In short, business as usual.
Jamie took a long swallow of his whiskey, finishing what was in his glass.He nudged it to the other side of the synthwood bar counter, catching the bartender’s eye.She nodded briskly at him and finished crafting her current set of drinks and handed them off to willing hands.She grabbed a bottle out of the small wooden cabinet where the most expensive bottles resided and carried it over to his seat, pouring out another glass for him.Jamie swiped his hand over the small payment sensor embedded in the counter as she poured, the cost of the glass debited out of his RealIdent chip.
Someone sat down on the barstool beside him.“This seat taken?”
“It’s always open for you.”Jamie waved off the bartender, who was already opening her mouth to evict the newcomer.“He’s fine.”
She didn’t question Jamie’s change of heart, only went on about her business now that his glass was refilled.Jamie swiped his hand over the sensor again, adding a couple thousand dollars more to her tip.Her discretion really was worth the cost of staying.
Kyle rested his elbow against the bar counter, back to the crowd, half his face cast in shadows.The bar was low-lit, giving it a more intimate air than some of the brighter places in Manhattan’s nightlife.Kyle was a little underdressed for the location, most likely not even on the list, but Jamie wasn’t going to question how he’d gotten inside.All that mattered was he washere, and it’d been days since Jamie last saw him, much less spoken to him.Jamie drank in the sight of the other man, feeling something unknot inside his chest from just knowing Kyle was with him again.
Kyle’s eyes flicked up and down, taking Jamie in.“You look like shit.”
“I’m in bespoke.”
“That doesn’t stop you from looking like shit.”
Jamie felt his mouth curving into a smile at Kyle’s caustic tone, glad for the brutally truthful opinion Kyle never ceased to give him.“I’ve missed you.”
Kyle’s hand twitched where it rested on his knee, but he didn’t reach for Jamie.They were in public, and Jamie knew everyone’s eyes had been on him all night, at every bar he’d gone to.It’s why he cut and run after a while, too tense beneath the lingering stares to enjoy his time drowning his problems in a glass of whiskey.It also helped to hide how much he was actually drinking and how sober he still was.His metahuman metabolism burned through alcohol a hell of a lot quicker than everyone else’s could.Changing bars ensured no one really knew how much he’d actually been drinking.
“Missed me watching your back, I know,” Kyle said easily enough to keep up appearances.
“How’d you find me?”
Kyle shrugged.“The usual way.”
Which meant Katie had tracked him down and guided Kyle right to him.Jamie couldn’t even be mad about that.“I still have to be in Manhattan for a few more days.”
“I know.But I thought you could use a little company that wasn’t family.”
Jamie took a swallow of whiskey, running his tongue over the back of his teeth.“I appreciate it.”
Because they both knew how stressful dealing with Jamie’s family was for him.Jamie loved them, he did, but there was a reason he’d spent almost every night in Manhattan drinking in bars and clubs rather than staying in.
“I didn’t get a hotel.”
Jamie sighed regretfully.“You know I can’t let you stay with—”
“I know,” Kyle said, cutting him off.“Trains run all night.I’ll catch one back to DC, don’t worry.”
Jamie gritted his teeth, swallowing back the bitterness that had more to do with the situation than the whiskey.“Okay.”
Kyle shifted on the barstool, angling his body a little closer to Jamie.“I know it’s been a shitty couple of weeks and that I shouldn’t be here because…well, you know why.I can go if you think this is a bad idea.”
“No.I want you to stay,” Jamie got out in a quick voice, practically spitting the words in his haste.
Kyle’s shoulders slumped a little in relief as he let out a sharp sigh.“Good.I wasn’t sure if I made the right call.”
Knowing that Kyle was doubting himself where they were concerned made Jamie reach out for him, not caring about any of the eyes that might be turned their way.He grasped Kyle’s hand in his, squeezing gently, catching Kyle’s gaze.
“If anyone asks, I’ll say it fits with the cover,” Jamie said in a low voice, going for a lighthearted joke and failing miserably.
“Yeah, that was fun while it lasted.”
Jamie rubbed his thumb over Kyle’s knuckles a few times before letting him go.“Something tells me we’ll have to play those roles again in the near future.”
“Are we always going to play those roles?”
