Page 77 of We Were Never Lovers
“Depends what you want,” he said and rubbed his thumb up the arch of Jack’s foot.
Jack looked up at him through the fall of his hair. And shit, he was a good-looking dude. Maudlin mood or not, his blue eyes were piercing, perfectly wide set on his face above his proportioned nose, full lips adorned by his scruff.
“You know what I want,” he replied quietly, but it was defiant too.
Sean sighed. “I reckon that ship has sailed.”
Jack sat back, eyebrows flying up. “You retired?”
“What?” Sean jerked back as well.
“Did you already sign something?” Jack pressed, getting angry.
“No,” Sean replied, frowning. He knew what he was going to do, but he wasn’t going to do it without telling Jack before he did it.
Jack sagged back.
“What do ya want?” Sean asked.
“I want you to stay,” Jack said like it was obvious.
Sean resumed rubbing Jack’s foot. He knew that. But he couldn’t just stay here and be Jack’s roommate if he wasn’t playing. He had to get on with his life.
“I thought you wanted me to get my memories back,” Sean murmured after a while.
Jack shook his head. “Course I wanted that, but you said it’s not gonna happen. What I really want is,” he pushed his foot into Sean’s hand, “to be something you’d stay for.”
Sean gripped his foot. He crawled up Jack’s body instead of speaking, braced his hands on either side of Jack’s torso, their faces an inch apart as Sean paused.
“I reckon,” he said quietly, “you’re always gonna be something I’d come back for.”
Jack closed his eyes and breathed out shakily. “I want more than that.”
“Greedy,” Sean whispered and leaned down to kiss him. Jack’s lips parted immediately and Sean tangled his tongue with his, kissed him deeply until Jack was pressed back on the pillow, Sean’s whole body blanketing him.
Sean crept out of bed early the next morning, lifted Jack’s arm off him and slid out like a ninja so he wouldn’t wake up. He grabbed his clothes and snuck out, dressing in the quiet of the hallway as Lola danced around his legs.
“In a sec,” he whispered to her and got busy in the kitchen.
Jack was awake when Sean came back in, staring at the ceiling, unmoving.
Sean frowned but did his best to sound enthused as he said, “Happy birthday.”
Jack looked over and started to smile as he sat up. Sean handed him the present, professionally gift-wrapped, a mug of coffee and a plate of fruit. He felt self-conscious, like it was too much, but Jack was grinning now, so he figured he could deal with it.
“You didn’t have to,” Jack said as he turned the rectangular gift over in his hands.
“Ain’t no way you get me somethin’ and I don’t return the favour,” he retorted and went out again to get his own coffee.
Jack was staring down at the framed picture when Sean came back in. It was a good photo, something that’d go nice with all the other ones Jack had framed around his house, some spaces here and there waiting for more, this one of him and Jack and Jack’s sisters and the brothers at lunch in the backyard. Jack’s niece had taken it and sent Sean a copy when he asked.
“Noticed ya got a few gaps,” Sean said and sat on the bed.
Jack was still staring down at the picture, but he winced when Sean said that.
“Yeah,” he breathed out, smiled up at Sean, a mask over those feelings. “It’s perfect. Thank you.”
“Dunno about perfect,” Sean sipped his coffee and stretched back, hooking his ankle over Jack’s, “but ya haven’t got any of me yet.”
