Page 16 of Finally
Jack’s way of dealing with things was slower and gentler than Gray’s. Where Gray would sharply cut off an unwanted line of questioning, Jack would quietly listen to everyone’s position and then graciously share his own. It was a more measured approach, but no less effective, and Gray respected Jack too much to intervene and take over. Deciding to make a detour to the restroom to buy Jack some time, Gray was about to turn around when the sound of his name drifted over from the table and stopped him in his tracks.
“Mister Super isn’t available for a relationship.” That was a voice Gray didn’t recognize. He took a few steps forward.
Kevin turned to his left. “Uh, what now?”
“Gray McClellan. That’s who you guys are talking about, right?”
Gray squinted at the person speaking, but his angle allowed him to see mostly the back of his head and not much more, so he wasn’t able to place him.
“Yeah. How do you know Gray?” asked his friend Eric.
The unknown man stuffed something in his mouth as he answered. “Met him on Grindr. Hooked up with him a few times. The guy’s super in bed, super hot, and super hung, which is why I came up with the Mister Super nickname.” He shrugged.“He was also super quiet, so I don’t know much about him, but yeah, that’s what he told me—said hewasn’t available for a relationship. It was kind of a weird thing to say, which is why I remember it.”
Gray cringed. Although the man wasn’t familiar, the comment was. His heart had been owned by one person since before he moved to Seattle, so he wasn’t available for a relationship with anyone else. He didn’t want to mislead people he slept with, so he was up front about his intentions from the get-go. While Gray wasn’t ashamed of his sexual history, he didn’t want it described to Jack. Sure, everyone had a general knowledge about his reputation, but he had never shared details with Jack because he knew they’d eventually be in a relationship, and he hadn’t wanted to plant memories that could make him feel insecure.
“Thanks, Jeffrey. Now that you mentioned it, I remember hearing Gray say the same thing a time or two.” Kevin looked at Jack meaningfully. “That's useful insight; isn’t it, Jack?”
“Not sure it’s very insightful since we all already knew all of that,” Thom said, reaching across the table for a piece of bread.
Eric turned toward his boyfriend and crossed his arms over his chest. “How do you know what Gray’s packing and what he’s like in bed?”
Hand freezing in front of his face, Thom said, “I, uh, assumed because of what that guy said.”
“That guy?”
“Yeah, at the party. I think it was at Kevin’s house, and he came with someone and saw Gray and told us all about the time they hooked up. Remember?”
“Vaguely. You sure seem to have taken it to heart though. And I don’t rememberthat guygiving details about Gray’s dick.”
“He didn’t, but I’ve been to the gym with him. You have too.”
“Yeah, to exercise. I don’t ogle our friends.”
“Oh, come on, babe.” Thom dropped the bread on his plate and draped his arm around his boyfriend’s shoulders. “It wasn’t like that. He was naked and I saw. That’s all.”
Eric didn’t look impressed.
“You know, now that I think about it, it wasn’t Gray,” Thom backtracked. “I must have misremembered.”
“So you were checking out someone else’s big dick? Is that what you’re saying?”
On the plus side, the conversation was veering away from his past. Unfortunately, Jack’s shoulders were nearly to his ears. If Gray didn’t step in and smooth things over, Jack would end up with a tension headache and an empty stomach because he would be too anxious to eat.
“Hi, guys. Sorry I’m late. Seems like every client has fires on Friday afternoons.”
At the sound of his voice, everyone looked over.
“No worries,” Kevin said. “We only sat down a few minutes ago.”
“Gray, this is Jeffrey.” Eric’s tone was decidedly unfriendly. “Oh, that’s right, you two already know each other. He even has a charming nickname for you that according to Thom is spot on.”
“Jesus, Eric,” Thom said under his breath.
Clearly, something was going on between the two of them that went well beyond the current conversation, but they’d need to work that out when they were alone and at home, not at a restaurant with their friends. Wanting to add some levity to the situation, Gray smiled at Jeffrey and said, “So I heard.” He reached his hand out. “Mister Super in Bed, Super Hot, and Super Hung is a bit of a mouthful, how about you call me Gray instead?”
Kevin laughed so hard he started coughing and even Eric giggled. “Apparently it’s more than a mouthful.”
“Hi, Gray.” Poor Jeffrey looked like he had developed a sudden sunburn. “It’s, uh, nice to see you again.”
