“You’re fucking amazing, thank you.” Jax hugged Ollie once he stood, relieved. Mae had a strong will, but now that Jax had gotten to know Ollie better, he could say that their stubbornness was about equal, and it helped that she worshipped him. “I’ll text her.”
But he would do thatafterhis date, because if he didn’t rush, then he’d be slightly late. He’d packed a bag the night before, so all he had to dowas grab the ingredients and accessories. Thankfully, traffic moved in Jax’s favor, and he made it to Tristan’s on time.
“You look fantastic,” Tristan blurted as soon as he opened the door, and Jax could feel the burn in his cheeks. He’d gone for a more casual fit since he’d be cooking dinner, just jeans and a tight t-shirt, both in black, but the jeans hugged his ass in exactly the right way without bothering his back, and he could feel Tristan’s gaze on him as he stepped inside to toe off his shoes.
“I feel better with support. Do you mind if I wear my house sneakers?” Putting the cooler and kitchen bag on the floor, he pulled a similar pair of sneakers out of his backpack, except these were a deep purple with rainbow trim. Since he loved them so much, he’d made them his inside shoes, and they still looked almost new.
“Of course.” Tristan offered his arm, and Jax leaned on it, changing into them. The fact that Tristan always knew how to help without being patronizing or intrusive was a major point in his favor. So was the bicep that Jax was grasping. He hoped to be able to run his hands over it later tonight, in bed.
“Thank you, Hot Bearded Guy,” Jax winked, taking a look around the spacious living room, his eyes zooming in on what seemed to be a decent-sized kitchen. Decorated in grays, dark greens, and beige, the place felt like the outdoors had been brought inside. The large, framed photos of hiking views, along with Tristan’s underlying piney scent, only added to the forest feeling. “This is a nice apartment!”
“It’s nicer with you in it,” Tristan stated, making sure that Jax was steady before reaching to the side table and handing him a small bouquet of lavender roses.
“Tristan!” No one had ever treated Jax this way. In fact, he’d never gotten flowers before, not even from his prom date. “These are gorgeous!” Jax inhaled their sweet fragrance and then went up on his toes, giving Tristan another kiss on the cheek, right on the line of his beard, loving how soft it felt under his lips.
“I’m glad you like them.” Tristan bit his lip, grabbing Jax’s cooler, bag, and backpack. Thankfully, the only weighty item was the pasta maker, and Tristan’s place had an elevator; otherwise, Jax would be aching in a bad way. “Want a tour?”
Jax looked from the bouquet to Tristan. His mother was into the language of flowers, especially roses, and Jax knew that lavender meant love at first sight, enchantment, and admiration. But did Tristan know that?
“Let’s see the kitchen. I want to put these in water.” Jax stuck his nose in the flowers, sampling their fragrance again, and Tristan beamed, gesturing toward the back of the place.
“After you.”
Once Jax stepped into the kitchen, he slowly spun around, taking it all in. The soft white cabinets were complemented by an evergreen backsplash and stainless-steel appliances, and best of all, one wall was open to the rest of the place, with a breakfast bar separating the rooms. Jax could stand and eat, but the high stools on either side of it looked even and firm. Checking them out, he smiled, realizing that this was the second time he could sit in Tristan’s presence.
“I like these.” Jax gingerly settled on one of the stools, and when his back didn’t protest, his smile grew.
“I was just about to say that I eat here standing up, so we could do that.” Putting Jax’s bundles down in the kitchen, Tristan smiled in joy. “But you can sit on those? That’s excellent news!”
“It is. But I should save the sitting for later.” Jax got to his feet, glancing around again with a nod. “Apartment kitchens are usually small, but yours has breathing room. I like it!”
“I admit, I got lucky with this place.” Reaching into a high cabinet, Tristan took out a vase. “After my hike, I stayed in Maine for a few weeks with my tramily, and it turned out that one of them has a cousin in real estate. They helped me get this two-bedroom. The trail provides.”
“Is that a thing? Like a saying?” Jax went to the fridge, delighted that Tristan had already cleared two shelves for him, and unpacked his cooler.
“It’s a belief. I’ve had bad days on the trail and then all of a sudden someone’s left food and cold sodas at a road crossing.” Filling the vase with water, Tristan placed the roses inside and put them on the countertop, right next to where they’d be eating. “Or your tent has a leak and you run into someone with a repair kit that day. Or you’re out of cooking fuel and there are three canisters at the next shelter.”
“No way. That’s amazing.” Jax raised an eyebrow, placing several things aside, including a block of Parmesan that needed to be grated.
“It’s the magic of the trail. Oh, and there’s trail magic too.” Tristan stated as Jax closed the refrigerator door. “That’s when former thru-hikers or regular, kind-hearted people bring us food, or beers, and some even barbecue food for us in the parking lot of a trail crossing. I had an insanely good hot dog on the side of the road in North Carolina. But that could be the hiker hunger talking.”
Opening his kitchen bag, Jax took out a few treasured pots as well as his knife set. “Hiker hunger?”
“When you’re doing twenty miles a day or more, after a while you can’t replenish what you’re burning.” Tristan’s eyes got bigger. “I was too lean when I finished.”
“I remember seeing you at the doctor’s office and thinking you were some kind of long-distance runner,” Jax said.
“Physical therapy,” Tristan corrected, as if Jax had made a mistake.
“Nope.” Jax stepped closer, wrapping his arms around Tristan’s waist. “The first time I saw you wasn’t at physical therapy. It was a few weeks before that, at the orthopedist. You limped past me and I stopped to check out your ass.”
“That was back in October!” Tristan’s mouth fell open as he looked down at Jax in shock. “And where were you? IknowI would’ve noticed you.”
It came out so matter-of-factly that Jax almost took a moment toaww. “You were nose-deep in some paperwork.”
“Oh. And you stopped to look at my butt?” Tristan’s light-brown eyes were full of hesitant joy as he returned the hold, his hands resting softly on Jax’s hips.
“I sure did. And I was sneaking looks at physical therapy, but you were doing that too.”
