He set the drinks on the counter and went to his mom first, giving her a kiss on the cheek. “Hello, dear,” she said, smiling up at him.
He went to Dotty next, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. “Can I help?” He asked.
“Sit down and entertain your mother,” Dotty said, her tone teasing. “Tyler is out with Rowan, and now she’s bored.”
“Dammit,” he muttered. He’d been hoping Tyler was there. He’d picked up one of those green drinks for him–a matcha, he’d learned, after asking the barista for “one of those pale green frothy drinks.” He wanted to talk to Tyler, to apologize for getting him tickets to the late game, for not thinking about the impact on Rowan. But he also wanted to ask Tyler why he’d said yes, and why he hadn’t responded to any of Jamie’s messages. He wanted to look him in the eye again, to see for himself if he’d imagined what he’d hoped was attraction between them.
His mom turned away from the stove, putting her hands on her hips as she looked discerningly at him. “What’s that face about?”
Jamie leaned back against the counter, drumming his fingers against the granite edge. “I can’t get anything right with this guy.”
“With Tyler?”
He nodded.
“Do you want to get things right with him?”
Jamie let out a frustrated sigh.That was the question, wasn’t it?“Yeah,” he admitted, and rather than relief at the admission, he felt…Fuck. He was terrified. “There’s something there, I think. I don’t know what, really. Maybe I’m imagining it, but, I mean…Have you seen him?”
His mom raised a blonde brow at him. “We’ve got different wiring, Jamie. To me he looks like an adorable, grumpy, black kitten covered in stickers.”
Dotty snorted. “Sandy, my god,” she said, her back still turned to them.
Jamie felt himself smile, shaking his head at his mom. He pointed a finger at her. “I’m going to tell him you said that.”
“What? I like cats.” Her cheeks dimpled as she pointed a wooden spoon back at Jamie. “Also. They went to the children’s museum downtown. Do with that information what you will.”
“Right.” Jamie stood there, unsure of what to do. “So, you’re saying I should…”
“For the love of–” Dotty whirled around, her gloved hands covered in suds. “Go! Go get the cat!”
The Madison Children’s Museum was situated on a corner one block away from the state capitol, and the whole building was shaped like an elongated triangle. Jamie’d never actually been inside, but had driven past a few times.
He passed the cafe in the bright atrium, glancing up at the life-sized cow hanging from the ceiling, and the vibrant colors covering every surface.
He found Tyler and Rowan standing at the bottom of a staircase beside a wooden slide. Rowan was in a tiny pair of Vans, tie-dye sweatpants, and a sweater with flowers embroidered on the sleeves. Tyler crouched in front of him, a purple blouse with bellsleeves tucked into a pair of distressed jeans. He also wore Vans, though his looked much more battered than Rowan’s.
Again, Jamie was confronted by just howdifferentTyler was from the people who surrounded him in his day-to-day life. He was different and vibrant and Jamie was fuckingentranced.
“Papa, look!” Rowan’s eyes got big and he grinned, waving both hands at Jamie as he approached them. “It’s Jamie!”
“Hey, buddy,” Jamie said, bending down and extending his uninjured fist.
Rowan grabbed his fist, then looked up at Jamie like he wasn’t sure what to do with it. “Like this,” Jamie said, demonstrating with his splinted hand how to gently tap their knuckles together. Rowan bumped his tiny fist against Jamie’s. Jamie smiled, inexplicably proud. “Nice work.”
“What are you doing here?” Tyler asked. Jamie was relieved to see that Tyler looked more confused than annoyed to see him. There were purple bags under the younger man’s eyes, and somehow exhaustion made him even more hauntingly beautiful.
“My mom. I came to the house hoping to talk to you. She told me you were here.” Jamie took a step toward him, handing him the drink he’d brought along. “I got this for you. I hope it’s okay. I can go if–”
“No,” Tyler said, softly, taking the to-go cup and looking up at Jamie with a guarded look on his face. “Thank you for the drink. It’s…” He let out a quiet exhale, and his gaze dropped to the floor between them. “It’s good to see you.”
“Ohmygod,” a young voice said behind them. “Dad, is that Sully?”
“Honey, I don’t–” An adult voice started to reply.
“It’s you!” An older kid–probably around eight or nine years old, dressed head to toe in branded Muskies gear, stared at Jamie. “Ohmygod, it’s really you.”
Jamie shot a quick apologetic look at Tyler, but he was just watching the situation unfold with a confused expression on hisface. “Hey,” Jamie said, extending a hand to the young fan. “How’s your day going?”
