Page 80 of Heart Strain

He laughs harder. “Where’s the fun in that?”

“You’re a butt. A huge butt.”

“Don’t pretend you don’t miss my butt.”

“I do miss your butt.” I laugh at the face Jameson makes at me from his spot at the other end of the couch. When he shoots me a questioning look, I shrug and he rolls his eyes, shaking his head as he goes back to watching his movie.

“I have a long weekend coming up…” Gav trails off.

“Does that mean you’re coming for a visit?” I can’t hide my excitement; I miss my friend more than he knows. We went from seeing each other every day to only being able to talk on the phone. It sucks.

“Would you… want me to?” His voice sounds unsure and my chest clenches. He should never feel that way with me. He’s my family, my best friend. He should know he’s welcome here anytime, always. His insecurity hurts my heart and I need to fix it—I’ve been trying to fix it for years.

“Gav, I want you here.” When he’s quiet, I add, “Jameson and I have plenty of room for you at the house. You’re welcome to stay whenever you want; stay forever, even.”

After a long pause, he asks, “Are you sure Jameson doesn’t have a problem with it?”

I glance at my boyfriend who’s pretending to watch TV but is definitely aware of my conversation. “I’m sure. He has no problem with you staying here.”

Jameson turns to me with his eyebrows raised and he holds his hand out, so I place the phone in it and watch him as he says to Gavin, “We would love to have you.” Seeing him be kind and understanding with my best friend makes my whole body warm as I feel my love for Jameson grow even more—which shouldn’t be possible considering how much I already love him. Foxy laughs at something Gav says. “Yeah, yeah. Mmhmm. Okay, we’ll see you soon, Gavin.” He starts to hand me the phone, then pulls it back to his ear and says, “Oh, Holds has to tell you something, but for the record, I hope you apply and take it if they offer, which I’m sure they will.” He pushes the phone back to me before Gavin can reply.

“Hey,” I say into the phone as I stare at my boyfriend, then lean over and peck his lips.

Gav says in my ear, “What’s he talking about?”

“Kindred Soul Rehab Center has a job opening,” I say. “You know, Drix’s rehab place.”

After a moment, Gav asks, “For a physical therapist position?”

“Yeah. I’m going to send you the listing, but… you should really consider it.”

“You want me to move to Baltimore?” His voice sounds small, but also maybe a little hopeful.

“Gavin, I want you to be happy, and I know you’re not happy there, so… so I thought maybe you could be happy here. With your family.”

He’s quiet again for a long moment, and I know he’s getting his emotions under control. When he finally speaks, his voice is a little hoarse. “I’ll take a look at it.”

“I don’t want you to do something you’ll regret, but I really hope… I really miss you and I hope you’ll at least think about it.”

“I miss you, too. And… yeah, I’ll think about it, but I’m not making any promises.”

A smile spreads on my face. I’m so going to break him down until he moves here.

He and I talk for a few more minutes before we hang up, and after placing my phone on the end table, I scoot closer to Jameson. He automatically lifts his arm up for me, so I snuggle into his side with my head on his shoulder. Jameson kisses the top of my head and asks, “You think he’ll move?”

I shrug. “I dunno, but I hope so.”

“Me too. It’d be nice if he was closer.”

I tilt my head back to grin at him. “You sure you won’t mind having him in your space? You know he’ll be here all the time.”

He cups my chin, his fingers rubbing my scruff that I need to shave. “If it makes you happy, I don’t mind at all. I know you miss him, so I think it would be great if he moved here. For both of you.”

“Even if he ends up sleeping over here sometimes?”

“Even then.” I can hear the truth of his words, which makes me happy and I maybe even melt a little.

Pressing up a little, I kiss his lips. His hand goes into my hair and he deepens the kiss, brushing his tongue over my bottom lip until I open for him. Slowly running my hand up his chest and neck, I cup the back of his head as my thumb rubs his jaw line. I pull his bottom lip between my teeth, sucking it lightly before releasing it. Leaning back a tad, I look into Jameson’s green eyes and smile. All the love and affection I feel for him is reflected back at me in his eyes, and the happiness I’m filled with is overwhelming. I rub my thumb over his bottom lip, then pull it between my teeth again before releasing it. His lips are wet and shiny and even more plump from kissing me, and I can’t help but stare as my lust spikes.

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