AARON: Can’t wait :)
Jay sent Aaron the name of the bar and checked the time. He had hours to go, and his mind was already running away from him, imagining best- and worst-case scenarios.
The night could end in explosive sex or in the crushing disappointment of rejection. Possibly in a chaste kiss with a promise of more. Or maybe in a polite brush-off.
But it could also end with the status quo intact—and that was the scenario that scared Jay most.
He could handle disappointment. At least with the sting of rejection, he would finally have an answer. But if the night simply stopped after a few drinks and a handful of stolen glances, Jay would be in the same situation he was in now—uncertain, suspended in time, delaying the inevitable.
One way or another, Jay was determined to break the status quo tonight.
A trill of an incoming call from his laptop pulled him out of the spiral. Erica’s name flashing on the screen made Jay’s stomach drop. He’d had every intention of seriously considering her offer, but all he’d done so far was put it off till later.
Jay put in his earbud with a sigh and clicked theJoinbutton. “Good morning.”
“I have a call with a potential client in a few minutes, and they asked you to join. Are you free?” She didn’t even bother with a greeting, which spoke volumes about how hectic her morning had been. He didn’t mind Erica’s frantic calls, which usually resulted in him dropping his projects to do some last-minute work, and was already rearranging his schedule in his head when her words registered.
“They asked forme?” He couldn’t hide the incredulity in his voice.
“They asked for the person working with the school system, and they weren’t talking about Kyle. Whoever referred them must have had a lot of good things to say about you,” she teased.
“Okay, yeah, I’ll join, though I’m not sure how much I can contribute.” Jay’s head was spinning. He was just a programmer, right? Sure, he’d taken some calls when Kyle, the project manager, sent them over. He’d patiently walked the school officials through his designs and the science behind them. And he’d gone out to a few schools to train people on the sensor setup when everyone on the field team was too busy to go.
But that’s what being a lead programmer meant, right? Pitching in when no one else was available?
Deep down, Jay knew that wasn’t the case. Lead programmers were in charge of the code, letting the other teams deal with everything else. They didn’t take ownership of the entire project.
They didn’t know everyone on the client team by name.
“Thanks, Jay.” She paused long enough for Jay to wonder if she’d hung up without saying goodbye. “I hope you’ve had some time to think over the offer. Let’s talk next week.”
He had until next week to decide what to do, which was a lucky break because he could only handle one existential problem at a time, and Aaron was higher priority.
Between the meeting, which went well enough for Erica to send Jay five thumbs-up emojis in a row, and testing his code, he stayed busy the rest of the day.
As soon as the clock struck 4:30, he hurried through a shower, spending longer than usual grooming himself, smiling at the mirror as he shaved and combed his hair into a neat arrangement, and adding a splash of cologne to complete the process.
Going with his gut, he pulled out a deep purple button-down shirt his sister got him in an effort to dress him like an adult. The cocktail bar he’d chosen was more upscale than he was used to. Sure, they wouldn’t turn him away for wearing a T-shirt, but he wouldn’t look favorable compared to everyone else.
Besides, Aaron hadn’t seen Jay outside of his usual attire. While Jay wasn’t conceited about his looks, he was aware of his assets and how to play them up. Tonight, it would be his secret weapon.
It was too late to search his closet for dress pants, so he threw on his trusty black jeans and inspected his reflection. It didn’t look like he was trying too hard, but it was obvious he’d made an effort.
Obvious was good.
He strode into the cocktail bar a few minutes late after barely finding a parking spot on a side street. Aaron was already there, at a low table in the back, engrossed in the menu, only lifting his head when Jay stopped a few feet away. His eyes widened as they raked over Jay’s body, lingering on his forearms before returning to his face.
“Holy shit, you look incredible,” Aaron breathed out and slowly stood from his seat.
“I’m not sure whether to take the compliment or assume that I look like a bum the rest of the time,” Jay teased.
“Take the compliment,” Aaron said, his gaze still roaming.
“I figured I’d dress up a bit so you wouldn’t be stuck with a nerd wearing a hoodie at a fancy place.”
“You’re just fishing. You know you look just as hot in your T-shirts and hoodies as you do right now. This is just…different.”
Jay preened. Aaron’s reaction was even better than he’d expected. “Thank you.” He leaned over to deliver a quick kiss to Aaron’s cheek before they took their seats.
