When Dylan hadn’t managed to find Jamie at the club, he was fully resigned to the thought that Jamie probably had got off with and gone back with someone. Still in his early twenties, Dylan doubted if he could remember the names of all the guys he'd hooked up with, so he was hardly going to get judgmental or jealous if Jamie had left the club with a man.
Dylan suspected Jamie had hooked up with guys ever since they had struck up the FWB arrangement even though he'd mentioned nothing. Why shouldn't he? They weren't boyfriends, and they were exclusive, and Dylan certainly didn't even want to think that Jamie was suffering celibacy. He was above the age of consent, and it was a natural urge.
Dylan called by Jamie's house mostly to make sure he was safe, because Jamie had not replied to any of his messages.
But meeting Perry in Jamie's house—that was a surprise Dylan hadn’t anticipated. He couldn't believe Jamie would bring any guy back unless his brother and father were out, but clearly, they weren't. Jamie apparently brought Perry home and introduced him to his father and brother over a late breakfast or early lunch.
That was the biggest shock of all: bringing a guy home and eating with the family. That's not something you do early in a relationship. Dylan's insides sank low and heavy as he realized things must have progressed far better for the pair of shop workers than Jamie had ever let on.
"I guess you’re here to see Jamie?" Barry asked. Did this mean Barry, Jamie’s Dad, knew ?
Dylan took in the scene. The empty plates and mugs on the table. Gathered around, Kevin had a carefree glow to his demeanor as if he hadn't a care in the world, lucky for him. Everything Jamie had said about Perry was true. An attractive man with charisma that filled the room so much you could almost taste it. Under different circumstances, Dylan could imagine them as friends, but all now all he could see right then was serious competition and a man who was at least one step ahead of him in a race for Jamie’s heart.
Looking like a man caught in the headlights, Jamie sat amidst it all.
Jamie pushed his seat back and rose from the table. "Dylan. I was about to call you."
Oh yeah, sure looks like it, Dylan thought. He’d made a fool of himself sending so many messages and turning up like this.
"Actually, Barry, I came to ask you and Kevin a favor." Dylan had already planned an excuse for dropping by, a reason to see them all. "And see Jamie, too," he added with a smile.
"I'm thinking about my future in the short-term. I'll be finished with college in three months, unemployed and out of money. The last few years I landed great laboring jobs, but I've got nothing lined up for this summer so I just wondered if you could keep an ear to the ground because you both work for big companies. If they need a laborer, would you put in a word for me? I'll be available in June."
"Yeah, I'm sure we can," said Kevin replied.
Barry was also nodding in agreement. "Don’t worry, son. Something will come up. They’re always taking on extra labor in the summer."
"Dad, I’ll come back and clear up in a minute. I just want to talk to Dylan." Jamie was across the kitchen and standing in front of Dylan before his father could reply. "I’ve got to bring him up to date on events around here." Jamie ushered Dylan back into the corridor and along into the sitting room.
Dylan entered the room but remained standing near to the door, ready to leave as soon as Jamie asked him to, and starting to coming here in the first place.
Jamie shut the door behind them walked past Dylan, and picked up the TV control. "Background noise so they don't hear us talking about them." Jamie sat on the sofa and pointed to the solo armchair, inviting Dylan to sit with him.
Dylan remained standing and crossed his arms.
"I know what you're thinking. You’d never guess the truth."
"I guess things turned out just right for you last night?" Dylan just wished Jamie would hurry up with it so he could get the hell out of there, get on a train, and go somewhere where to wallow in his misery in private.
"Honestly, Dylan, you've no idea." Jamie looked at him wide-eyed. "Kevin's into guys, and he's dating Perry. That's why Perry stayed the night; he’s with Kevin, not me. And Dad knows about all of us. Well, he doesn't know you're gay. But he knows about the three of us. He knows Kevin and Perry are together."
Dylan's arms fell to his side, his mouth fell open, and his knees softened, ready to let his entire body fall to the floor. He should have taken up Jamie's suggestion of sitting down. Ignoring the armchair, he moved to the sofa and collapsed next to Jamie. His mouth gaped open. He closed it. It opened and closed again.
"Are you okay?" he asked. It was feeble, but Dylan couldn't think what else to say, so stunned was he by this new development, and it still didn't get him back on track with his plans.
Even though it turned out Jamie had not hooked up with Perry last night, Dylan's plan had been to turn up and seduce Jamie. To dance and flirt with him at a nightclub. When that hadn’t worked out, he'd hoped to take Jamie to breakfast or lunch. Jamie had obviously just eaten.
Fate seemed determined to keep them apart, and perhaps Dylan should resign himself to that fact. Perhaps he should get up and leave.
"I know," Jamie said, and he placed his hand a hand on Dylan's thigh. "It was a shock to me to. A complete shock."
"You’re not upset though?"
"Upset? No! I'm upset Kevin didn't trust me enough to tell me sooner, and I'm upset that I hadn't worked it out myself. But I like the thought of Perry as my brother-in-law."
"You're marrying them off already?"
Jamie's eyebrows raised and he broke into a broad smile. "Yeah, completely." And then he sighed, and the smile disappeared. "I guess you just came to find out about a job. And you’re going back on the train this afternoon, or is your mom giving you a lift?
"Train. I should probably go catch my train soon and leave you to do whatever you've got to do."
"I'm sorry I missed you last night. If you don't have to leave too soon, it'd be nice if you could stay and we could hang out for a while."
The hand remained on Dylan's thigh. It felt hot and heavy, in his imagination he could feel Jamie pinning his leg to the sofa.
Before his eyes he saw a vulnerable, young gay man who was incredibly sweet and fun to be with, but where their bodies touched the chemistry between them told a tale of simmering, passionate desire. Dylan knew what Jamie was capable of doing with those hands.
During yesterday's journey, Dylan had worked through so many scenarios in his head, and every one involved him confessing how he felt. Even if Jamie didn't feel the same way, he had been sure it couldn’t go badly.
"So, have you got any plans for the rest of the day?" Dylan asked. While his instincts were to bolt for the train and go back to everyday life, he knew he’d face more of the same more uncertainty. Wondering about Jamie and whether things could be different between them. He knew he had to do something; he couldn't leave things as they stood.
"Just recovering from last night. No, nothing really. I had no idea you were going to be down here. Why do you keep doing this? Turning up unannounced. I'd have baked a cake if I knew you were coming. Or at least done hair and makeup or something."
"Your hair looks fine to me, and I don't want to eat cake."
"Are you hungry? I didn't even offer you a drink! Would you like a cup of tea? Some food? I'll bet Dad’s keen to cook a second round of English breakfast if you like?"
"I could definitely go with a cuppa tea."
Jamie went to move, but Dylan put his hand over Jamie's, holding him in place.
"Look before we get surrounded by people again, what I've come here to say is I like you, Jamie, a lot. And I know this is unexpected and coming out of nowhere, but I don't know how things will work in the future... It sounds so silly, forget it." He thought he sounded like a bumbling adolescent. He couldn't vocalize his thoughts into words.
Jamie moved a little closer on the sofa and moved his hand from Dylan's thigh. Instead, he placed an arm around Dylan's shoulder, concern on his face.
"What's the matter; is there a problem?"
"I think this might sound foolish, so please don't laugh at me, I thought we could scrap the benefits arrangement and become more exclusive. I was kind of hoping for it."
"Oh." Jamie just looked blank and confused.
"Yeah, I know. Forget I said anything."
"I'll forget it easily because I don’t know what you're talking about," Jamie said. "You want to be exclusive; I didn't know you had a boyfriend. Is it any one I’ve met? One of the guys at the Halloween party?"
"I haven't got a boyfriend, Jamie. I'd like you to be my boyfriend."
Jamie's expression went from confused to completely amazed. He moved closer and kissed Dylan on the cheek. Not the passionate kiss of a boyfriend, but the chaste kisses of a best friend or brother.
"Dylan, are you serious? Because I'm all up for a joke and a laugh, but if you're taking the piss out of me I don't see that is very funny."
It was Dylan's turn to be confused. "Why do you say that?"
"You started it, you explain yourself," Jamie demanded.
"I've always liked you. We've had an instant friendship since we met online and from the first time, I met you in person we've had an instant connection. I've never had a friend like you before. I thought of you like the brother I never had. But as I've got to know you better and better, I love you more. And not just like a brother. The way I think about you is not how you think of a family member or a friend. I can't stop thinking about you, and I want to be with you." Dylan looked away, feeling incredibly embarrassed by what he was saying. "I'm sorry, I'm sure you don't want that. I don't want to spoil the friendship because it is really good. I just thought you should know that if you wanted more, I'd like that too."
"So you're not asking me to be your boyfriend. You're telling me you would like to be my boyfriend if I were to ask you? Is that right?"
Dylan swung around to look at Jamie with a big beaming smile on his face.
"I may have almost completed a degree at University, but you are so clever. That's exactly what I'm saying, Jamie. If you felt that you'd like to have me as your boyfriend and you asked me out, I would be just so fucking happy. I’d do anything for you, but I feel too unsure of the whole thing to ask you myself. Bloodied petrified that it will ruin our friendship and you will reject me and laugh at me. So I'm definitely not going to ask you to be my boyfriend. I'm kind of hoping you'd ask me instead. You know, I love ya."
Jamie grinned as he relaxed into the sofa. "Don't stop, please, carry on."
"Well, I know you're not even twenty-one yet, and you've only been with a few guys, and I'm away at university for the next three months. I can imagine you might want to hook up with other guys, and that's fine. You are drop dead sexy, but I’m not just wanting to be boyfriends for orgasms. I do want sex, of course, but it’s not about your body."
Jamie pulled right away from Dylan, squeezing himself into the corner of the sofa, and yet there was something about the smile on his face that was warm and exciting.
"I wouldn't mind you hooking up, even though I’d prefer to be there. If you want to hook up with other guys together, that would be even better, but it's fantastic when we fuck. The two of us has been the best sex I've ever had in my life. Jamie, I want to be with you for all those soppy romantic things that couples do together. That's the real thing."
"Dylan, can we just backtrack to where you say what you think of me?"
"I think you're amazing, funny, sexy, handsome. Everything I could want in the guy on my arm."
Jamie sat up, stood up and flung himself onto Dylan’s lap. The signs were good. "Okay. Here's what I think. I would most definitely want you as my boyfriend. I have missed you so much, and I'm going to miss you when you go back. It’s not just that you're stunningly handsome, but the way you make me feel. So, Dylan, would you like to be my boyfriend?"
"Yes." Dylan leaned forward slightly to kiss his official boyfriend, but Jamie held up a hand against his chest to stop him.
Just then the door to the sitting room opened. Dylan had his back to the door and didn’t see who entered but knew soon enough when Jamie said, "Dad, I’m just having a few words with my boyfriend."
"Oh, right. Carry on." Dylan heard the door close. Walking in on something like that was perhaps a little too much gay-son stuff for Barry in one morning.
"I was saying, problem is, obviously you've got a train to catch. We’re not going to be able to consummate the relationship, and I'm not going see you for months. So how is this a long distance relationship going to work?"
Dylan attempted to answer, But Jamie placed a hand over his mouth.
"I’ve given it a lot of thought. Don’t ask when just accept I’ve thought about this. A lot. We could have online dates and webcam sex."
"Jamie, I'd love to do online webcam sex with you. That sounds so hot."
“It does, doesn’t it? The sooner you get back to your place the sooner we can get started."
"But I want you to know; I could come back here to see you at least once a week. It’s not so far."
Further words were not required.
Jamie closed the distance, pressing their bodies together, and kissed Dylan with all the passion of a lover.