I strip off my filthy clothes right there, leaving them in a pile on the floor. My work boots, my dust-covered jeans, my soaked shirt. Everything smells like sweat and work. So much for being a sexy boyfriend. I stumble into the tiny bathroom naked.
The water pressure is terrible and the temperature fluctuates wildly between lukewarm and cold, but I don't care. I stand under the spray and scrub off the day as fast as I can, watching the grime and dust swirl down the drain, turning the water gray. I wash my hair, scrub my body, rinse off. Three minutes flat.
When I step out, Jay is waiting right outside the door.
"My turn," he says, brushing past me, his hand trailing across my bare chest as he goes.
I sit on the edge of the bed and try desperately to stay awake, but my eyelids feel like they have weights attached. The room spins a little when I close my eyes, so I force them open.
The shower runs for a few minutes. Then it stops, and Jay emerges in a cloud of steam, wet hair dripping water down his neck, towel wrapped around his narrow waist. Water droplets roll down his shoulders, catch the light from the bedside lamp. I reach out and trace one with my finger,following its path down his chest, over his ribs, watching it disappear into the towel.
"I missed you," I say again, because it's the only thought in my head.
"You already said that."
"Worth saying twice."
He leans his forehead against mine, and I close my eyes, breathing in the clean smell of him.
"I know," he says. "I counted every hour."
We sit like that for a long moment, just breathing each other in. My hand finds his, our fingers intertwining, fitting together perfectly. His skin is warm and damp from the shower.
"I'm so tired," he admits quietly. "I want to do things to you. I want to touch you everywhere. But I can barely keep my damn eyes open. I worked a double shift today. Mick's and then Betty's with no break in between."
"Same. I want you so badly but I can barely string two thoughts together." I laugh softly, the sound exhausted. "We're pathetic. We finally get to be together and we're too tired to do anything."
"We're working adults with jobs. This is what real life looks like."
"I hate what it looks like. I hate that we're this tired."
"Me too." He squeezes my hand. "But you're here. You drove hours after working ten. That's what matters. You're here and I can touch you."
He stands and drops the towel unselfconsciously, pulling on a pair of clean boxers from his dresser. I watch him, too tired to do anything but appreciate the view, the long lines of his body, the way his muscles shift under his skin.
"Come to bed," he says softly. "We can sleep and cuddle. That's enough."
I slide under the covers beside him, and the mattress dips in the middle, sagging under our combined weight. I don't care. Jay is here. He's warm and solid beside me. That's all that matters in the entire world.
He curls into me immediately, seeking warmth and contact. His head rests on my chest, right over my heart. His arm drapes across my stomach. His leg hooks over mine. I wrap both arms around him and hold on tight, like he might disappear if I let go.
"How was the lawyer?" I ask. "I didn't get all the details when we talked on the phone. What did she say?"
"She's good. Really professional. Straightforward, doesn't waste words." He yawns against my chest, his breath warm on my skin. "She told me she thinks she can probably get the charges reduced to disorderly conduct, or maybe even dismissed entirely if we're lucky. She's going to talk to the prosecutor, see what they're willing to deal on."
"Are you nervous about the court date?"
"Absolutely terrified." His hand traces absent patterns on my stomach. "But I'm less terrified than I was before I met with her. Before it felt like I was going in blind. Now I feel like I have someone who knows what they're doing. Thank you again for finding her. For paying for it. For doing all of that." He lifts his head to look at me, his dark eyes serious. "I know I gave you a hard time about it. I shouldn't have."
"You had every right to be angry. I went behind your back. I made a decision without consulting you first."
"No, you took care of something I was too scared to handle. That's everything."
I kiss his forehead, my lips lingering on his skin. "We're partners. That's what partners do. They take care of each other when one of them can't."
"Partners." He settles back against my chest, his body relaxing. "I love hearing that word."
"Me too. Get used to it."
