It was almost six o’clock by the time Aaron was done running around making last minute finalizations for the summer event. He parked in his driveway, let out a withering sigh, then left the car to unlock the front door. He’d been up since five and had been on the road for almost twelve hours that day, ferrying documents around to people who needed to sign them and hounding band members for their signatures.

I need to remind myself never to work with so many bands again. This has been a serious wake-up call.

He opened the front door and smelled food — a roast, and vegetables, and maybe even fresh bread.

“Uh.” Aaron stood in the doorway, alarmed. He hadn’t left anything in the slow cooker, and he lived alone. “Hello? Is there someone here? Are you a murderer who got bored waiting for me to come home so you could kill me, so you started making dinner instead?”

There was laughter in the kitchen, and Aaron instantly recognized it.

“Hey,” Teddy called. “Surprise. I let myself in. I just got back into town and I didn’t want to be alone, so I figured with you being busy and all that you might want some company.”

“You’ve been out of town a lot recently,” Aaron said. He closed the door and took off his shoes, then headed to the kitchen. Teddy was stirring a pot of gravy. “Where have you been going? You never said.”

“Oh, you know, just… around. I’ve got wanderlust.” Teddy shrugged. He had a tiny smile on his face which Aaron found suspicious, but he didn’t push Teddy for more info. “If an opportunity comes up, I take it. I figure I’m still young — life is too short to waste saying no to possibility.”

“If you’re going to turn making me dinner into a coming home ritual, I guess I can’t complain.” Aaron smiled. “Although I’ll admit, I miss your company.”

“I miss you, too!” Teddy laughed. He kept stirring the gravy. “But it’s not like I’m ever going to leave. Our family is bound to Prescott, you know? It wouldn’t be right of me to leave. Whose house would I be able to sneak into after coming back home?”

Aaron snorted. He leaned against the counter near Teddy and watched him work. “You’ve got a point.”

“So I’m not flying the coop. I’m just testing my wings.” Teddy paused. “Oh, before I forget, I stopped in to see Grandma before I came over. She made me stay until she’d finished baking a fresh batch of mud cookies to take to you.”

“Are you serious?” Aaron smiled. “I’ve got to go see her. It’s been too long since my last visit.”

Mud cookies were nothing more than chocolate oatmeal cookies, but all of the grandchildren had called them that since their youth. Grandma made them from time to time, usually targeting the grandchild she hadn’t seen in the longest time. It was an effective guilt trip and unspoken message all at once: “Come see me.”

“Mmhm, that’s what she said, too.” Teddy pointed to a plate on top of the fridge. “I put them up there to keep them out of the way while I prepared the roast and vegetables. I guess, now that the cooking’s mostly done, you could move them down again.”

Aaron pushed off the counter to do so. He set the cookies near the toaster. There were more than he could eat. “Are you going to take some home, Teddy?”

“Probably. I may have munched on a few earlier today.”

“I’ll set you up with a care package. I’m sad, but I’m not that sad. I couldn’t eat this whole thing by myself.”

“Sad?” Teddy clicked off the burner. He moved the gravy off the heat. “What’s going on?”

Shit.

“Just… stuff,” Aaron said lamely.

Teddy rolled his eyes. “Yeah, okay. So, I’m assuming stuff means Vance, and the fact that you’re sad means you didn’t take my advice last time we met up. Tell me what happened.”

Aaron didn’t want to delve into the specifics. Teddy had warned him that this would happen, but he’d let himself be taken in by Vance’s charm and the fantasy that maybe they could have a future together. “It’s stupid. You’re going to tell me that I got what was coming to me.”

“Aaron,” Teddy said plainly. “Matters of the heart aren’t stupid. I may have warned you against it, but you can’t help what you feel. What you can help is feeling miserable about it forever. So, what happened? I need to know if I should offer advice, or break someone’s knee caps.”

Aaron smiled. He took a moment to compose himself, then told Teddy what had happened. Teddy, meanwhile, took the roast out of the oven and let it stand. He found the plates and the utensils and took them to the dining room, setting the table. When Aaron was done, he paused for a moment, then shook his head. “Okay, so, I’m confused. Did you guys break up or not?”

“We…” Aaron bit back a sigh. “I don’t know. It’s hard to explain. We weren’t really ever together in the first place. We both like each other, but… we’re not good for each other.”

“So you didn’t break up,” Teddy said. He carved the roast, a thoughtful look on his face. “I’m going to go out on a limb and say that if both of you liked each other, then you were together, even if you didn’t ever declare it officially.”

Aaron didn’t know what to say to that.

“So I’m going to say that right now he’s got something going on in his life that’s preventing him from wanting to be with you. That’d be his comeback to the music scene, right? He doesn’t want it to interfere with his job, just like you don’t want it to interfere with yours.”

“He… could have been nicer about it,” Aaron mumbled. Talking about the situation with Vance tightened his throat and twisted his stomach. “The last time we met, it was… not good.”

“So wait, let me put it to you this way.” Teddy set down the carving knife. “You don’t want to be his dirty little secret, and he doesn’t want to be yours. Is that it?”

“I… well, I guess.”

“But both of you are crazy about each other, I’m taking it. You like him, and as far as you can tell, he likes you?”

“I think so. He’s so hard to read sometimes. His actions say one thing, but his words say another.”

“I’d be willing to bet that you’re not doing any better getting the point across to him,” Teddy said. He picked up the cutting board and brought the roast into the dining room, then came back and leaned against the counter where it had previously been. “So, I mean… I know it’s a big deal, being out and everything, but do you need to be out to be happy? Or can you have a low-key relationship that you keep under wraps? I know that it’s not ideal, and that you shouldn’t have to hide it, but if it’s preventing you from being happy, can you find a way around it?”

“I don’t know.” Aaron felt deflated. “He’s a celebrity, kind of. He’s working on making his way back into the spotlight. I don’t want to ruin that.”

“Does he miss you?” Teddy asked. “Does he go out of his way to talk to you? Does he look happier when you’re around?”

Aaron wanted to say yes, but he said nothing.

“Aaron,” Teddy said, voice soft with kindness. “It’s okay to be scared and confused, but I think you need to talk to him and try to sort things out. You’re not doing yourself any favors by being miserable, and if he’s in the same boat, then he deserves a shot at happiness, too. Why don’t you talk to him about it?”

“Because I’m a coward,” Aaron said with a dry laugh.

“Because you didn’t have me to talk you through it before,” Teddy said firmly, but kindly. “I know that it’s a lot to manage on an emotional level, but I think the easiest way out of this bind is to talk to him about what you feel. Even if he says no, you’re going to feel better knowing that you fought for what you wanted. I feel like things are so confusing for you right now because there are so many unanswered questions. Find out exactly where you stand, and tell him exactly what you want, and I think you’ll find that things go smoother after that.”

Aaron thought on it for a moment, then he looked at Teddy and smiled. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome. I accept payment in roast.” Teddy laughed. “Let’s go eat, okay? You might feel better on a full stomach.”

Aaron doubted that, but he followed Teddy to the dining room anyway, and they sat down for a nice meal. In the end, he did feel a little bit better, but it wasn’t just because he’d had something to eat. Teddy’s advice had given him the courage he needed to figure out what he could do about his situation. His heart had been in a shamble since Vance had left, but it didn’t have to be that way. There was still a chance he could make things right. But first, he needed to make it through the summer event alive. The clock was ticking, and it wouldn’t be much longer before the big day arrived. When that happened, he wanted to be ready for it. When his time was his own again, he’d make Vance his priority. Right now, he had to prioritize his professional future, but he took comfort in knowing that his heart wouldn’t have to wait much longer.