Thomas and Jasper were together, and even though neither of them talked about specifics to anyone, I was guessing it was serious. Since it had been going on for a while. But again, they never spoke about it, so I wasn’t sure. They didn’t publicize their relationship in any way, but then again, they didn’t hide it either.
I admired their restraint, honestly. Because there was no way I could ever keep my hands off Goldie or Tanner in public or otherwise, the way Jasper and Thomas did.
Which might be what led Thomas to my office, in obvious need of someone to talk to.
“Yes.” He replied finally. And then took a deep breath and let it all pour out of him. “I want to ask Jasper to move in. But he won’t. I know he won’t. He hates my place. And to be honest, his place drives me nuts too. So, I don’t know how to make it work without one of us giving up our place. Or getting a new place together. Which seems like a big commitment because what if I can’t stand living with him. Or what if he hates me being around twenty-four seven? What if it fucks everything up?”
“What if it makes it the best decision of your life?” I asked firmly, and he paused, mouth open before snapping it shut and countering.
“What if it ruins it?”
“What if it fulfills you in a way you never expected?”
“Stop that.” He huffed.
“Stop making sense?” I drawled, “Sure. Okay. That’s helpful.”
“You’re talking in Hypotheticals.” He argued.
“So are you.” I pointed out, leaning back in my chair as he scowled.
“Negatives are more likely to occur compared to the fantasy make-believe options you’re throwing out there.”
My eyebrows rose, and I grinned. “Wow. It’s really fucking weird to talk to myself from a year ago. Hey scaredy-cat Rhea, how’s living in fear working out for you?”
“I hate you.” He said grumpily. But he didn’t get up and leave like he would have if he really believed that.
So, I sat there, silently letting him process his thoughts and feelings while I scanned through the call log on my screen. After a few minutes, he spoke again.
“He won’t let me call him my boyfriend.” There was real vulnerability in his voice that made me stop and turn my attention back to him fully. It also made me shove my smart-ass attitude deep down into my chest in hopes I could be helpful to him.
“Would you call him yours if he let you?” I asked.
“Yes.” He replied instantly. “I’m not afraid of labeling our relationship.”
“But he is?” Jasper Wilde was never afraid to do anything out loud and proud. I envied that part of him.
“Yes.” He said, and then sighed. “Well, no. Not really.”
I chuckled, and he groaned. “So, if neither of you is against labeling it, why haven’t you?”
“I don’t know.” He admitted, and I could tell he didn’t really have a better answer. “I guess we started off keeping it to ourselves and then so much time has passed doing it that way, I don’t know what’s held us back.”
“Maybe start there.” I suggested with a shrug. “See if he wants to change that up, and then maybe you can talk about living arrangements after that.”
“Yeah,” he nodded absently. “Yeah, that sounds good.”
“Oh, and if you’re looking for a neutral space to start over as a mutual place to move into, my old apartment is open. No one has leased it yet.”
His brows rose, “The one in that duplex by the baseball fields? Why has no one leased it? That building is great. It has laundry and a gym, right?”
“Yeah, it does,” I chuckled.
“So why hasn’t it leased?” He asked again, squinting at me like he had a feeling he knew the answer. “You all have lived together for over a year now.”
Standing up and turning off my screen, he rose and followed me out of my office. “Maybe because I was a scaredy-cat onceupon a time, that worried that moving in with my partners would end horribly when I had to deal with Goldie’s constant bubbliness and Tanner’s obnoxious calmness.”
Thomas laughed, getting the complete picture now. “And you kept your apartment, just in case.”
