by Geneva Vand
Winning the ‘I Love You’ Game
"So, I've been thinking."
Jason glanced up from the Chinese takeout he was scooping onto his plate. Aiden looked spacey, which didn't surprise Jason since Aiden had seemed distracted long before they sat down at the kitchen table.
"About what?" he asked, curious.
Aiden was silent for long enough that Jason shrugged and started eating.
"We should buy a house."
Jason immediately choked on his Mongolian beef and started coughing. By the time he was finished trying to hack up a lung, he had managed to process what Aiden had said. He took a drink of tea to sooth his throat and looked across the table at his boyfriend of just over a year.
Aiden had a suspiciously innocent look on his face.
Jason wasn't convinced.
"We should buy a house, huh?" They'd been living practically in each other's pockets since their second or third official date and Jason was still constantly surprised by his Panther. He guessed that was a good thing. Most of the time.
Aiden just sat there smiling distractedly, like he hadn't recently almost killed Jason with dinner. The man had skills. He could pull off puppy-dog faces like no one else Jason had ever seen. And that included the boys and Rina. Unfortunately, Jason had yet to build up his defenses against them. Maybe in another ten years or so. He looked forward to the process.
Jason drank some more tea while he attempted to regain some composure then cleared his throat. "Is this a sudden decision or something you've been thinking on for a while, babe?"
Aiden shrugged and started drumming his fingers on the table. "It's been rattling around in my head for a while now. We're living out of two apartments and paying the rent for both, but I feel like that's mostly habit. Like we're only maintaining the status quo because it didn't occur to us to change it. We're hardly ever at our own places by ourselves unless you're working. It doesn't make sense."
Jason hummed. He had to think for a while to remember the last time they had spent the night apart. It had been months ago. "You have a point there. But why not just condense down to one apartment? We're usually here because you have more space. I could just not renew my lease when it comes up in a couple months."
"My apartment doesn't have anywhere for you to put a studio."
Jason frowned. "So we would have to keep mine or find a new place. I can't really go without studio space. I don't think you'd want me taking over the living room. And it doesn't have good light anyway."
"Not so much. I don't want to cram both of us into one of our small apartments long term, anyway. Especially since you work from home." Aiden grinned suddenly. "And I want a dog. I know dogs can do okay in apartments, but I'd rather have a yard. So I poked around at housing prices. If we can afford a tiny down payment we wouldn't pay any more on a mortgage than we're currently paying for both apartments. Probably less."
"Can we afford a tiny down payment?" Jason asked.
"I think so. My student loans are mostly paid off, and I have some regular savings outside my retirement account. Rob set savings plans up for all three of us when we opened the business."
Jason frowned. "I have some, too. But we might want to do some math. I had to take a chunk out of mine when I moved year before last."
Aiden nodded. "We can do that this weekend if you want." He tried to spear some broccoli with his fork, but was still too distracted to notice that he missed and sent it shooting off the plate instead.
Jason didn't even bother to respond to the renegade broccoli. "That sounds good. So did you find anything decent with a minimal commute?"
"Some."
Jason swatted half-heartedly at Aiden's hand when he stole a piece of beef off of Jason's plate. "That we can afford?" Jason asked skeptically.
"Yeah. There's one a few blocks over. Define minimal commute?"
Jason thought for a moment while Aiden poked at his sweet and sour chicken. "Twenty minutes? Half an hour? There's no point getting a house together if I never see you because you spend all your time driving to and from work."
Aiden beamed. "I can work with that."
He stole a piece of Aiden's chicken and chewed thoughtfully. "So just to be clear, you're essentially asking me to not only move in with you officially, but to buy a house and get a dog?"
Aiden's eyes got a little big. "Um. Well...when you put it like that...Yes. Yes, I am." Aiden stood and walked around the table.
Jason pushed his chair back from the table.
Aiden straddled his lap and looped his arms around Jason's neck. "So Hot Guy, will you move in with me, buy a house with me, get me a dog, and live happily ever after with me as my dream man?"
Jason settled a hand on Aiden's hip and wrapped the other around his back, reaching up to cup the back of Aiden's neck. A firm tug brought Aiden's mouth down for a gentle but thorough kiss. When Aiden whimpered into his mouth and started rocking his hips Jason trailed his lips along Aiden's jaw to his ear. He nipped the lobe and Aiden jumped in his arms and moaned.
Jason drummed up the best sweet-nothings voice he could and rumbled into Aiden's ear. "Yes, Stalker Panther, I will. I will move in with you, and buy a house with you, and get you a dog. And we'll see if we can make this whole happily-ever-after thing work long-term." He lifted Aiden off his lap and smacked his butt. "Now go eat your dinner and tell me about what you've found."
Aiden laughed gleefully before reclaiming his own chair. "Well, I have to broaden my search now that I know you'll let me get away with a whole twenty-minute commute." Jason felt a light kick under the table. "I'll get back to you in a couple days."
It had taken them two months to find it, but the house was perfect. The pictures of the outside from the website were actually accurate, which Aiden figured was nothing short of a miracle. The pretty landscaping really did exist and the new-looking roof was intact. The garage probably only had room for the bike and maybe one car, so that wasn't ideal but they could make it work.
Aiden couldn't wait to see the inside. If the interior pictures were as accurate as the exterior ones, the house was even more perfect than he had originally thought.
Aiden checked his phone again. Jason was late. Late! Aggravating man. Their whole relationship he'd only been late, like, three times before, and now he was late to see Aiden's fantasy house. There was a car parked in the little driveway already, so the realtor was most likely waiting for them inside. He'd go in by himself soon if Jason didn't get here.
Five minutes later, Aiden had just let the car door slam closed when Jason pulled his bike up to the curb. He was in full-out biker-god mode. Aiden would have to be careful not to let that persuade him not to be annoyed. Because good lord, he would never get tired of watching this routine.
Stop the bike. Kick the stand down. Swing off and plant his booted feet wide. Take his helmet off and run his free hand through his hair while he put the helmet down. Smile blindingly at Aiden.
Aiden shook his head, trying to rattle out the lust and not be charmed. He attempted a glare, but suspected from Jason's brightening smile that he'd only rustled up a sincere frown. "Don't give me that smile, mister. You're late."
"There was a crisis."
"Uh-huh. What kind of crisis?"
"The lady that commissioned the kid and cat called. She says the cat is the wrong color."
Aiden stared. "You mixed the paint from the, like, five hundred photos she sent. How is the cat the wrong color?"
"I have no idea, babe." Jason shrugged and grabbed Aiden's hand before he headed up the drive. "I told her I would mail back the photos for proof that the cat was the right color and finally shook her off the phone. I swear I was about to hang up on her. I got here as soon as I could."
"I suppose I'll forgive you then. If I get my hello kiss."
Jason laughed but swung Aiden into him and grabbed him. Aiden oofed against his chest and giggled as Jason made kissy faces. Jason grinned and bounced up to plant a quick but hard kiss on Aiden's
smile then dragged him to the door.
Aiden reached up to knock and almost hit the realtor in the forehead as she swung the door open. Aiden jumped then waved awkwardly while Jason laughed quietly.
The petite, older woman just smiled and held out her hand to shake. "I'm glad you could make it. I'm Penny. You must be Jason and Aiden."
Jason smiled and shook her hand. "I'm Jason. Nice to finally see you in person."
"Hi. Aiden obviously. Would it be all right if we started with the inside?"
Penny laughed and waved them in. "It's in great shape, just as promised." They all walked into the living room and Aiden tried to pay attention to Penny's spiel while he looked around. It was open and bright. Aiden was a bit afraid to get his hopes up, but they were going up anyway.
Penny was wandering around the room talking. "The paint job in here is a little boring, but that just gives you an excuse to personalize it and make it your own. The previous owners just recently replaced most of the flooring with high quality laminate and the appliances were replaced a couple years ago. It was lived in by the owners, not rented out. They assured their realtor that they aren't do-it-yourselfers so you shouldn't find anything too strange or unexpected."
Something was missing, but he couldn't figure out what at first. Aiden finally realized it was that there weren't any stairs. Or any place for stairs, since he didn't think they'd be down the hallway. That was odd. "In your e-mail you said they had remodeled a second-floor space?"
"Yes. An attic space was converted into an open loft type of thing and then that was changed into a closed space. Don't ask me how you turn an attic into a loft, because I don't know, but the end result is quite nice. The stairs open off the end of the kitchen. That's this way."
Jason trailed after her and tugged Aiden along. "There's a ton of windows. Will that be an issue with heating?"
"Hopefully not." Penny gestured toward the windows and frowned. "I'm told they were very expensive when installed and still more than up to code. You will of course want to look into that if you choose to make an offer and get your own inspection."
She led them through the trendy kitchen to what appeared to be a wall panel. She stepped aside and did a little Vanna-White-like presentation move. "This is the stairs. I'll let you do the honors."
The two men blinked at her then stared at the wall. "Okay then." Aiden walked forward and pushed. Nothing. He raised his eyebrows at Penny and she made little go-on-motions with her hands and grinned. Aiden frowned at the panel where the door must be. He tried sliding it both directions and it slid into the wall on the left. A quiet rumble was the only evidence of the little wheels that must move the door.
A sunlit set of stained wood stairs snaked up to the loft. Aiden and Jason stood silently for a moment and gaped at the stairs while Penny tried not to laugh at them.
"Neat! It's like a secret passage." Aiden turned to grin at Jason and then rushed up the stairs to the loft. Jason's cackle followed him up, shadowed by Penny's quiet giggle. After a moment he could hear their footsteps on the stairs behind him. There wasn't a single squeaky step. Aiden grinned, thinking how easy it would be to sneak up on Jason while he was distracted.
Aiden turned and looked back down the stairs, watching the light from the windows play over Jason and Penny and bounce off the walls. He smiled at Jason. "It's pretty."
Jason grinned up at him. "It is."
At the top, Jason paused and turned in circles, looking at the space. Aiden grabbed his hand and looked with him.
The room was big and airy with old fashioned bay windows and a window seat tucked in one corner. Bookshelves were built onto the interior wall and the eaves had been closed off with a slanted ceiling. Aiden could tell Jason loved it immediately.
Jason went over to the windows. Aiden followed him over to find that they were looking out over a big back yard trimmed in by trees on two sides and the tallest privacy fence he'd ever seen on the other. Aiden hummed behind Jason and snuck closer to perch his chin on Jason's shoulder.
"Do you think this would work for a studio, love? The light is good." Aiden frowned at the windows and checked the floor for heat vents. There weren't any. "There's no central heat up here. It might get cold."
"We could get a space heater or one of those plug-in radiators. We'll have to see if the ceiling is insulated. There should be an access panel in the closet or something."
"You like it, don't you?"
"I do. You did good finding this one, babe."
Penny scuffed her shoe on the floor and they looked over to where she was standing by the door. She smiled sweetly at them and nodded to the stairs. "Do you want me to give you a minute to talk? Or I could give you the rest of the official tour?"
"Could we do the rest of the official tour?"
"Of course, Aiden. Is there anything in particular you'd like to know?"
Aiden went down the stairs and looked back up through the doorway. "Does the door ever get stuck? Because I feel like that would be inconvenient." He was rewarded with a startled laugh from Jason and a grin from Penny.
Penny followed him down the stairs, with Jason close behind.
"Not that I've heard mentioned," Penny said, "but you might want to be on top of the maintenance with that."
Jason snickered. "We'll put in a little hatch. Aiden can pass me food."
Aiden turned to raise an eyebrow at Jason. "Really?"
"Or we could keep up with the maintenance."
"Yeah, that might be a better idea." Aiden smirked and then wandered down the hallway to look at the bathrooms and bedrooms.
The master was painted a gorgeous dusty teal, with an attached bathroom that looked like something you'd find in a luxury hotel suite.
Jason followed him into the bathroom and looked around. "Huh."
Aiden grinned. "The pictures didn't do it justice I guess." He leaned into Jason's side. "So..."
Jason smiled. "Do you want to talk to Penny about making an offer?"
Aiden straightened and walked back into the bedroom and looked around again. "I like it. It's definitely my favorite out of the ones we've looked at. And it's only fifteen minutes out of downtown, twenty-five from work even with traffic."
Jason wrapped an arm around his waist and snuggled a little. "The asking price is good, even if we can't haggle them down."
Aiden took a deep breath. This was huge. Buying a house with his partner was an amazing, huge, scary thing. "Let's do it."
Jason smiled and kissed him quickly. "Let's do it."
Jason groaned as he let another box thump to the floor. "Whose idea was the hidden second floor studio, again? Because I'm starting to regret it."
Aiden walked by and smacked his butt. "Shush. You know you love it. And you're the one that was all oh no guys you don't have to help us unload too we've got this. Serves you right. Jerk."
Jason glared and rubbed at the sting. Aiden had actually put some effort into that swing. Bastard. "Did you really want all the women trying to arrange the furniture for us? And organize the cabinets? And Mark shuffling stuff around just to mess with us? Because you know, it'd be nice to do all that ourselves at least once." He gave up on the sore spot and walked over to Aiden. He snuggled into the taller man's chest and sighed happily. This was still the best thing ever.
Aiden snuggled him right back, letting out a happy little sigh of his own, and then demanded a kiss. "Oh fine. Valid point scored. In any case, the pain is temporary and I'll give you a nice manly massage tonight after we put the bed back together."
Jason grinned and nibbled at that spot on Aiden's neck that made him beg. "Oh, is that what we'll be doing when the bed is assembled?"
Aiden groaned and granted better access. "Well, eventually. We may get sidetracked. There might be naps first." Aiden grinned at Jason's snort of laughter. "What? Naps are nice."
Jason shoved Aiden away. "Get your smartass self downstairs and get another box, would you? The bed is at the back of the truck and we don't
want to pay for the truck for another day anyway."
"I suppose there's that." Aiden headed down the stairs and out the front door. "Hey, you think we'll be able to find the dishes? I don't really want more take-out."
"Who packed them?" Jason asked, following Aiden.
"Ange did."
Jason frowned as he hoisted another box off the truck into Aiden's hands. "Did she for some reason manage to pack mine, too? Or just yours?"
"Oh, she got both. She was like a little teleporting kitchen packing genie ninja. I'm pretty sure it was her primary tactic to avoid lugging furniture."
"Well, regardless of motivation, I don't think we'll be finding the dishes tonight."
"Yeah, you're probably right." Aiden sighed. "Organized my girl is not. Except for at work, which is weird and illogical."
"Yeah, well, you've got weird friends."
"Hah! You're one to talk. You know Rina still calls me Panther sometimes? And whose fault is that, do you suppose?"
Jason hightailed it back to the house. "I plead the fifth!" he shouted back over his shoulder while Aiden shook his head and followed at a more leisurely pace.
"Hah!" Aiden's gleeful shout echoed up the stairs. Jason gave a startled jump and bashed his head into the closet rod. He wandered down the stairs cursing and rubbing his head to see what Aiden was so happy about.
"You find the dishes?"
Aiden's laugh rippled out of the bedroom. "Nope. Not a chance. I did find the sheets though. Someone actually labeled that box."
"So what you're saying is that we're still starving but we'll get some sleep." Jason wandered into the bedroom to find his old solid wooden bed frame and mattress set up in the center of the room and Aiden bent over digging through a box of bedding.
Well, that was more interesting than fixing the closet. He chose a good vantage point and leaned against the wall. He added the crossed arms for effect and flexed a bit as Aiden turned around. It was so fun to tease Aiden.
Aiden straightened and turned, finally looking up from his ball of rumpled bedding. He blinked at Jason. "Oh, no fair."