Page 23 of Jingl
“The guy with the beard?” I motion from my chin as if to stroke a beard.
“That’s the one.” Alec finishes up his shake. “And you’d be wrong about me barking up the wrong tree. Let’s just say we were both howling by the end of the night.” Alec winks and Shae’s mouth drops open. “When?”
“I don’t kiss and tell, sweetheart.”
“What?! Yes, you do. All the time. And I’m not even talking about the straight guy you fell for.ShaaaeeeI had the most magical weekend.” Shae makes kissy faces at Alec. “I think I’m in wuv. Where should I send the invites to the wedding?”
“One time I was drunk and thought I’d found the one. One time!”
Shae grins at the man. “Truthfully, I can see you and Juniper together. I know you like the bigger guys and honestly, as soon as I saw him for the interview, I had to hire him. Just for you.”
“You did not.” Alec presses his hand to his chest as if he’s touched.
“Totally. He’s a good guy, but I think I weird him out.” Shae chews on his straw like he always has.
“You weird out a lot of people.” Alec holds up his hands when Shae’s face drops. “I mean that in a good way. When we met, you pretty much walked up to me and declared me your brother and I didn’t know what the hell was happening. Said something about me having good vibes and started talking a mile a minute. I couldn’t keep up. But I got to know you and you’re a great guy and I’m happy to have you as an honorary brother.”
“Same. Love ya.” Shae holds out his fist and they bump.
There’s not even a twinge of jealousy. Just watching them interact, I know they have their own special something.
Alec leans forward again, examining Shae. “What is that shirt? You never wear video game shirts. Why—” His eyes snap to me. And suddenly I’m on Alec’s radar again.
I don’t think Shae will ever pale again. “Yes, I’m wearing Trace’s clothes.”
“Alright!” Alec lifts his hand as if waiting for a high five, but we leave him hanging. “Wait, if you’re wearing his clothes, why is this not a high five moment?”
Shae’s shaking his head and I think if he could crawl into the wall he would.
“What am I missing here, guys?”
I shrug. “Nothing. Shae came over to hang with the fam and me. And help me unpack a bit. He was really tired and I didn’t want him to drive, so he spent the night. Nothing else. All innocent.”
“But—”
“I didn’t want to come here in my elf clothes. That’s all.” Shae glares at Alec so hard I hope Shae doesn’t pop a blood vessel in his eye.
“Got it. Look at the time.” Alec slides to the end of the bench. “Thanks for the shake, Trace. And see ya tomorrow, Shae.” Of course there’s unspoken words between the two.
When the man leaves, Shae relaxes into the seat. “Sorry about that.”
“Don’t be. He’s your friend and I’m going to be living here. I want to meet everyone.”
He just nods against the window. But it’sfinallymy turn, right? Surely the fourth time is the charm. “Shae?”
He sits up. “Yeah?”
“So this morning, before all our interruptions. Like I said, I’m not ready for labels for me. But I can’t deny how I feel anymore. I think I’ve known it a long time, and I used college as a time to explore everything. But nothing ever felt exactly right.”
Shae watches me ramble on. And he nods, encouraging me to go on.
“You probably don’t want to hear about how I explored my sexuality, but I think I need to talk it out. If that’s okay?”
“I’m open to it, I think.” Shae nibbles his bottom lip and drops his gaze to the table.
“Safeword if it gets too much? Stoplight system.”
He nods. “Perfect. Proceed.” Fuck, I want to kiss that tiny unsure smile from his mouth.
