Chapter Twelve, Part III

Dinner Went Well

 Chet Baker’s trumpet enters the room quietly.

Not enough to fill the silence.

Enough to give it shape.

“You want anything?” Jack asks.

“No.”

“Water?”

“I’ve had water.”

“Food?”

“You ate half my dessert.”

“That wasn’t the question.”

Adrian looks at him. “You do realise that ordering people to eat and drink is not a personality.”

“It’s working so far.”

Jack sits on the sofa.

Adrian remains standing for a moment.

“What?” Jack asks.

“Nothing.”

“You’re doing it again.”

“Observing.”

“Come here.”

The words are quiet.

Not quite a command.

Not quite a request.

Adrian walks toward him.

Jack reaches out and takes his hand, drawing him down onto the sofa. Adrian sits close enough that their knees touch.

For a few minutes, they simply listen to the music.

Jack’s arm rests along the back of the sofa behind him. Not around him. Not yet.

Adrian feels the day catching up with him.

The flight. The train. The road. The strange fact of sitting beside a man he barely knows and somehow already recognises.

He lets his head fall back against the sofa.

Jack turns slightly toward him. “You all right?”

“Yes.”

“Tired?”

“Yes.”

Jack’s teasing expression drops. He looks more serious now, almost unsure. “Regretting this?”

Adrian opens his eyes.

“Not for a second.”

Jack’s face relaxes at that, like he’d been holding his breath waiting for the answer.

The room is quiet except for the trumpet and the sea beyond the window.

Adrian reaches across and places one hand against Jack’s chest.

Not to pull him closer.

Simply to feel him there.

Jack looks down at the hand, then back at Adrian.

His own hand comes to rest at the side of Adrian’s neck. The rough pad of his thumb moves once along the edge of Adrian’s jaw.

“There you are,” Jack says.

Adrian exhales.

For a moment, neither moves.

Then Adrian leans in.

The kiss begins slowly. Not uncertain or cautious. Simply unhurried.

Jack’s mouth meets his with a warmth that immediately changes the room around them. His hand stays at Adrian’s neck while Adrian’s fingers curl into the fabric of the olive-green shirt.

He draws back only far enough to breathe.

Jack’s eyes remain on his mouth.

Adrian kisses him again.

This time, there is no patience left in it.

Jack’s hand tightens at the back of Adrian’s neck as Adrian turns toward him fully, one knee pressing into the sofa beside Jack’s thigh.

Adrian feels Jack holding himself back in the firmness of his grip and the pause before his tongue meets Adrian’s.

Adrian kisses him harder.

Jack answers immediately.

The room narrows around them. Chet Baker disappears beneath their breathing and the quiet scrape of Jack’s beard against Adrian’s skin.

Jack’s other hand settles at Adrian’s waist, then moves beneath the back of his shirt. His palm is warm and rough against bare skin.

Adrian makes a sound into his mouth before he can stop it.

Jack draws back barely an inch. His eyes are dark now, his voice lower.

“That. Do that again.”

Adrian looks at him, breathing harder than he intends. “You’re very demanding.”

“You’re very distracting.”

Adrian kisses him before Jack can say anything else.

Jack’s arm closes around him, pulling him firmly against his chest. The kiss becomes hungry, all remaining distance disappearing between them.

Then Jack slows.

His body is still tense against Adrian’s, his breathing uneven, but the urgency in the kiss eases.

Adrian understands. Jack is choosing to stop before either of them wants to.

When they finally separate, Adrian stays close, his forehead resting against Jack’s.

Jack’s thumb moves once beneath his ear. “You kiss like you’ve got something to prove.”

Adrian’s mouth curves. “Was I successful?”

“Unfortunately.”

Adrian laughs softly, still catching his breath. “You’re very good too.”

“Too?”

“Don’t ruin the compliment.”

“What part?”

“The intensity.”

“That’s a polite word for it.”

“And the restraint.”

Jack’s playful look fades into something more serious. “You noticed that?”

“It was difficult not to.”

For a second, they are both leaning in again without meaning to.

Jack’s eyes drop to Adrian’s mouth.

Adrian catches himself leaning forward and stops.

Then Jack exhales and lets his head fall back against the sofa.

Adrian remains upright for a moment before giving in and falling back beside him, their shoulders pressed together, Jack’s arm still loose around his waist.

Neither speaks.

Their breathing gradually slows.

Adrian feels warm, heavy, and completely at ease.

Jack turns his head toward him. “You all right?”

Adrian closes his eyes. “Very.”

“Good.”

“That was almost indecent.”

“Almost?”

Adrian opens one eye.

Jack is watching him with quiet satisfaction.

Adrian lets his head rest against his shoulder.

For several minutes, they stay like that, worn out from nothing more than kissing and the effort it took to stop there. Chet Baker plays softly from the speakers, his voice and trumpet filling the room without disturbing the silence between them.

Jack does not look toward the hallway.

He does not mention the two bedrooms.

His arm remains around Adrian, relaxed enough that it would be easy to leave.

Eventually, Adrian sits up.

Jack’s arm falls away without resistance.

Adrian crosses the room and picks up his bag.

Jack watches from the sofa as he carries it down the hallway. Adrian passes the first bedroom. At the second, he stops, places the bag inside, and turns back.

Jack is standing now, one hand resting against the back of the sofa. He is trying to look casual and not quite managing it. There is real hope on his face, badly hidden behind a small smile.

Adrian looks at him.

“Dinner went well.”

Jack’s smile widens.

“Yeah,” he says. “I thought it did.”

For a moment, neither of them moves.

Then Adrian walks back into the living room.

“Come on.”

Jack’s eyebrows lift. “That easy?”

“I am far too tired to make this difficult.”

“That wasn’t exactly the answer I was hoping for.”

Adrian stops in front of him. “I’m going to bed, Jack.”

Jack watches him, waiting.

Adrian lets the silence hold for just long enough.

“You can come with me.”

The smile that spreads across Jack’s face is immediate and impossible to hide.

“I knew dinner went well.”

“You are becoming unbearably pleased with yourself.”

“And yet you’re inviting me to bed.”

“I may reconsider.”

Jack catches Adrian lightly by the wrist before he can turn away.

“No, you won’t.”

The words are teasing, but the touch is careful. His thumb moves once across the inside of Adrian’s wrist.

“No,” Adrian admits. “I probably won’t.”

They turn off the lights together and make their way through the quiet cottage.

Neither of them says much while they undress. There is awareness in every movement. Jack pulling his shirt over his head. Adrian unfastening his belt. The brief glances neither of them pretends not to notice.

By the time Adrian lies down, the exhaustion has returned with its full weight.

Jack settles beside him, equally naked.

For a while, they lie shoulder to shoulder, looking up at the unfamiliar ceiling. Beyond the windows, the ocean moves steadily against the shore.

“You still awake?” Jack asks.

“Technically.”

“How was the restaurant?”

Adrian turns his head. “You were there.”

“I want the professional assessment.”

“The service was good. The wine was better than expected.”

“The company?”

Adrian considers it.

“Persistent.”

Jack gives a tired laugh. “That bad?”

“I didn’t say unpleasant.”

Jack nudges him with his shoulder.

Adrian smiles into the darkness.

They fall quiet.

A few minutes later, Jack turns onto his side.

“Turn over.”

Adrian looks at him. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me.”

“Is that how you invite a man to face you?”

“It worked.”

“I haven’t moved.”

Jack presses two fingers against Adrian’s shoulder. “Turn over, Adrian.”

Adrian finally rolls onto his side.

“There. Satisfied?”

“Getting there.”

Jack’s hand settles on Adrian’s bare thigh, then moves slowly over his hip and along the curve of his back.

Adrian’s breathing changes.

Jack notices, but does not tease him.

His hand travels upwards, tracing the line of Adrian’s spine before coming to rest at the side of his neck.

Finally, Jack cups his face.

His thumb brushes lightly across Adrian’s cheek.

“Thank you,” he says.

Adrian searches his eyes. “For what?”

“For today. For coming. For staying.” Jack’s thumb moves once more across his cheek. “It felt like a real day. A whole one.”

Adrian opens his mouth to answer.

Jack kisses him.

The kiss is deep but unhurried. Adrian catches him around the waist and draws him closer, feeling the warmth of Jack’s body along his own.

For a moment, neither of them lets go.

Then Jack rests his forehead against Adrian’s.

“I’m exhausted,” he murmurs.

“So am I.”

Jack brushes his mouth against Adrian’s once more, softer now.

Then he turns over.

He shifts backwards until his bare spine fits against Adrian’s chest. Reaching behind himself, he finds Adrian’s arm and pulls it around his waist.

“There,” Jack says.

He adjusts Adrian’s hand against his stomach, then settles deeper into the curve of his body.

Adrian smiles against the back of his head.

“Anything else?”

Jack lifts one leg and slides it between Adrian’s, tangling their bare thighs together.

He makes one final adjustment and exhales.

“No,” he says. “That’s perfect.”

Adrian tightens his arm around him.

Jack covers Adrian’s hand with his own.

For a moment, Adrian simply holds him, feeling Jack’s back rise and fall against his chest.

He presses his mouth to the warm skin at the nape of Jack’s neck.

“Goodnight, Jack.”

Jack’s fingers tighten faintly around his.

“Goodnight, Adrian.”

Within minutes, Jack’s breathing becomes slow and even.

Adrian listens to the ocean beyond the window and follows him into sleep.