He’d helped Aaron to the car, tucking him into the passenger seat. Aaron immediately fell asleep and didn’t stir until they pulled up to his building.
“Thanks for the ride,” Aaron slurred, eyes struggling to stay open. Jay offered to help him up to his apartment, but Aaron shook his head and opened the door to leave. He paused, looking back at Jay, and a tender expression transformed his tired features. With a soft sigh, he leaned across the console to kiss Jay on the cheek, his lips pressing against Jay’s stubble and resting there.
His touch lingered long after he left, burned into Jay’s skin.
Seeing Aaron was supposed to alleviate Jay’s need for him, but it had only made it worse.
“Hey, sorry I’m late.” Aaron dropped into the chair across from him. “Meeting ran late, and I kept sayingI have a hard stop at one, but I don’t think anyone gave a shit.”
Relief swept over Jay. Aaron was here—slightly out of breath, his emerald-green tie askew, flashing Jay a brilliant smile. There was a faint trace of sunburn on his face. Not surprising, considering how sunny the last few days had been.
As soon as the server approached them, Aaron gave Jay a questioning look, waiting for his nod before rattling off the same orders as last time. She nodded and left with their menus.
“What a day.” Aaron drained his glass of water and eyed Jay. “Was me ordering for you okay?”
“More than okay,” Jay confirmed, butterflies swirling in his stomach. Something about Aaron effortlessly taking charge felt absolutely right. And the way he checked in with Jay, making sure he didn’t overstep, made Jay irrationally happy.
“You can order for me anytime,” he promised with a smile. Aaron beamed back at him, his expression faltering when his phone made a loud chime.
“Sorry.” Aaron scrambled to grab it. “I thought it was in Do not disturbmode, but the buttons are in the wrong place.”
“What happened to your old phone?” Jay asked curiously, trying not to laugh. “You lost it?”
Aaron rolled his eyes while jabbing at the screen. “It took a swim in Lake Michigan.”
“What happened?”
“We went kayaking, and I couldn’t manage to hold on to my oar and my phone at the same time. And that wasn’t even the most embarrassing part. After staring at it there in the sand, so sad and alone, I may have completely lost my mind and jumped in after it.”
“Aaron!” Jay’s pulse picked up in shock. “That’s so dangerous.”
Aaron waved his concern away. “I was fine. We were in, like, five feet of water. The kayak guy gotreallymad when I came to the shore dripping wet though, so I’m pretty sure I’m banned from that place for life. And it was a stupid thing to do anyway. The phone was already dead.”
“Aren’t phones waterproof these days?”
“Sort of? It was submerged for a while, and I couldn’t dry it off until we got home. I stuck it in a bag of rice, but it still wasn’t turning on the next day, so I ordered a new one. Which I should have done right away. Of course—just my luck—that package got lost, so I had to wait for a replacement. Long story short, I didn’t have a phone forfive days.” He widened his eyes dramatically. “I don’t think I’ve ever felt so helpless.”
“People pay good money for digital detox retreats,” Jay joked. “All it cost you was the price of a kayaking trip. And a new phone.”
Aaron snorted in amusement. Just then, the server appeared with their food and set Jay’s roll and salad in front of him. Jay caught Aaron’s gaze zeroing in on the bowl and tilted it slightly to demonstrate the distinct lack of tomatoes. His chest warmed at Aaron’s pursed lips. He had no doubt that his sweet and fierce protector was ready to jump into action on his behalf.
“Thank you for calling my office to let me know what was going on,” Jay said when they were alone.
“I didn’t want you to think I was ghosting you.”
“You know, my coworker was convinced that’s exactly what was happening. You should have seen her face when Hailey told us about your call.”
Aaron studied him, mirth flickering in his eyes. “You talked to your coworker about me?”
“She noticed me staring at my phone,” Jay said. “I guess I wasn’t very subtle about it.”
“And what did you think?”
“What?”
“Did you also think I was ghosting you?”
Jay shoved a forkful of salad in his mouth and chewed slowly, giving himself a moment to think of an answer. In a matter of minutes, their conversation had gone from joking to serious. Aaron’s tone was light, but the question felt heavy, loaded with subtext.
