Page 56 of Just A Little Love

“He lives with a man! I went to his apartment, and I found out I was the side piece!”

“What? No, he doesn’t.”

“That man, Justin? He was in his house. He called Gabriel Daddy, and sure as hell looked at home there.”

Jakob and Anders both stared at me, open-mouthed. They exchanged glances before returning their attention to me. I guess Anders lost the silent bet because he spoke first.

“Gabriel isn’t living with anyone in his apartment. He practically lives here, given how often he stays over. Do you even hear yourself? Hell, I wasn’t even there, and I knew there was some fucked up explanation, but it’s not that he’d cheated with THE GUY WHO BROKE INTO HIS APARTMENT.” Anders shouted by the time he got to the end of his rant.

Jakob threw a pillow at Anders before he directed his attention towards me. “We’ve dropped stuff off and picked up stuff, had dinner, watched movies, and whatever else friends do. The only one who lived there was Uncle Gabe.”

Jakob sounded so incredulous that I thought anything else was possible.

“Rory, we’ve been friends since we were seven. I love you, my bosom buddy, but you done fucked up.” Jakob nodded solemnly in agreement.

The horror of realization hit me. Gabriel being shacked up with someone else was impossible. He’d been too free with the contacts and too open with his friends. If I’d spent more than two seconds thinking about it instead of jumping off the deep end, I'd laugh in that asshole’s face.

Goddamn it.

Chapter 30

Gabriel

Of all the shit Valentine’s Days, this had them beat by a mile. It was the unequaled number one. The previous record was held when Jenny Costa announced to the entire second grade that we were going to be married in the summer and get babies by Christmas. I didn’t even know where babies came from. My mom used it as an opportunity to explain exactly that and how they got there. My fucking God, it scarred me for life.

Reed had insisted that I come tonight and said it was non-negotiable. The last place I wanted to be was sitting in Wilde Dandies, watching littles play with each other. The card-makingstation was a mess of glitter, scraps of paper floating around, and more glue sticks than I’d ever seen in one place. I’d considered telling him no, but when Reed said Jakob wanted me there. I shut my mouth and swallowed my objections. I would be at this party until Jakob told me to leave.

Now, I got to sit on the couch and daydream about how I had imagined this day going. Rory and I were supposed to start with a leisurely wake-up, and I’d have gotten him into the shower with me. We'd have hung around the house or maybe gone out for breakfast. The botanical gardens attached to the zoo had an early exhibit of bulb flowers, and Rory would have loved to go see it. I had wanted to discuss Justin and explain that Justin was not part of my life, but since I had foolishly said I’d give him the space he said he wanted, I couldn’t. There was nothing for me to do except sit in this chair and remember that I never even had time to tell Rory that I loved him properly.

Fuck.

A few daddies braved the cookie and cupcakes station. The edible glitter and sprinkles had exploded everywhere, which matched the smears of frosting on every conceivable surface over there. The color combinations weren’t strictly pinks and reds, since the Cuddle Crew Confab had provided a rainbow tray of frosting for each participant to choose from. Each peal of laughter from people creating their masterpieces was a stab into my heart. I was so fucking jealous.

Owen, as always, had created a beautiful room of hearts and Cupids in shades of pink and silver. He’d covered the walls in shimmery fabric, so it gave the impression that we were in aRoman palace in the sky. It was only a question of time before Zeus came through the door and made his claims from the party.

The boys had worked hard to make sure everyone enjoyed the party, and by the shrieks of laughter, it was a rousing success. Unfortunately for me, all I wanted to do was go home and brood. Brooding was not sufficiently possible while surrounded by happy boys and the ones who loved them. Too bad the boy loved had gone radio silent.

“Gabe, I’m glad you could make it.” Reed threw himself into the chair next to my own and slouched down comfortably in the seat.

“I didn’t know I had a choice. Your instructions were pretty clear. There aren't many ways to misunderstand being told to show up or else.”

“Well, that was a little high-handed, but your presence was requested.”

“Why? To remind me of what I don't have? I know you’re pissed, but this was mean.” My tone sounded like a petulant child, and I didn’t care. Since the club required people to check their phones at check-in, I couldn’t even occupy myself with it.

Reed rolled his eyes at me and gave me a sardonic smile. “Relax, drama queen. It’s almost time for you to know why you're here.” Reed made no move to go anywhere.

“Is Jakob staying away because of me?” There had been hordes of people at the party, but Jakob was nowhere to be seen. I hadn’t seen Rory or Anders either, but I wasn't surprised by that.

“Don’t give yourself that much credit. He’s here, but there’s a special project keeping him busy in the back. I just checked, and he’ll be finished soon.

I wasn't the smartest guy in the room, but something was up.

“Reed, I want you to know that I never meant for Jakob or Rory to be hurt. I was fucking crushed to know that I made two people I loved cry because I couldn’t man up and admit I was fucking jealous. I’m sorry.” Now, I was the one close to tears.

“Love?”

“Yes, I love him.”

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