“That’s a good thing,” said Jamie earnestly. “I also have some news. If it’s okay with you, my friend Caleb from work will be joining us for dinner. He wants us to go to his favorite sports bar. I encouraged a quieter restaurant, but he insisted.”
“Burgers and wings?” asked Aaron.
“Something like that,” said Jamie in a monotone voice.
“I’m in!” exclaimed Aaron. “Is this the, ‘checking to see if I’m good enough for his friend,’ dinner?”
Jamie growled, “Damn, Aaron. Just drive safe and get here. You’ll like Caleb. He’s a frustrated musician.”
“Ooo…the soul of an artist.”
Jamie laughed. “Yeah, um, something like that.”
Just before the elevator arrived to take Aaron to Jamie’s apartment, he checked on his phone for the most recent sales totals of his app. The numbers so far were not spectacular. In fact, they were downright slow. It was what Aaron expected, but in the back of his mind he hoped for something better.
He smiled when he saw the new totals. There was a slight uptick in the past twenty-four hours, and it was holding steady. That made it difficult to not be obsessive about checking the data, but Aaron forced himself to put the phone back in his pocket as the elevator rose.
Jamie greeted him at the door with a massive hug and a quick, intimate kiss. Then Aaron heard a voice coming from the living room. It said, “I didn’t sign up for an R-rated dinner. If you guys need to take care of something before we go, I can settle down for thirty minutes or so of ESPN.”
Jamie laughed and turned around. He said, “What makes you think it takes only thirty minutes? With Aaron, it’s more like three hours.”
Aaron blushed and saw a burly guy rise from the couch to greet him with a firm handshake. He said, “I’m Caleb. Jamie can be a little slow with introductions, so I just take care of it myself.” He added, “You must be Aaron.”
Aaron was slightly taken aback by the room-filling personality of Caleb and self-consciously took half a step backward. He glanced at Jamie and then offered a smile saying, “Yes, I must be.”
Caleb said, “I hope you like beer and wings, Aaron. Sometimes my tastes are a little, should I say, rustic for Jamie’s delicate constitution.” He reached out and patted Jamie’s belly with a big fleshy paw.
Jamie sighed while Aaron perked up and said, “I love a sports bar. The wings usually can’t get too hot for me. I try and have a breadstick or a roll nearby just in case, but bring on the fire.”
Caleb threw an arm around Aaron’s shoulders and winked at Jamie saying, “You just might have a winner here, buddy.”
Aaron glanced back at Jamie just in time to see a shrug of the shoulders. Aaron gave him a wink and happily marched out of the apartment at Caleb’s side.
* * *
Aaron declared the wings “perfection,” while Jamie insisted they were too hot to eat. Aaron asked, “Should we order something else, too? Maybe the deep-fried mozzarella or fried zucchini sticks.”
Jamie shook his head and said, “I’ll just stick with the beer for now, and I’ll order a burger. It will be plenty for me.”
Caleb asked, “Speaking of burgers, how do you like yours cooked Aaron?”
“Rare all the way,” said Aaron.
Jamie winced while Caleb eagerly jumped on the comment. He asked, “Do you like it with some juice still running out?”
Aaron said, “I like it just after the cow stops mooing.”
Caleb laughed and downed the last quarter of his pint of beer. He asked, “Can I get you guys another?”
Aaron said, “Sure, why not while Jamie held his hand over his glass and shook his head no.”
Caleb bounded off to the bar and Aaron leaned across the table asking, “Are you okay? Caleb’s a hoot. He’s like a friendly gay version of all of those asshole football players in high school that I secretly wished would ask me to join the crowd.”
Jamie tilted his head to the right and stared back at Aaron. He said, “I never would have predicted that, but it’s kind of interesting to hear you think that way. You know, Caleb is a Peter Pan type.”
“Peter Pan?” asked Aaron.
Jamie nodded and said, “I’m not sure he’s ever going to grow up, but in Caleb’s case, it’s not always a bad thing.”
Caleb returned to the table and handed Aaron another beer. He asked, “So when you’re not banging my buddy, Jamie, what exactly do you do, Aaron? I think he said you’re an IT guy?”
Aaron nodded. “Yep, my formal job is providing support for a corporate computer network. I’m one of the few on the staff who is still competent in raw programming, so I end up being a Mr. Fix-It much of the time. It’s not bad work, and I end up with a lot of down time, because they know that when they need my specialized knowledge, they usually need it right away.”
“He programs apps, too,” said Jamie.
“Like for the phone?” asked Caleb.
Aaron nodded again. He said, “In fact, I released one a few weeks back. It’s struggling a little, but it is selling enough to be a nice little paycheck on the side.”
Caleb nodded and said, “I’m impressed. That’s a great set of skills.”
Aaron asked, “So how am I doing on the performance meter?”
Jamie asked, “Performance meter?”
Aaron said, “I’m sure Caleb knows what I mean.”
Caleb held out his right arm with his elbow resting on the table and his hand pointing upward. Then he let the hand swing back and forth in an arc until it landed nearly horizontal pointing to Caleb’s left.
“I hope that’s the positive direction,” said Aaron.
Caleb grinned and said, “You’re not far from breaking the meter my man.”
Jamie asked, “Should I feel relieved?”
Caleb nodded and said, “It’s my solemn responsibility to check these things out.”
The server returned to their table and slid burgers in front of each of them. Aaron said, “Wow, that looks good. Before I get started, though, I need to excuse myself to go to the guys’ room. The beer is running right through me.”
Aaron could feel a bounce in his step as he left the table. Caleb was twice as fun as he expected. The trip to the bathroom wasn’t as urgent as Aaron said that it was, but Jamie’s mention of the app made him want to check sales totals again.
As he stepped inside a bathroom stall, he punched in the web address on his phone to check. Aaron blinked when he saw the curve of the graph. He pulled off his glasses and wiped at his eyes, and then he put them back on and looked again. It can’t be. Aaron felt a nervous chill race through his body.
Aaron navigated to a different page on the browser and then went back to check the sales totals again. They were not only solid, they were starting to head through the roof. Something happened to cause the sales to take off in the most recent two hours, and Aaron’s hand holding the phone started to shake. He backed up a step to avoid dropping the phone in the toilet.
Aaron took a few extra minutes in the restroom to try and pull himself together before returning to the table. He looked at himself in the mirror and then ran his fingers through his hair pushing it back up off his forehead. He whispered to himself, “I look scared.” Then he added, “I think I am scared.”
He pulled off his glasses and splashed some water on his face before taking three deep breaths. Then he dabbed at the moisture with a paper towel and put his glasses back on. It was time to return to the table in case Jamie was worried that he was sick.
When Aaron arrived at the table, Jamie and Caleb were both laughing hard. Caleb said, “And then she told old man Watkins exactly what she thought about his wandering hand. It was hysterical. He finally retired just three weeks later.”
Jamie nodded and laughed. He said, “Man, I wouldn’t cross Scarlet. She is one smart, tough woman. I’m glad we’ve got her on our side, but they really should have kicked Watkins to the curb. Instead, I heard he got a six figure severance pack
age.”
Jamie looked across the table at Aaron as he sat carefully at the table. Jamie’s forehead wrinkled when he asked, “Are you okay Aaron? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
Aaron said, “I have to admit that I’m a little bit freaked out.”
Caleb leaned forward to take a closer look and Jamie asked, “Freaked out? What happened in the mens’ room?”
Aaron took a deep breath and tried to remain calm. He said, “I checked the sales of my app again.”
“And?” asked Jamie.
“Through the roof,” said Aaron. “I mean, seriously, it is, and it’s kind of scary.”
Caleb leaned further across the table and held up a beefy hand for a high five. “Fuck yeah, Aaron! You’re the man!”
Aaron grinned sheepishly as he slapped Caleb’s hand. Jamie stood up and held up his hand, too. Aaron’s smile grew wider as he slapped Jamie’s hand, too.
“This deserves a serious toast,” said Caleb. He held his half-empty pint aloft. Aaron and Jamie followed his lead as the glasses clinked together. Caleb said, “To the next Silicon Valley tycoon.”
Aaron laughed nervously and said, “I don’t really know about that, but I think it’s good news.”
Caleb raised a half-eaten burger to his face and took a bite. Then he leaned back and chewed with a thoughtful look on his face. Both Aaron and Jamie sat, watched and waited for Caleb to swallow.
Caleb chased the bite down with a mouthful of beer and then rubbed at his chin. He turned toward Jamie and said, “I guess he’s okay for you. I mean, he’s a little bit skinny, and the glasses might be a little big, but he’s definitely a nice guy, and he appreciates a hot wing. That counts for a lot.”
Jamie blushed slightly and said, “Okay, Caleb, that’s enough,” but it didn’t stop his friend.
Caleb said, “Seriously, he’s a good catch. I mean, look at him.” Caleb leaned closer to Aaron. “He could be a nobody living in a small town and spending his days catching fish from a broken-down dock. Instead, he’s knocking the world on its ear with a bestselling app. That’s grabbing the world by its nuts. You need a guy like this, Jamie.”
Jamie lowered his head into his hands and mumbled, “Caleb’s not ready to stop yet.”
“He’s not just a good catch, Jamie. He’s an awesome catch. He’s the best guy I’ve ever seen you with. Don’t let him get away, or I will personally kick your ass.”
Aaron held his beer up to his mouth and giggled behind the glass. Then he whispered, “It’s nice to be appreciated.”
13
Jamie
Jamie stared at the clock in the upper right of his computer screen. Just ten more minutes of reading through reports, and he could send Aaron a text. Jamie found himself dividing up his day with sprints of work productivity and then rewarding himself with ten-minute sessions of chat with his boyfriend.
The conversations were usually about little more than nothing. They talked about favorite movies or summers growing up with their families in the Cove. Sometimes Aaron mentioned the latest book he read to Sylvia, and Jamie described Caleb’s latest antics. It was a great way to pass the time, and it was much more interesting than work.
Jamie knew that he was getting progressively bored with his job. It was only growing worse, and he didn’t really know how to get himself back on track with better mental engagement.
He tried to convince himself that it wasn’t a big deal. There were plenty of people that loathed their jobs, and Jamie was far from that point. Still, he longed for the days when he got to work half an hour early because he couldn’t wait to see the new developments on the latest project or read the “thank you” e-mail messages from satisfied customers.
Aaron was describing Christy’s efforts at letting Sylvia help pick out her clothes for the day. He said that three days ago, Christy called him with something she wanted him to see. She was ready to head to the grocery store with Sylvia in an outfit that Sylvia picked out on her own. When Aaron arrived at their apartment, Sylvia was dressed as a princess with a sparkly, glittery ballet tutu and a silver tiara.
There was something about the way that Aaron told stories. It made even the most mundane everyday observations sound fun and new. He was also a good listener. Jamie found himself getting bored by his own stories, but Aaron was always there to ask the, “And then what happened” questions.
Their conversations would usually end with Aaron claiming that he was probably boring Jamie with the everyday stories. He said, “I’ll let you get back to work.”
Jamie knew that was far from the case, and another part of the pattern was the requisite, “You never bore me, Aaron” comment.
It really was work that was boring. Jamie was always eager for the day to end so that he could return home and at least watch people leading more exciting lives on TV. Or he could stare out of his living room window at the street below and watch other people going about their lives. He found himself making up stories about the lives of some of the most interesting looking individuals and couples.
The ten minutes elapsed while Jamie was staring off into the distance daydreaming. He didn’t get more work done, but he still counted it as work time. Jamie sent off a text message:
How is your day going. I wish I was there to give you a kiss.
Jamie drummed his fingers on his desk while he waited for a response. It took just long enough for Jamie to grow slightly impatient. Then Aaron typed back:
I’d rather have that kiss at home. It’s a pretty usual day except we’re pushing a deadline, and I’m the point man on a key snag in the program.
Jamie thought about Aaron’s work and how Aaron was always excited and ready to face the next challenge. In fact, Aaron went home at night and worked on his own programs. It wasn’t an extension of his actual job, but it was still the same kind of work. Jamie typed back:
That sounds exciting. Do I need to let you go so they can have your full attention?
Jamie didn’t want Aaron to go, but he didn’t want to sound demanding and clingy either. It only took seconds for Aaron to type back:
Yeah, I’m really sorry. Our deadline is now in minutes instead of hours. I’ll call you tonight, and I can’t wait to hear your sexy voice.
Jamie sighed heavily. Not only was their conversation cut short, but he also had to make it through the rest of the day on his own. He decided to fall back on the strategy he used to recharge his batteries before Aaron appeared on the scene.
Caleb growled, “In!” after Jamie knocked at his office door. Jamie turned the knob and found Caleb leaning back in his desk chair tossing paper airplanes toward the wastepaper basket in the opposite corner of the room.
Jamie pushed the door shut behind him and said, “You’re being about as productive as I am.”
Caleb waved a hand and said, “Sshhh…I’ve got three more.”
Jamie stood in silence and watched two airplanes turn loops in the air and land at least eight feet away from their target. Caleb grumbled and pressed the creases down tight on his final airplane by resting it on his thigh and sliding a thumb down the length of the folds.
Then Caleb held the plane aloft, closed one eye, pushed the plane forward and back in the direction of the basket, and then he let it go. It drifted slowly to one side, but it corrected itself and finally landed squarely on target. Caleb threw his arms into the air like a referee signaling a touchdown in the end zone at a football game.
Jamie grabbed the chair sitting in a corner of the office and pulled it up close to Caleb’s desk. He asked, “And what are you learning from paper airplanes?”
Caleb turned his chair to face Jamie and said, “It’s very simple. We have this project where the CEO keeps tossing out new ideas. Some are better thought out than others, and none of them have been tested. I decided to fold up some planes and toss them toward a target to find out about how many were actually likely to be successful. Then I can report back about the efficacy of half-baked schemes.”
He raised an eyebrow as he looked at Jamie. The response was a deadpan, “It’s clever, Caleb, and one of your better efforts, but it’s a load of BS.”
Caleb sighed. “Aw, damn, I thought I had you going this time. Seriously, Jamie, I’m just bored.”
* * *
Somehow Jamie pushed through the rest of the work day along with Caleb. They even managed to get some real work done after they each built squadrons of a dozen paper airplanes and challenged each other head to head. Jamie won the competition, but it was close. He landed three planes in the wastepaper basket while Caleb only succeeded with two.
Jamie discovered that Caleb was not only bored. He was also sad. He was grieving a breakup with Donny. Caleb said, “I told you it wouldn’t last long, but still, it’s not much fun when your bed is suddenly empty after it had an extra guy in it every other day for a month.”
“Damn, Caleb, I’m sorry buddy. Maybe you should put yourself up on Men2Date.”
Caleb laughed. He said, “I’m already there. My Prince Charming hasn’t shown up yet, but there is a lot of eye candy to look through.”
At last 5:00 p.m. appeared on the clock, and Jamie said goodbye to Caleb while heading for the parking lot. He climbed behind the wheel of his Lexus IS and thought about the reasons why he endured the occasional mind-numbingly boring work days.
Those days opened doors to interesting worlds that Jamie never knew growing up, and they funded a comfortable lifestyle with beautiful furniture, a beautiful car, and a view that could dazzle any visitor.
Later in the evening when Aaron’s face appeared on video chat, he was leaning in close to the camera and beaming. He said, “It worked, Jamie! My little bug fix sent all the wheels in motion and the system worked like a charm. I’m the plumber of high-speed digital networks.”
Jamie laughed out loud, and he couldn’t turn away. Aaron’s smiling face blew all of the day’s frustrations away and made them seem like minor speed bumps on the way to a relaxing evening with the man in his life.
The Experiment Page 9