table. “It’s been a pleasure.”
Now Kyle frowned. “Will you see me to my room? I’m terrified of
elevators. Did I mention that?”
Jace smiled at his joke, intending to shake his head.
“Please,” Kyle said, blue eyes pleading.
“Okay.” Jace stood. “Then it’s straight to bed for you, young man.”
The ride up to Kyle’s floor was quiet. They didn’t talk on the way
down the hall either. Only when Kyle had swiped his key card and
opened the door did he speak, turning around and taking Jace’s hand.
“I wouldn’t have made it through the day without this,” he said,
giving the hand a squeeze. “I’d like it to keep me company during the
night as well.”
“Kyle,” Jace said warningly, but part of him was reacting, growing
in anticipation, especially when Kyle brought his face near. Thankfully
Jace breathed in before their lips could meet, because the mixed scent of
wine and an unfamiliar cologne were shockingly different than what he
was used to. He longed for the scent of Juicy Fruit gum that Ben was so
fond of, or the strawberry tang of Twizzlers that he often snacked on.
Jace’s heart, determining that his body had failed in its duty,
assumed control. Its first executive decision was to make Jace take a step
backward.
“Sorry,” Jace said. “The guy I told you about—Ben—I love him. As
much as I want to kiss you, it would break his heart.”
Kyle clenched his jaw, groaning in frustration, but then gave a smile
of resignation. “I hope he knows how lucky he is. Uh, do you want my
number? Just in case it doesn’t work out between you two?”
Jace knew he’d never have a need for it, but he took it anyway, just
to spare Kyle’s feelings. Then he said goodbye with a friendly wave and
nothing more. When he was in the lobby, he crumpled up Kyle’s phone
number and threw it in the trash. Once outside and waiting for a taxi, he
addressed the sky.
“No need to send any more angels,” he said. “I’m more than happy
with the one I’ve got.”
* * * * *
The last of the passengers having disembarked, Jace did his final
checks before collecting his carry-on luggage and walking down the
gangway. Ben was just outside the gate, staring at him with a spooked
expression. This took Jace aback momentarily, but the one-year
anniversary of the September 11th attacks had been last week, which
probably accounted for his worry.
Jace hugged him reassuringly. “I love it when you pick me up at the
airport,” he said, kissing Ben’s neck affectionately. “Are you hungry or
should we go straight home?”
“I’m so glad you’re back!” Ben said.
Jace frowned. “Is everything okay?”
“Yes,” Ben said, his expression still tight. “Everything’s fine. Let’s
go home.”
Whatever frustration Ben felt was worked out in the bedroom. He
clung to Jace as they made love, pulling their bodies close in desperation.
Jace gave as much of himself as he could, concerned there was some bad
news Ben wasn’t telling him. A medical problem? Or a death in the
family? Only afterwards, when Ben’s body was curled against his, did
Jace get his answer.
“I ran into Tim the other day.”
“Ah.” Jace’s stomach sank, wondering if that was where Ben’s
passion had stemmed from. “I don’t suppose he’s horribly overweight?
Probably bald and missing a few teeth too, I imagine.”
Ben sighed. God what a horrible sign! “He looks pretty much like he
always did, just… more.”
“Okay,” Jace said carefully. “So where did you run into each other?”
“Allison and I were out having coffee, and there he was, simple as
that. Turns out he lives in Austin. We go to the same school! Allison
knew all along and never told me.”
Jace made a mental note to buy her flowers. “So what happened?
Awkward conversation before he went on his way?”
“Yes,” Ben said, but his body was tense. “At least the first day. We
went out a couple of times. One night we went go-kart racing. Then he
dragged me off to Six Flags Fiesta, which I felt bad about, since you and
I wanted to go there, but it was a surprise and I didn’t know until—”
“It’s fine,” Jace said, cutting him off. Then he sighed. “What else?”
“Oh. Well, I went over to his house too.”
Jace refused to ask. There was no point in being with someone
without trust cementing the bond. Instead he focused on learning more.
“He has his own house?”
“That’s the weird part.” Ben propped up on his elbow to look at him.
“Tim has money. I mean a lot. He had this huge house over in West Lake
Hills. You know the area? Anyway, Allison says Tim had a sugar daddy.
There were a lot of rumors about it, at least, but the way Tim tells it, they
were only friends. It sounds like they loved each other, but it was
platonic. When the guy died, he left a lot of his money to Tim.”
“And the house,” Jace said.
“Yeah.” After an awkward moment of silence, Ben bit his lip and
added, “It was weird seeing him again. On the one hand, it felt good.
He’s out of the closet now.”
Jace took a deep breath. Over the years, Ben had slowly doled out
details about Tim, telling the story of their time together, of their
relationship. Ben’s feelings for Tim ran deep. He was more than just a
high school crush. When Ben loved, he did so with all his heart. Jace
knew that firsthand. He also knew that Tim had hurt Ben badly, and his
justification for doing so had been his fear of others finding out the
terrible terrible truth. Jace couldn’t imagine having Ben’s love and
throwing it away just to stay in the closet. But now Tim was back, openly
gay, and rich.
“On the other hand…” Jace said, prompting Ben to continue.
Ben exhaled, “On the other hand, Tim isn’t a part of my life
anymore. I don’t see where he would fit in, if at all. He’s being
aggressive about it too. He even gave me a cell phone—”
“Gave you one?”
“Yeah.”
Jace frowned. “I thought we agreed that would be your birthday
present from me.”
“I know,” Ben said, grimacing. “I didn’t ask for it. He shoved it into
my hands and walked away. That was after we first bumped into each
other. I can give it back.”
A tempting offer, but Jace shook his head. He refused to feel
intimidated by Ben’s past. He believed in the love he and Ben shared,
and wasn’t about to cast doubt on it by acting panicked about any of this.
Instead, he intended to disarm the situation by proving to Ben it wasn’t a
big deal.
“It’s normal to feel excited about running into someone again,” Jace
said. “Of course you were curious to learn what became of him. You’d
do the same even if he had just been a friend, right?”
“Yes,” Ben said, already looking relieved. “And the phone?”
“Up to you,” Jace said. “Keeping it doesn’t mean you’re obligated to
answer anytime Tim calls. If you want to, feel free to talk to him. Or not.
You’re your own man.”
“I’m your man,” Ben said, flopping back down and snuggling up to
him.
Jace decided to leave it at that. He had other questions, but left them
unasked. Tim wouldn’t be a big issue. Not if he could help it. The fewer
times his name came up, the better. Ben already seemed more at ease.
They shifted, Jace spooning Ben from behind, and perhaps holding him a
little tighter than he usually did.
* * * * *
Life was full of temptations. Jace knew that, but he didn’t truly
understand what Ben was going through until he answered the door late
one afternoon. The stranger standing there could be only one person, the
facial features vaguely familiar from the tiny yearbook photo Ben had
once shown him. That had just been a head shot and didn’t reveal the
tanned muscled body.
Here he was, Tim Wyman, in the very impressive flesh. Short jet-
black hair, silver eyes, and a winner’s smile. He looked like a model,
could be a model, from the way he made a simple T-shirt and shorts
appear devastatingly sexy. Of course, Jace had assumed that models only
looked this good after their photos had been airbrushed.
Jace took all of this in without his libido responding. Why would it,
when he finally saw what a threat this person was?
“Hey!” Tim said with an air of practiced confidence. “Jace, right?
I’m Tim.”
“Tim, of course.” Jace accepted the hand that was offered to him,
noticing the lack of calluses. Not a guy whose muscle came from hard
work. Jace imagined him grunting away, hour after hour, in front of a
gym mirror, desperate to achieve some unattainable ideal. Jace supposed
that showing up on his doorstep was meant to be shocking, and it was,
but he would never reveal that. Instead, Jace behaved as if it was nearly
expected. “Ben said he had run into you recently.”
“Yeah, it was just like old times. Hey, I was hoping to talk to you
both about an idea I had.”
“Ben isn’t home,” Jace said pointedly.
“But he usually is by now, right? I don’t mind waiting.”
Jace reconsidered him. The confident front hid desperation. If Tim
thought for a second that he had Ben’s heart, he wouldn’t rely on such
tactics. Tim had every reason to be so insecure. After all, Ben had
already had his fill. Sure, Tim was handsome and no doubt guys lined up
around the block, hoping for their chance to be with him, but Ben already
had been. Not only that, but Ben had ample opportunity to mess around
behind Jace’s back and hadn’t. Ben hadn’t even accepted Tim’s calls
since Jace’s return, which had surely prompted this new ploy. Tim
wasn’t a threat. He was old news.
Jace shrugged his indifference and gestured for Tim to enter. He
watched impartially as Samson crept up to Tim and sniffed him. Then
Jace walked to the living room and sat down in the recliner, petting
Samson when he hopped up on his lap.
Tim sprawled out on the couch as if he owned the place, instantly
reminding Jace of passengers who thought they could get their way by
being pushy. Well, Jace would handle Tim as he would a pushy
passenger, disarming him with professional and very detached courtesy.
He even let Tim speak first.
“So, Ben tells me you’re a stewardess or something.”
Jace smiled. Little did Tim know that Ben affectionately teased him
sometimes by calling him that. “Yes. That’s exactly what I am, although
I prefer to think of myself as an astronaut of the stratosphere.”
“That’s funny,” Tim said with a straight face. “Seems like all they
talk about on the news lately is airline employees having to take cuts.
Must be hard making a living in your line of work.”
“I don’t live in a mansion,” Jace replied, “but I managed to take Ben
to London recently. That was nice. Still, I’ll be glad when Ben has
graduated and is earning money. What are you studying?”
Tim seemed distracted when answering. “Architecture. With a
degree under my belt, I’m hoping to put an end to the soulless strip malls
plaguing America.”
That implied Tim had a brain rattling around somewhere inside his
sculpted head. “I don’t know much about architecture, although I did see
one of Hundertwasser’s buildings once, and that was a real eye-opener.”
Tim’s eyes lit up. “He was amazing! Shows you what’s possible if
people think outside the box. Buildings can be art.”
“True. I suppose it’s like poetry. I’ve never really enjoyed it either,
but someone like Dr. Seuss makes it so wacky and fun that it’s
impossible not to like.”
Tim nodded eagerly. “Although it’s odd how if you make a painting
that’s strange and different, most people dismiss it. Everyone scoffs at
modern art or art installations, when really that’s also being playful
within a medium. These days you have to grab people’s attention any
way you can.”
Fascinating. Jace showed just how little of his attention Tim had by
checking his watch. “If he’s this late, I should probably start dinner.”
“No problem.” Tim dug in his pocket, pulling out the cell phone that
matched the one he’d given Ben. “I’ll order us some pizzas. Ben still
likes cheese and tomatoes, right? What about you?”
“Surprise me,” Jace said, turning his attention to Samson. “No, you
can’t have anchovies, you silly cat. Tuna? Maybe. Or chicken. But only
if you’re good.”
Tim kept one eye on him as he ordered, probably thinking he was
crazy, but Jace didn’t care either way. He did wish Ben would show up
soon, since he definitely had things he’d rather be doing than hanging out
with his boyfriend’s ex.
“Should be here soon,” Tim said, snapping the phone shut. “Must be
nice to travel so much. You visit a lot of other countries?”
For once, Tim’s tone was civilized, so Jace answered him equally.
“A little, although not while at work. The international routes are highly
sought-after. Better pay, nicer perks, such as seeing more of the world.
Ben and I take at least one international trip per year.”
Tim cocked his head. “I haven’t seen much of anything, besides
Mexico. Ever been there?”
“No.” Jace remembered Ben saying something about Tim being
Latino. “When I travel, I try to make sure I get as far away from work as
possible. That way they can’t call me back in.”
Tim nodded as if he understood this, but Jace doubted he did.
“Sounds like you have your priorities straight.”
“I do.” Jace stopped petting Samson and focused on his unwanted
guest. “What exactly are you doing here?” he asked, keeping his tone
neutral.
“I have a surprise for you both.”
“I’m sure you do, but why are you really here, Tim? What do you
hope to achieve?”
Tim shrugged, looking away. “Is it so strange that I want to be
friends with Ben? He’s an important person to me. Even though we
haven’t seen much of each other these past few years, he’s still had a
huge impact on my life.”
“Such as?”
Tim met his eye again. “Coming out. Slowly learning that it doesn’t
matter what anyone thinks of me.”
“Doesn’t it?” Jace asked. “There isn’t anyone in your life that
doesn’t know? Anyone you wouldn’t want to find out, because their
opinion of your sexuality would have a devastating impact on you?” He
agreed that it shouldn’t matter. At the end of the day, each person had to
