AARON: Thai or burritos, take your pick. See you tomorrow at 6.
The text was waiting for Jay when he woke up, making his stomach explode with butterflies. He grinned after noticing the time stamp. Five in the morning. Aaron must have done it first thing, just as eager for a repeat as Jay was.
He rolled onto his back, closing his eyes and replaying the memories from the previous night. Lost in the moment, letting their bodies guide them, their chemistry had been explosive. Every prior hookup he’d ever had paled in comparison to the raw passion that passed between him and Aaron, and he could only imagine how much better it would be once they got to know each other’s preferences.
As his thoughts turned to the future, the lust faded. He had to stay cautious. Aaron wanted another scene, but that didn’t mean he was interested in dating Jay. At the bar, he’d talked about wanting a real relationship but seemed convinced it was an unrealistic expectation. Jay didn’t agree—he’d gladly give Aaron everything he was looking for—but it wasn’t his call.
Aaron was the one coming out of a divorce and making up for lost time. Regardless of how easily Jay could imagine falling for him, he had to let Aaron set the pace.
His phone beeped with a reminder to drag himself out of bed. He had a full day ahead of him. Besides the boring weekly errands and soccer practice, he’d also promised his dad he’dcome over to install their new stereo system and stay for dinner. It was just as well Aaron hadn’t pushed to meet today—it spared Jay the guilt of choosing between him and his parents.
As he moved through the day, Aaron’s face kept flitting in and out of his mind. He wasn’t sure which one made his chest tighten more—the hunger in Aaron’s eyes when he’d dropped to his knees or the relaxed smile playing on his lips during the quiet moments of aftercare.
But the pleasant daydreams were interspersed with flickers of unease. Jay couldn’t begin to guess what boundaries Aaron might set, and he worried he might have already crossed some of them. Sure, Aaron had insisted he could speak up for himself, and Jay believed him, but he also seemed like someone who’d keep quiet about subtle discomforts for Jay’s sake.
Dozens of scenarios played out in Jay’s head, every possible direction their conversation might go, and by the time he was parked in his parents’ driveway, he had to force himself to stop spiraling. Whatever Aaron wanted or didn’t want, Jay would do everything in his power to make him happy. Even if it was just sex. Even if it didn’t lead to anything more. Even if it broke his heart. Jay would take every opportunity to put that soft, satisfied smile on Aaron’s face.
The stereo system was easy enough to set up—figuring out where to place the speakers was the hardest part. As it was, the living room could have doubled as a museum, with art crowding the walls, sculptures and souvenir tchotchkes on every surface, and rugs covering every inch of the floor. Jay’s mom wandered in and out as he worked, frowning at every suggestion. Eventually, Jay gave up and asked his dad to figure out an acceptable spot.
After his parents had a brief conversation in the kitchen, his mom returned and cleared a shelf, stacking delicate vases in her arms while glaring at the speakers. On her way out, shecupped Jay’s cheek and smiled, wordlessly letting him know her frustrations didn’t extend to him. Jay tried not to chuckle at the resignation on his dad’s face as they finished setting up. The new gadget had been his dad’s idea, and he was probably regretting it now that it had disturbed the perfectly curated peace of his wife’s living room.
Jay wasn’t worried. His parents bickered and huffed at each other, but it never lasted. Their love was too big to hold a grudge.
By the time they sat down to a simple dinner of herbed rice and kabobs, everything was back to normal. The three of them chatted about TV shows and neighborhood news, easy topics that didn’t require Jay’s full attention. He was glad Layla and Jasmine weren’t there—they would have immediately picked up on his distracted mood and started prying.
Jay froze mid-bite. His sisters weren’t there. He could actually talk to his parents without their running commentary.
“I might be getting a promotion at work,” he blurted out.
The conversation halted as his parents slowly turned to face Jay, waiting for him to continue. He finished chewing and swallowed. “It’s not a done deal, but my boss thinks I’d be good at it.”
“Of course you would be,” his mom declared with complete certainty. Jay doubted she even understood what he did for work, despite explaining more than once, but her faith in her children didn’t require specifics.
He told them a little about the offer, focusing on the exciting aspects of more responsibility and mentoring employees, amused by their over-the-top excitement. It was as if he’d just announced he was being promoted to CEO.
Afterward, as he watched his mom pack up the leftovers, Jay realized something had been missing at dinner. Roasted tomatoes, a staple side for kabobs, were nowhere to be seen.
A wave of love crashed into him, tender and impossibly powerful. He walked over to his mom and clutched her in a tight embrace.
“What is wrong,joonam?”she asked as she hugged him back.
“Nothing’s wrong, Mama. Just wanted to tell you I love you,” Jay responded.
She leaned away from the hug and narrowed her eyes. “Are you sure nothing is wrong?”
Jay couldn’t help but chuckle. “I’m allowed to hug my mom without something being wrong, no?”
“Good. I love you too.” She squeezed one more time and let go, stacking containers of rice and meat into a paper bag and handing it to Jay.
Before leaving, Jay found his dad in the living room, busy studying the buttons on the stereo remote and comparing them with the manual. Despite Jay’s many offers, he preferred to learn new technology on his own, through trial and error. Mainly through error.
They hugged goodbye, and his dad lovingly kissed Jay’s cheeks and forehead, just as he did when Jay was a small boy.
The soft warmth of his parents’ house never failed to make Jay feel an innate sense of belonging and a tinge of melancholy. He loved his family, and he longed for his own—for a partner to share his house, for children to fill it with chaos. For an unassuming yet powerful love that lasted a lifetime.
* * *
“I brought Thaiandburritos.” Jay lifted two bags with different restaurant logos. Aaron let out a small chuckle and gestured him inside the apartment.
