“I’m coming down to help things be calm. I’ll see you on Friday then?”
Christy exhaled loudly. “Okay, yes, I’ll see you on Friday after work.” She paused, and then she added, “I love you little brother. Thank you.”
* * *
Jamie looked forward to seeing Christy and Sylvia, but he didn’t enjoy canceling the planned meeting with Aaron, aka smalltownappguy. They were having their usual evening online conversation when he said that a family emergency came up and he would need to be out of town.
Jamie was surprised when Aaron typed, “That’s okay. I have a little bit of a problem. I’m just a little under the weather, so this might be best. What about the next weekend?”
They quickly rescheduled their meeting, and, even though it was only Wednesday, Jamie turned to packing for his trip. It was always a long process. He was in the process of packing for two weeks before the latest trip to Belgium. It was never easy for Jamie to figure out the right arrangement of clothing that was needed. He tried to not take too much, but doing that required very careful consideration.
* * *
Jamie took the entire afternoon off on Friday, and he arrived in Catlett’s Cove early. He took the opportunity to drive by the town marina on the lakeshore and stop in for a slice of pie at the Point Diner. Catlett’s Cove was just as sleepy as Jamie always remembered it, but the town had remained more prosperous than many of the surrounding small communities.
Tourism was the backbone of the economy in Catlett’s Cove, and shrewd advertising kept visitors coming. The houses in most parts of the town were neat and tidy. They didn’t project wealth. It was more of an air of simple comfort.
Christy’s apartment complex was quiet when Jamie arrived. It was situated off the main traffic patterns in town but near a prosperous neighborhood. Jamie pulled his suitcase out of the trunk of his car and began to roll it through the parking lot to the base of the outside staircase leading up to the second floor.
Fortunately, Christy earned enough money that she didn’t need to live in a run-down apartment. Her complex was not luxurious, but the grounds were kept trim and orderly, and the occupancy rate was high with little turnover.
Jamie pushed the long handle back into his suitcase and hefted it upward to carry it up the staircase. When he reached the top, he pulled the phone out of his pocket to check the time. It was still about fifteen minutes before Christy’s usual time to arrive home.
Jamie leaned back against the iron railing of the outdoor shared balcony and began to scroll his way through the e-mail received since leaving work shortly after noon.
Caleb shared a few jokes, and there was a usual company e-mail designed to boost morale at the end of the week. Jamie was relieved to not find anything that looked like it would require some sort of immediate attention.
He switched to reading news. Jamie became absorbed enough in his reading that he was startled when he heard the sound of a car door down in the parking lot below. He turned around to peer over the balcony rail and see who was arriving home.
It was a tall, thin guy juggling a pizza box in one hand and carrying a computer bag in the other. Jamie only caught a quick glimpse of the man’s face as he climbed the steps. He looked familiar, but Jamie wasn’t sure exactly why at first.
The man wasn’t paying much attention to where he was going as he struggled to locate the key to his apartment on a ring filled with what looked like at least fifteen different keys. As the stranger stepped onto the balcony, he briefly lost his balance and stumbled slightly falling backward against Jamie.
After catching the man, Jamie said, “Whoa,” and then he added, “You’re okay.”
The man turned around and said, “Hey, thanks buddy.” He looked at Jamie briefly with dark brown eyes behind big black-framed glasses. With a slight gasp, Jamie realized who it was. It was Aaron, smalltownappguy from Men2Date. He also had a black eye. Aaron didn’t say anything about that online.
The only indication from Aaron that he might recognize Jamie was a series of three blinks, and then he turned back to searching for the key and preventing himself from dropping the pizza box.
Jamie thought that he should say something, but he was tongue-tied. He didn’t know if he should ask,”Hey, aren’t you Aaron?” Or he could simply exclaim, “Aaron!”
There was always a slim chance that it wasn’t Aaron, and it was just someone who looked remarkably similar. Jamie shook his head thinking that the likelihood of that was slim. Instead, he pondered the chances that, in all of Catlett’s Cove, they would happen to show up in the same place at the same time. It was a small town. Jamie decided that those chances were slim, but not impossible.
Just as Jamie shook off his frozen posture, Aaron’s apartment door closed. He wondered if it was possible that Aaron didn’t recognize him. His first thought was to knock on the door, but then he remembered that he was staying with Christy for the next four days. There would be plenty of time to try and orchestrate another meeting. He also would be able to ask Christy about her neighbor. Perhaps they knew each other.
Jamie didn’t have much time to contemplate it further. He heard another car door down below, and, before he could look over the railing, the sound of small feet scrambling up the staircase reached him.
“Uncle Jamie!” shouted Sylvia. She rushed to his side and wrapped her arms around his leg.
Jamie reached down and raked his fingers through her silky hair. She looked up, and he smiled. “And how are you doing today, Sylvia? Are you being a good girl for your mommy?”
Sylvia blinked at him, and said, “Mommy says I’m always good.”
Christy reached the top of the stairs and squatted down. Sylvia turned and was scooped into Christy’s arms and lifted off the ground. Christy reached out to Jamie with her free arm and they shared a three-way hug.
“I’m so happy to see you, Jamie. Maybe we can have a quiet, fun weekend around here.”
Jamie said, “I’ll make sure of it.” Then he added, “Like I said on the phone last night, I think you and Sylvia should consider joining me in the city. I mean move up there for good.”
Christy ignored the comment while she handed Sylvia to Jamie and backed away turning toward the door of her apartment. As she pulled the keys from her purse, she said, “Please don’t judge us by the appearance of the apartment. Sylvia and I do our best to keep things neat and tidy, but it doesn’t always work out that way.”
Jamie said, “I don’t need to judge. I know I have a perfect sister and niece.”
Christy sighed as she pushed the door open saying, “I wish the rest of the world understood that.”
Jamie walked through the door and glanced around while Sylvia leaned her head against his. The furniture was a little worn, and a few of Sylvia’s books and toys were scattered around the living room, but the appearance was mostly one of being lived in. Nothing appeared dirty or broken.
Christy reached down for the handle of his suitcase. “Can I take this to the guest room for you? I have a few papers on the desk back there, but I just folded out the couch this morning and put new sheets on the mattress. There is a pile of clean towels in there, too.”
Jamie said, “You spoil me, sis.”
Sylvia smiled and poked at his chin saying, “I’m spoiled, too. That’s what mommy says when Mr. Austin comes over.”
Jamie followed Christy to the guest room. He asked, “Mr. Austin? Who’s that.”
Christy said, “Oh, that’s my neighbor Aaron. Sylvia loves him, and yeah, he spoils her rotten. I’m really glad we’ve got him, though. He helped us out when Sylvia’s dad stopped by the other night, and Aaron ended up with a black eye for his trouble. I felt so awful.”
Jamie’s mouth started to drop open. It had to be the same Aaron. Now he understood the black eye. He smiled to himself when he thought about Aaron already having a good relationship with Christy and Sylvia. He wasn’t only the nice guy he seemed online, he was gutsy, too. He stood up against bullies.
Jamie decided to ask a question to try and confirm his conclusions. He asked, “If he’s such a good guy, why don’t you ask him out, Christy?”
She laughed and said, “Some days I wish I could, but he’s gay like you, Jamie. I grumble along with Peg at work. All of the best guys that we know are gay.”
7
Aaron
“I mean, damn, Derek, I didn’t say anything. I shut down like a clam. He’s my dream date, and I blew him off!”
Derek said, “I’m still trying to get past the fact that I was second in line, and you tried to call Thomas first. I’m hurt, Aaron.”
Aaron tried to defend himself by saying, “Thomas lived up there in the city, too…” Then he heard Derek burst out laughing.
“I’m just razzing you, buddy. You call whichever one of us you think can be helpful. I’m just being an ass, because it’s kind of fun to hear you so helpless over a guy for a change.”
Aaron sighed. “Well, since you’re such an expert about guys now that you and Yale finally came to your senses, what the hell should I do? He’s three apartments away with the neighbor I see almost every day. It’s like I’m already part of the family, but I didn’t have the guts to introduce myself. Now he’s gonna convince Christy to move to the city, and I’ll never have a chance with him at all. What an idiot I am…”
Derek spoke calmly and said, “Remember, that was your comment. I didn’t call you an idiot. You’re one of the smartest guys that I know.”
Aaron grumbled, “No, you didn’t say it. You were just thinking it.”
“Well, I do have an idea.”
“You do?” asked Aaron. “I’m all ears. I’ve gotta do something.”
Derek said, “Actually I can see two potential lines of action. The first option is you can call your neighbor. Do you have her number?”
“Of course I do.”
“Well, then, come down to the bookshop. Yale or I can help you find a book for her little girl, and then you can give her a call and say you have something special and you would like to bring it over.”
Aaron said, “You are devious, Derek. I love it. What’s the other plan?”
“Get on the dating site and type something like, ‘Maybe I’m just crazy, but I think I just saw you in person.’”
Aaron laughed. “Hey, that one isn’t bad either. Maybe it’s a good thing I didn’t call Thomas. He would probably say I have to issue a formal dinner invitation or something. Thomas is a little like that.”
Derek said, “Now, let’s not go slamming friends.” Then he dropped his voice to a whisper and said, “But I know what you mean. Sooner or later he’ll have Hadley on a tight schedule and a tight leash.”
Aaron asked, “Is everything good with Yale?”
Derek said, “He’s being a little quiet. I’m not sure exactly what’s up.”
Aaron frowned and asked, “Oh man, really? Did you do something? Yale’s such a happy guy.”
Derek said, “Don’t jump to any conclusions. We’ve been friends forever, Aaron, and we’ve been pissed at each other before. If he doesn’t snap out of it soon, I’ll make him tell me what’s going on. I didn’t come all of this way to lose him. Yale is the guy for me. End of story.”
“I’m so happy to hear you say that. The two of you are perfect for each other.”
Derek’s voice was suddenly frantic. “Oh, by the way, speaking of Mr. Perfect. He’s going to be here any minute. I’m supposed to have dinner started. I need to get going, Aaron. You give me a call if something comes up, but I have a good feeling about this. Just introduce yourself, and the guy will fall at your feet.”
Aaron laughed nervously. “I really wish I had your confidence about it.”
“Go get him, Tiger!” said Derek, and then the phone clicked off.
Aaron stood in his living room contemplating his two options for meeting Jamie, and then he realized that he left his tablet computer in the car. He pulled it out of his bag when he made a brief stop at the drug store on the way home for more allergy medication.
Aaron combed the living room and kitchen to try and remember where he’d placed his keys. Finally, he found them next to the sink and stuffed them in his pocket. Aaron thought of locking his door, but he told himself that he was just going down below to the parking lot, and, after all, it was the Cove.
Aaron turned toward the staircase, and there he was. Jamie was talking to someone on his cell phone. He overheard, “Caleb, he’s right here! Just a few apartments away. What the fuck? Who would have guessed.”
Aaron shuffled his feet and tried to decide whether to turn back toward the apartment door or make an effort to slip past Jamie while his back was still turned.
It was too late. Jamie turned around and their eyes met. Jamie fumbled with his phone and nearly dropped it. He muttered into the phone, “Caleb, I’ll call you back.”
Without any better idea of what to do in the situation, Aaron tried to act nonchalant. He pointed at Jamie with the index finger of his right hand and said, “Jamie, right?” At the same moment, he pushed his glasses up his nose with the index finger on his left hand and nearly knocked them off his face. So much for being nonchalant.
Jamie’s eyes lit up and he said, “Aaron!”
It came out so loud that Aaron wanted to say, “Sshhh,” but at the same time he was excited to hear his name coming out of Jamie’s mouth.
Fortunately, Jamie’s next comment was, “This is probably the most awkward meeting in history. Do you know my sister Christy?”
Aaron stepped forward and chuckled nervously saying, “Like she was my own sister.”
Jamie fidgeted with his hands shoved in his jeans pockets and said, “Listen, I’m so sorry I didn’t say hello before. I knew who you were, and I just froze. I couldn’t believe it was you, and you are, well, yeah, you…fuck, Aaron, I’m not normally like this!”
Aaron reached out his hand for a shake. He said, “Don’t worry. I’m in the same leaky boat with you. I was on the phone with my buddy Derek telling him how badly I screwed up earlier.”
Jamie gripped his hand firmly and said, “Oh, yeah, you probably heard me saying the same things to Caleb on the phone.”
Aaron grinned and said, “I guess good minds always think alike.”
Jamie wouldn’t let go of Aaron’s hand and said, “You know, your photo doesn’t do you justice.”
Starting to flush beet red, Aaron stumbled over his words saying, “Yeah, you look great, too.”
“How about a hug instead of just a handshake?” asked Jamie.
“Uh, sure,” said Aaron. He opened his arms wider to accept the hug from Jamie. Aaron’s blush deepened because he could feel himself getting hard with Jamie’s firm chest pressed up against his body. He found himself staring into Jamie’s eyes and their faces were only inches away from each other. Jamie’s eyes were a cool greenish-grey color in person. Aaron couldn’t figure out what color they were from the photos.
Jamie said, “I can’t believe it’s really you and you’re really here, and you already know part of my family. It’s sort of like it’s all fate.”
“Fate?” asked Aaron, feeling his knees growing wobbly.
Nodding, Jamie said, “Fate, because we would have probably met eventually even without Men2Date.”
Aaron heard the words as they tumbled out of Jamie’s mouth, but he was having difficulty comprehending the meaning. He asked, “We would have?”
Jamie smiled, and Aaron could feel his heart melting. “Of course. You are good friends with Christy. I’m sure she would have introduced us at some point when I was down here visiting.”
“Oh, that’s right.” Aaron was sure that droplets of sweat were starting to appear on his forehead.
Jamie looked into his eyes. “Are you okay, Aaron?”
“Who? Me?” Then he did what he had dreamed of since he first saw Jamie’s photo on the computer screen. In an impulsive moment, thinking it was what his friend Thomas would do, Aaron leaned
forward and pressed his lips to Jamie’s for a quick kiss.
Jamie’s initial expression was one of surprise and then pleasure. He reached his right hand up behind Aaron’s head before kissing again. This time Jamie parted his lips slightly and touched his tongue to Aaron’s mouth.
Feeling shivers spread through his body, Aaron parted his lips as well and let a moan burst forth as their tongues met. Then he quickly pulled back and said, “If we’re going to do this, I think we should go to my place. It’s hard to know what someone might think catching us out here doing this.”
Jamie smiled and said, “I think we’re going to do this. Point me in the right direction.” He reached out to take Aaron’s hand.
Aaron’s hand was shaking so hard that he could barely fit he key into the lock on his front door. He mumbled, “Fuck,” as the key danced around the hole.
Jamie placed a hand on Aaron’s shoulder and whispered, “Relax.”
For a moment, Jamie’s voice sounded just like the one on an empowerment tape somewhere long in the past. It was the one Aaron couldn’t listen to because it made him feel more aroused than empowered. He tried to take three deep breaths, and it calmed his fingers and hand just enough that he managed to successfully slip the key into the lock.
As Aaron pushed the door open, Jamie followed quickly inside reaching back and closing the door behind him. With a hand on Aaron’s shoulder, Jamie pushed past just enough that he could back Aaron up against the door. Aaron began to apologize, “I know the place doesn’t look its best. I wasn’t expecting...”
Jamie pressed the tip of a finger against Aaron’s lips. Staring into Aaron’s eyes, he said, “I…don’t…care.” Then they kissed again. This one made Aaron feel weak. He had never experienced a man who kissed like Jamie. He took his time and explored with his lips and tongue. Then Jamie’s hands began to explore, too.
Aaron felt both helpless and powerfully aroused as he wrapped his arms around Jamie’s waist.
The Experiment Page 5