Page 25 of The Broker

Isaac hated seeing Jared this way. The giant heap of muscle looked so vulnerable and in so much pain. It broke his heart.

Carefully walking across the room, he used the moonlight from the partially open curtains to guide him, taking a giant step to avoid the creaky floorboard that sat at the foot of Jared’s bed.

He’d slipped into Jared’s bedroom so many times that he could navigate his way through the room blindfolded if needed.

Of course, he always made sure to slip out before Jared woke or noticed. Because that wouldn’t be awkward as fuck… Jared waking up to find him lying next to him in bed.No, thanks.

The man would probably punch him in the face before giving him a swift boot up his ass. Talk about walking funny the rest of the day… too bad the injury wouldn’t have been caused the fun way.

Once he reached the other side of the bed, Isaac pulled back the sheet and carefully slid in next to the sweaty ex-army grunt.

While Jared never spoke about his time in the army, it wasn’t difficult to recognize signs of someone with PTSD. Withdrawn moments, vacant, blank stares, nightmares, and trouble sleeping.

Occasionally, Isaac would notice Jared suddenly leave a room or step outside for a few minutes—clear signs that he was getting overwhelmed and needed time to calm himself. All these signs pointed to someone suffering from a traumatic or hard-to-deal-with situation.

Perhaps it was easier for Isaac to spot because he, too, suffered from depression and feelings of being overwhelmed. While he was managing his symptoms much better these days, he still had his moments and struggles, like tonight, for instance.

Isaac never asked Jared or complained when he sporadically walked off in the middle of a conversation. He wanted to be there for Jared and hoped that he would come to him if he ever needed anything or wanted to talk.

Until that day, he would keep a distant eye on his friend, making sure that the man was safe and taking care of himself.

Gently, he draped the sheet over the back of his body and gently slid his arm across Jared’s chest.

Jared’s back was to Isaac, so he carefully slid up against the man, pulling him close to his chest as Jared slept.

At first, Jared continued to moan, leg twitching as he tried to say something in his sleep.

Isaac didn’t bother trying to make it out. Whatever was happening to Jared in his dream had his heartbeat racing and his muscles tensing.

Holding his breath, Isaac tightened his grip around Jared’s body and felt Jared’s smooth back slowly sink into his chest.

Within minutes, Jared’s heartbeat returned to normal, and his body stopped shaking.

Letting out a sigh of relief, Isaac listened to the peaceful hum of the man sleeping next to him.

It was nights like these when Isaac felt the closest to Jared. While Jared might not be aware, Isaac truly cared for him. He hated seeing the man suffer and wanted to ease his pain whenever he could. Holding Jared in his arms and providing his sleeping body with comfort was one of the ways he was able to help Jared, even though he hated doing it without his knowledge.

But what was he to do? If Isaac offered to come cuddle him at night when he was having an episode, the stubborn jock man would tell him where to go and probably give him a black eye.

Guys like Jared felt like they had to suffer in silence to keep their “manhood” card. Their pride and ego often got in the way of asking for help when needed.

Fighting against this toxic masculinity was one of the reasons why pranking Jared was so much fun. It forced guys like Jared to step out of the constraints of male gender roles and accept that sometimes things like dissolving swimsuits were beyond their control. And that having to run naked across a pool filled with horny onlookers was a healthy way to shed some of that need for constant toughness and control.

He didn’t tease Jared because he despised the man. He did it because he cared.

Feeling the steady rhythm of Jared's heart against his hand, Isaac knew that Jared’s nightmare had finally come to an end.

Gently, Isaac leaned forward and kissed the upper part of Jared’s back.

A soft moan escaped Jared’s lips, and he felt his hand loop itself around his.

He loved being here like this. Holding Jared in his arms. Knowing that he was the one who was able to still the dark turmoil rolling around in Jared’s head. That his touch, hisembrace, was all this big, strong man needed to help him get some rest.

Slowly, Isaac’s eyelids became heavy, and he, too, drifted off to sleep.

9

JARED

---