
“Hmmm, and he still opened his home to you when you weren’t having any luck finding a place. Shouldn’t that tell you all you need to know?” Someone walked up to the counter, effectively ending their friend-therapy session. “Go. Talk to him. You can thank me later.”
“We’ll see about that.” Jules didn’t sound convinced, but they did feel slightly better than they had earlier. They were being silly. Ollie was right. Keaton wasn’t the type of guy who offered things if he wasn’t serious. And the fact that Keaton wanted them to be a part of his life, including get-togethers with his friends, should tell them all they needed to know.
Jules returned to the apartment much later than planned, their mind still buzzing with Ollie’s words. The living area was softly illuminated, casting a warm, inviting glow over the room. Keaton looked up from his spot on the couch, offering a smile that made Jules’s heart flip-flop in their chest.
“Hey, you,” he greeted, his voice soothing Jules’s earlier anxiety. He held out a hand that Jules eagerly took, allowing him to pull them onto the couch. “How was the bookstore?”
“Exactly what I needed,” Jules replied, kicking off their shoes. They settled against Keaton’s side, leaning into the comfort he offered so effortlessly. “I had a good talk with Ollie.”
Keaton’s arm slipped around Jules’s shoulders, pulling them closer. “That’s good to hear. Everything okay?”
Jules hesitated for a moment, their thoughts still swirling from the roller coaster of emotions they’d ridden all day. But in the quiet safety of home, it seemed easier to voice the fearsthat had been clinging like shadows. “I’ve been thinking about the new apartment,” they admitted, their words tentative yet determined.
Keaton’s hold on them tightened slightly, a silent assurance. “And?” he prompted, his tone gentle and encouraging.
“I guess I’m nervous about what it means for us,” Jules confessed, meeting Keaton’s steady gaze. “I love what we’re building here, but I worry about how things might change once I move out. It’s easy to spend time together when we live under the same roof, but once I’m on the other side of town, I worry we’ll both get busy with life and this won’t last.”
Keaton was silent for a moment, processing Jules’s admission with a thoughtfulness that was so quintessentially him. “I get it,” he said finally, his voice steady and sincere. “Change is scary. But the way I see it, this is just another step forward for us. I don’t want us to lose what we have. I want us to keep growing. That said, you’re not the only person who’s scared.”
“You? Seriously?” Jules had suspected Keaton worked hard to make it appear as if he was unflappable. Hearing this vulnerability from him was reassuring.
Keaton shifted on the couch, moving Jules so they were half-lying down with their head on his chest. It seemed both of them realized this conversation would be easier without looking at the other. “Absolutely. Like you said, what we’re doing has been easy so far. The biggest thing that always held me back from going out on dates and such was time. I’ve been so busy trying to keep the business as successful as when my dad ran it that I ignored anything social other than dinner with Luke on Thursdays, but that doesn’t count because he’s the type of asshole who has no issue dragging me out if I try canceling on him.”
Jules chuckled because they’d seen just how persistent Luke could be. Before he continued, Keaton pressed a tender kiss to Jules’s forehead.
“But then you came along, and you were just…here. And the more I watched you, the more I realized I don’t mind sharing my space with you.” That wasn’t a swoon-worthy declaration of love, but Jules understood what he meant. “God, you were a distraction. Every time I looked at you, I wanted to kiss you. When you sat at the other end of the couch, I wanted to drag you over here so we could lie just like this. And finally, I couldn’t resist you any longer.”
Okay, so maybe the swoon just needed time to warm up a bit.
“And from there, everything felt natural,” Keaton continued. He took a deep breath. “But what happens once you have space of your own? I worry you’ll realize how amazing you are and you’ll find someone better. Someone you don’t have to worry about hyper-fixating on work.”
“Not going to happen,” Jules assured him. It was funny how certain they were about this when they’d been conjuring up every possible worst-case scenario all day.
“It sounds like maybe the best thing for both of us then is to let the other know when something’s bothering us so we can work through it.”
That was such a simple solution. But was ittooeasy? Just like everything else had been between them?
“You’ll keep your key to this place so you can push me away from the table and climb into my lap if I’m paying attention to work in the evenings instead of you, and since I’ll have the master key to your place, I’ll be sure to use it. I want you, Jules, and whereyou live isn’t going to change that. I want us to have a long, happy future together. But I have to believe it’ll be better if we bothknowwe’re together because it’s what we want, not simply a matter of convenience and comfort.”
Jules’s heart gave a little leap at Keaton’s words, the sincerity in his eyes dispelling some of the fear that had lingered. “I want that too,” they murmured, feeling the weight of their insecurities begin to lift. “I just needed to hear you say it.”
Keaton smiled, his expression warm and reassuring. “Well, I’m saying it. And I’m all in, Jules. Whatever happens next, we’ll figure it out together.”
The simplicity of his promise was like a balm, soothing Jules’s fears and replacing them with a renewed sense of hope. They leaned into Keaton’s embrace, their heart full with the knowledge that they weren’t alone in this journey.
“You know,” Jules said after a moment, their voice light with playful mischief, “I might have to hold you to that mural offer. Ollie says I should start charging for my art, and who am I to argue when two of the people I trust most are telling me the same thing?”
Keaton chuckled, the sound a comforting rumble beneath Jules’s cheek. “You’re going to do amazing things with that space, Jules. I can’t wait to see it. And just so you know, when the time comes for us to live together because we choose to, I have plans for that too.”
“Of course you do,” Jules teased. Keaton had a plan for just about everything. He wasn’t a go-with-the-flow type of guy.
The evening settled around them, the air infused with the promise of possibility and shared dreams. They stayed like thatfor a while, wrapped in each other’s presence, content to let the world outside continue its ceaseless rush while they remained anchored in the tranquility they’d found together.
FOURTEEN
