Page 81 of Meet You Half Way
“Got you hooked something fierce, huh?” I laughed, nudging him with my shoulder.
“Something fierce,” he agreed with a sigh.
I let Rob inside, letting him leave his bag in the upstairs room Ajay had assigned him. Rob took his time inspectingall the surfaces, commenting on the excellent paint job and finishes. Rob hadn’t seen the final product yet so it was with no small amount of pride that I let him gush over everything. I was endlessly thrilled about how this place had turned out, the first build I had project managed on my own. It had definitely helped having Brad’s experience and Rob’s attention to detail and cheerful optimism on my side too as I’d wanted to make everything perfect for Ajay.
We came back downstairs just in time to see Ajay opening the front door for Dee and Dane, both of them just as excited about seeing the place they had heard so much about for the first time as I stepped forward to hug my younger brother.
Three down. Two to go.
jamie
“Hey, beautiful,” I said, gently nudging Mateo’s shoulder. “We’re here.”
“What? Already?” Mateo murmured, swiping at his eyes and yawning. Even tired and exhausted after a twenty-four flight from New York to Sydney he was still the most beautiful thing on the planet.
“Yes, already,” I grinned, not sure how he’d missed the three hour drive down to Esperance from the airport. Especially after Glen Akers had sprung an upgrade from business to first class on us, a gift for his number one client. But jetlag was real and even fully reclined first class beds and service to match could not stave that off.
“I can’t believe we’re finally back home,” Mateo said, glancing out of the dark window to the beautiful new home that was lit up under glowing lights.
It had been a long time since we had last set foot on this part of the world and I couldn’t deny I missed it. I couldn’t wait to drive over to Sorrento tomorrow, go see my old stomping ground. We would go visit Bill and Kelly too and I couldn’t wait to see Cooper and Molly again, not to mention their brand new baby, Luna. I knew I was going to be clucky as all hell when I finally got to inhale that brand new baby smell. Maybe this time I could convince Mateo it was time for one of our own. I had a feeling that wouldn’t be as hard a sell as he would probably make out.
“You ready for this?” I asked, leaning over and pressing a kiss to his temple.
“Yeah,” he replied, looking back at me with that special smile I knew was just for me. I kissed him again, properly this time, and then rushed to open his door for him before he could. We didn’t have a car back home so it had been a while, unless you counted all the Uber and Lyft rides. He rolled his eyes at me while I grinned at him and he stepped out onto the long driveway, the first time we’d been back on the South Coast in over a year.
I popped the trunk on the hire car and pulled out Mateo’s supersize suitcase and my more modest half size case and rolled them up the driveway.
I knotted our fingers together and then pressed on the doorbell of this fairly impressive looking building that I knew Nick and Rob had built. It was in a beautiful spot just south of Espy, the estuary to our left and the leafy hinterland rising steadily beyond the house. Dante had been responsible for the design and he had done an amazing job, the whole spacetextured with wood and stone and glass and lit up everywhere under soft lights.
Ajay was the first at the door, his eyes brightening when he saw us there on his doorstep.
“Jamie! Mateo!” he trilled. “We’re so glad you could come.”
Nick was at his side a second later, pulling Mateo into a deep hug while Ajay did the same to me before we all swapped partners. Rob was there next and it was hugs all around as we all stood in the welcoming entryway, big grins on everyone’s faces.
“M, you look like a movie star,” Ajay gushed. Mateo flushed but I had to agree with his friend’s assessment, pride in my eyes as I looked over at him in those designer leather pants that highlighted the curves of his ass and cupped his package in a way that ensured my eyes were always a little preoccupied. He paired it with a purple shirt that he left unbuttoned at the top where his gold chain and the St Christopher pendant he always wore could be seen. Mouthwatering. Every inch of him.
“And I see you’re still subscribing to long hair life,” Nick grinned, taking in the length of Mateo’s hair. He’d grown it out in the years since we’d been in New York, no longer afraid of what his parents would have to say about a man with long hair. He always kept it tied back in a low ponytail or a top knot but I had to agree I liked the new look on him a lot.
“You sold me on its merits,” Mateo said with a shrug.
“It certainly has its benefits,” Ajay said with an unexpected smirk and the two of us shared a knowing grin. Because I had to agree with that. Long hair certainly had its benefits.
“I’ll let you cash those benefits in later,” Nick returned with a wink at his boyfriend.
“Yes okay, we all know you’re getting sex later,” Rob said with an eyeroll worthy of Mateo. “No need to brag in front of your less fortunate friends.”
“What’s that about less fortunate friends?” came a female voice from behind us and we all turned to see Kat standing in the open doorway, an amused smile on her face.
“Kat, my dearest,” Rob trilled, face lighting up. “You came after all.”
“Turns out maybe I like you more than I realised,” she said with a graceful shrug.
“Stop toying with me, kitty kat. You love me madly just like I love you,” Rob returned with a pout as he stepped towards his on-again off-again girlfriend and ran an arm around her waist. It had been exhausting keeping up with Rob’s love life in the years we had been away.
“Maybe,” she shrugged and Rob’s face broke into a grin. “Just as long as you know we are never getting married. I don’t believe in that bullshit.”
“Darling I will happily live in sin with you for the rest of your life if you’ll let me,” Rob returned. Kat just smiled at him and Rob dipped her into a deep kiss while Nick cheered in the background.
