“Thank you for coming.” Jay smiled with gratitude, a trace of vulnerability dancing in his eyes. “It was nice to have you there cheering me on.”
“Thank you for inviting me,” Aaron replied earnestly. “I’m glad to see a different side of you.” With a playful smile, he added, “Meeting your sister, of course, was the highlight of my day.”
Jay sighed. “Sorry about her. My sisters have turned discussing my life behind my back into a sport. Was she horrible?”
“She was fine. But!” Aaron clapped his hands in excitement. “She was very suspicious that both of us said we met at a bar. She thinks we’re lying, and since we are, I’m proud of us for keeping our stories straight.”
Jay studied Aaron for a long moment. Aaron couldn’t decipher what he was thinking, but the intensity of the gaze jolted his memory. He had something for Jay.
“Almost forgot.” Aaron reached into his messenger bag and pulled out a single red rose encased in layers of crinkly cellophane. “I’m sure it’s not tradition to present winningathletes with flowers, but you can think of it as a performance. And as the lead in today’s soccer play, you get a standing ovation and a rose.”
He was rambling. The idea had seemed cute and charming when he’d carefully tucked the fragile flower into his bag, but now, standing in front of the sweat-slicked, muscular god, it seemed almost silly. Almost. Deep inside, he knew it would mean something to Jay.
Jay stepped in, close enough for Aaron to feel the heat radiating off his skin, and cradled Aaron’s hand with both palms. “It should be tradition,” Jay said with awe in his voice, eyes locked onto the rose. “Thank you, Aaron. This is the nicest thing I’ve ever gotten after a game.”
His fingers lingered as they traced along Aaron’s, each movement slow and deliberate, before finally curling around the stem. Charged silence passed between them before Jay shook his head as if to clear away his thoughts. “I would hug you goodbye, but I’m completely drenched in sweat.”
That was not the hardship Jay imagined it to be. Before he could overthink it, Aaron licked his lips and stepped forward, whispering a softYes, pleaseinto Jay’s ear, then melting into the embrace, pressing into the warm, damp skin for a few extra seconds before pulling back. Jay’s eyes gleamed with fierce desire, his expression completely transformed.
He had interpreted Aaron’s comment correctly.
Aaron flashed him a cheeky smile and sauntered back into the park.
Chapter 15
JAY
Between his sisters insisting Jayhad toask Aaron out as soon as possible, and the memory of Aaron’s soft voice in his ear as their bodies pressed together playing on repeat in his brain, Jay’s next steps should have been clear.
He no longer had the luxury of an excuse that Aaron wasn’t into him. The way he’d devoured Jay’s body with his eyes, that sweet pink tongue peeking out of his mouth and trailing along his firm lips, as if demonstrating what it wanted to do to Jay’s skin, the heat of their embrace, the subtext of the whisperedYes, please—everything about Aaron’s behavior pointed to him being interested in Jay.
It was time to ask Aaron on a date.
Except every time Jay tried to picture the next move, his mind went blank. He was completely, utterly paralyzed. The sense of ease from the soccer game had evaporated, replaced with restless anxiety.
He still responded to Aaron’s texts. With hours to obsess over every word, he managed to send off two, maybe three messages a day. Thankfully, Aaron was busy with work and hadn’t noticed Jay’s sudden change, but the weekend was drawing near. Soon, Jay would see Aaron in person, possibly wearing the sexiest skirt in the world. Would he finally get over himself and do something, or would he stand by and watch someone else sweep Aaron off his feet?
He was saved from having to answer these questions when Aaron messaged him Thursday morning.
AARON: Do you want to grab a drink tonight? I feel like between work and the club, I haven’t had any alcohol in ages. Also, are we even friends if we’ve never gotten drunk together?
Jay read the message three times in a row before breathing out a giant sigh of relief. Nothing in Aaron’s text hinted at this being anything more than a friendly outing, but Jay could work with that. He was ready to start taking baby steps toward something bigger—now that Aaron had opened the door.
JAY: You read my mind. There’s a great happy hour spot just a few blocks from your place.
AARON: Would it be super unhip of me to admit that I’d rather go to a nice quiet cocktail bar where we can sit down and hear ourselves talk?
JAY: You drive a hard bargain. Would your majesty also prefer somewhere without sticky floors?
AARON: What if I promise to pay for the drinks?
JAY: Say less. I know a place with a three-page menu of craft cocktails. Their ice cubes are obnoxiously round and clear.
AARON: You’re a treasure trove of useful information when you’re properly motivated.
AARON: I’m not working late tonight for once. What time works for you?
JAY: I’m remote today, so I can be there around 5:30?
