“I figured we’d order together. Did you take a wild stab at what I might like?”
“I sure did. A few different things, and everything is vegetarian. I know you eat fish too, but I wasn’t sure about shrimp, so I played it safe.”
“Wow, you remembered.” Aaron seemed taken aback. “That’s really sweet of you. You don’t mind?”
Jay quirked an eyebrow at Aaron. “Why would I? It’s delicious either way.”
Aaron flashed Jay a brilliant smile that made his chest clench. He seemed far too grateful for such a small gesture. Had someone in his life actually complained about eating one meal without meat? Some people needed to broaden their palates.
“You can set the food over there. I’ll go grab some plates.” Aaron waved at the familiar coffee table in front of the couch and left the room.
Jay emptied the bags and arranged the containers next to a stack of books, sneaking a peek at the titles. Apparently, Aaron enjoyed science fiction.
As Aaron came back and started arranging plates and silverware, Jay stood back to admire the living room. He’d already seen every piece of furniture at the store, but it was the other stuff that made it feel like Aaron’s place—the large abstract painting with colorful lines of varying widths intersecting in a strangely satisfying way, a hand-painted ukulele with bright orange palm trees, a purple fleece blanket hanging off the back of the couch. Instead of being cold and minimalist, it was welcoming and cozy. There was even a large fern sitting on a platform by the window.
“Is that real?” Jay pointed to it.
Aaron followed his gaze and gasped in mock offense. “Do I not seem like a real plant person? Of course it’s real.”
“It’s such an adult thing to have. Like the painting. It’s a few steps above movie posters or framed pictures.”
Aaron shook his head at Jay with a chuckle before cracking open a container of red curry and inhaling the rich aroma. “Oh, this smells amazing. One of my favorites. And we’re both adults, Jay. Aren’t you almost thirty?”
Butterflies fluttered through Jay’s stomach, so relieved that Aaron liked his choice. He had stared at the menu for fifteen minutes before ordering, trying to remember every conversation they’d ever had about food.
“Jay? You didn’t lie about your age, did you?” Aaron poked him in the shoulder.
“You got me. I’m just an innocent eighteen-year-old,” Jay deadpanned. “And yeah, I know I’m an adult. I have a well-paying job. I own a house. Well, the bank owns half of it, and my parents helped with the down payment, but only because they were the ones insisting I buy instead of renting. But none of itfeelslike adulthood. I’m not getting sudden urges to buy plants or go to art galleries and purchase original art.”
“That’s a ridiculous way of looking at adulthood. People go their entire lives without owning plants. It’s not a necessary life milestone.” Aaron waved dismissively and patted the seat next to him. As Jay joined him on the couch, Aaron dipped a summer roll into the small container of peanut sauce and took a bite, moaning with pleasure. “Oh, it’s so good! We should put peanut sauce on everything.”
The sound stirred something primal inside Jay, and he hastened to open up the takeout containers as a distraction.
“I appreciate the enthusiasm, but maybe we should stick to one cuisine?” Aaron asked, pointing at the foil-wrapped burritos.
Jay chuckled. “Yeah, I mostly got that as a joke.”
Aaron hopped up and carried them to the fridge. “Your delightful sense of humor just ensured we both have lunch for tomorrow. Don’t forget to grab yours before you leave.”
They lapsed into a peaceful silence as they ate. To Jay’s delight, Aaron enthusiastically sampled each dish, praising the selections. When they finished, Jay insisted that Aaron keep half, but it didn’t escape his notice that Aaron gallantly left him the best-looking bites and kept the less exciting leftovers for himself.
Prickles of anxiety returned once everything was put away.
Aaron cued up some soft jazz. “For ambiance,” he explained with a playful smile that melted Jay’s heart before grabbing a manila folder from the bookshelf and handing it to Jay.
True to his word, everything was meticulously organized. The folder contained a printout of Aaron’s recent test results and a comprehensive list of kinks, each marked with levels of comfort and desire. Jay flipped through to find that it was eight pages long.
“How about you give me the highlights?” Jay asked. “I’ll read the whole thing later, but I’d much rather hear your limits from you directly.”
“No problem.” Aaron sat cross-legged on the couch and angled his body toward Jay. “A lot of my hard limits are pretty standard, the hardcore stuff. You’ll see those on the list. I’ll go over the more common ones that I’m not into. Obviously, I’m fine with scenes in public, but only at the club, and I never want another person to touch me during a scene. You already know I’m not into high protocol, so no sirs or masters or anything like that. I’m Aaron, you’re Jay. You’re in full control when it comes to sex, but not in any other area of my life.”
Jay made a noise of approval. So far, they were on the same page. He particularly appreciated that Aaron didn’t expect him to be dominant outside of their scenes.
“I’m not into orgasm denial. At all. Edging is fine, but if you get to come, I get to come.” He grinned at Jay, and Jay couldn’t help grinning back. The logic was sound.
“No rules or punishments. If you’re gonna spank me, it’s because we both want it. No pretending that I broke some arbitrary rule and youhave topunish me.” Aaron bit his lower lip and scrunched his brow. “What else…if you’re into knife play, I’m totally into it, but no blood. Maybe a dull pocketknife or something like that.” He paused. “Is this too much of a data dump?”
Jay shook his head emphatically. “Absolutely not. This is important.”
