by Sam LaRose
“Was I wearing socks?” Simon looked confused.
“You shoved them into your shoes when you kicked them off at the door,” Tyler answered.
“Ah! Good on me. See you in a few minutes.”
“Wait!” Tyler let the covers pool around his middle as he sat up. “Come back here for a second?”
“Did I leave something?”
“I can do better for a last kiss.” Tyler took him by the wrist, pulling him closer to the edge of the bed. Simon’s lips parted in a smile before Tyler did as he promised. A far superior and enthusiastic final kiss.
“I’ll be downstairs soon.”
Simon gave him a nod. Tyler heard the front door close behind him before he pulled himself out of bed to make his way to the bathroom for a shower of his own.
For as dramatic as the previous evening had been, he certainly hoped the new day would mark a new beginning. Moving on was good. It was time.
***
“Hey Jordan!” Dani stopped in the entrance as she, Tyler, and Simon were on their way to breakfast. “We thought you were working on the bike today. Have you had breakfast?”
“I didn’t,” Jordan informed them, “but I have to go do something.”
“That’s vague. What’s wrong?” Dani pressed.
Jordan bit his tongue, looking at Tyler and Simon then back to Dani. “I’ll tell you about it later.”
“Jordan,” her tone went flat, “do you need help with something?”
“It’s not like that,” he answered. He looked at Tyler again and sighed. “You’ll hear about it anyway. Dylan came home drunk last night. I want to make sure he’s as OK as he’s telling everyone he is.”
“He did what now?” Tyler exclaimed.
“Ty.” Simon pressed a hand to his chest as he moved to take a step forward. “It’s not your problem. Remember our conversation yesterday?”
Tyler’s jaw clenched and he stepped back instead. “Right. Not my problem. I’ll be outside.” He stepped out onto the side walk, away from the continuing conversation. Dani and Simon listened to Jordan for a few more minutes before joining him on the sidewalk.
“Bistro then?” He asked. He resisted asking more information.
“Let’s go.” Dani slid her arm into his elbow. “You know, when we slept together, I didn’t get breakfast.”
“You ran away to Mora’s after we slept together,” Tyler reminded her. “I didn’t even have the chance to offer. –Simon, really? You told her?”
“She was on the sofa when I got home. It was too obvious to ignore,” Simon offered as explanation.
“Is it considered rock ‘n roll to have slept with all my bandmates?” Dani considered. She tapped a finger to her lips. “Or am I considered easy?”
“When did you sleep with Heath?” Tyler feigned a gasp.
“Last year,” she told him easily. “When we had that lay-over in Denver and our flight to Houston got cancelled. Remember? I was trying that HRT regime and absolutely miserable?”
“How did Jordan feel about that?”
“We didn’t tell Jordan. I’d appreciate it if you didn’t mention to him, or any of the others. I was a free pass.”
“Lucky you,” Simon teased. “Perhaps we should all make the effort to sleep outside our friend circle from now on? We’re starting to broach on incestuous.”
“Ugh, don’t use that word!” Dani made a retching noise. “It sounds so gross. Y’all aren’t my brothers in any sense of the word.” She gave a revolted shudder. “If you promise not to mention my trysts, I’ll keep your evening to myself as well.”
“I’m single and Simon is in an open relationship. I fully expect Mora will know all about it,” Tyler responded. “It’s not a big deal. It’s not the first, nor the last, time I will ever have a casual hook-up, I’m sure.”
“I know I’ve been more transfem as of late, but I’ve still got the equipment if you ever find yourself at a loose end,” Dani offered. “I have lots of free time and no immediate interest.”
“Ha! That is a big fat lie,” Simon barked. “Markus has been mooning over you for ages.”
“He is not!”
While the two friends bickered good naturedly, Tyler let his mind drift. He shifted Dani’s hold on his arm, linking their fingers instead. Since Dani had joined the band, they’d become better friends, but their single sexual encounter had been chocked up as an accident and never occurred again. She’d officially become Jordan’s joyfriend (Dani’s chosen label instead of boy/girlfriend) shortly afterward. Thinking back, there were definite similarities to the evening he’d spent with Simon. The best friends had more in common than they realized.
“Shit,” Dani swore loudly. “They look busy. I hope we can get a table.”
“Our mistake. We’re encroaching on Saturday Brunch,” Simon noted. “If the wait is more than ten minutes, we can try somewhere else.”
“No need for that, Simon,” a coy voice sounded from the podium at the door. “I’ve always got a table for you.”
Simon smiled. “Lacy. Only you could ever make me feel like I can pull strings the way Mora does. How are you?”
“Good. Just the three of you today?” The hostess collected three menus. “Speaking of Mora, where’s she?”
“She’s in Vermont with her mother,” Simon replied. “They’re having their annual Fall Spa-cation.”
“She’ll have to tell me all about it later. Did she get that package from Paris she was expecting?”
“I’m not sure, but she’ll be home tomorrow. I’ll ask.”
“Thanks. You’re the sweetest.” Lacy pressed a quick kiss to his cheek. “Come on, I’ll show you to your table.”
“I’d be more impressed by your connection if we were somewhere fancier than the Avenue C Bistro,” Dani teased him as they took seats at a small table. “And if we weren’t next to the bathrooms.”
“Hungry beggars can’t be choosey,” Simon chided. “Shut up and look at the menu.”
“You two sure are open to bickering today,” Tyler noted.
“It’s all a ruse,” Dani told him. “To get your head off Dylan. Don’t try and act like that’s not what you’re thinking about.”
“I’m not,” he replied. “He was very clear that he’s not my business any more.”
“Uh huh. Is that why you slept with him?” She motioned toward Simon, who pretended to ignore her.
“That was...happenstance.” It took Tyler a moment to find the word. “It wasn’t a big deal. Right, Simon?”
“Right,” Simon repeated. There was a momentary silence before he closed the menu. “I’m going to get the eggs benedict.”
“Staring at this breakfast menu just makes me sad that we’re too lazy to leave the neighborhood. We could have hopped the train and gone to the Greasy Spoon.”
“Don’t even think it,” Tyler warned. “The bistro is great.” He closed his menu as well. “Simon said his day is clear. What are you up to?”
“Enjoying my day off. I’m starting a job for a country artist on Monday,” she answered. “Tomorrow, I’m having dinner with my sister. She said she has news.”
“News?” Tyler’s interest was moderately piqued. Dani’s sister, Clara, had married David Stephens-Carter two years before. David was also Mora’s biological cousin, as well as being the head of the Montgomery’s security team. Clara was a former Navy sailor. After serving four tours, she retired and became a consultant for the U.S. Coast Guard. After a year, she’d become a private pilot and consultant for one of the marinas.
“Yeah. She was incredibly vague, like when she told me they were getting married. I’m about ninety percent sure she’s going to tell me she’s pregnant. Is it bad that I almost hope she’s going to tell me she has cancer or something?”
“Yes, that’s terrible,” Tyler said. “You should be ashamed of yourself.”
Dani chuckled. “I’ll be appropriately supportive, regardless of the news.”
“Good to hear,”
Simon quipped. He craned his neck over the crowded room. “Now, Lacy got us a table, but she didn’t appear to get us a damn waiter...”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Later that evening, Tyler was sitting on the sofa in the living room when Jordan got home. The man looked tired as he sank into the overstuffed recliner on the other side of the room. He closed his eyes, heaving a sigh.
“Long day, darling?” Tyler asked, picking up the remote control from the coffee table. “I’m not paying attention to this, if you wanted to change it.”
“No,” Jordan demurred. “I worked on the bike for a couple of hours after talking to Dylan this morning. Then, he asked me to go with him to return the car his parents bought him.”
“That was nice of you.” Tyler tried his best to sound uninterested as he skimmed down the guide menu. “Was there a problem?”
“No,” Jordan admitted. “A lot of standing around and waiting. They had to do a price assessment on it for a trade-in value, which more than covered the vehicle he wanted. So, then they had to handle a reimbursement. It was a little overly complicated, but it wasn’t a big deal. Honestly, he would have been fine just selling the car back to them and not walking out with a replacement, but it’s good to have it done.”
“Sounds like quite the experience.”
“You’re dying to ask questions,” Jordan guessed. “Just ask.”
Tyler tossed the remote back down after deciding not to change the channel after all. He looked over at Jordan. “I was told, and I quote, to stop. To respect his request, I can’t ask. Even if I have wanted nothing more, all day, than to go to that apartment.” He turned his attention back to the TV.
Jordan watched him as silence fell between them. The television continued; an old game show rerun from the 70’s. He waited until an ad break before he spoke up again.
“He found out that one of the bodyguards that he, uh,” Jordan faltered. He didn’t want to overstep, announcing Dylan’s sex life, “trusted, had certain questionable orders from his dad. So, your argument wasn’t the catalyst to him going to the bar. In case you were worried about that.”
“I wasn’t.”
“Liar.”
Tyler’s eyes flicked over to Jordan again. “Why are you here? Don’t you have somewhere to be now that you’ve reconciled with Kyle?”
“He’s got a date night with Markus and Jack.” The minute after he said it, his phone pinged in his pocket. “Ah, correction. Only Markus. Jack is with...” he paused, “someone you don’t care about.”
“I didn’t require an update, thanks.”
“Are you going to be grumpy all night? Should I plan on hanging out in my room tonight?”
“Can we spend the evening in comfortable silence instead of talking about our feelings or whatever shit?”
“We can try,” Jordan offered. After a beat of silence he asked, “You want something to drink?”
“I’ve got water here.”
Jordan pushed himself out of the chair. Tyler adjusted his position. He heard the refrigerator open and close. His phone pinged a couple more times. Jordan remained quiet as he returned with a bottle of water and a bag of corn chips.
He politely offered the bag to Tyler who declined it with a silent wave of his hand. They sat in silence for the next segment of the game show. Finally, it was Tyler who broke the silence.
“All right, tell me about this security guy. Is it someone I know?”
“How familiar are you with the Montgomery security team now-a-days, besides David?”
“Dakota is back in town. We met up at Charlie’s with Mora and David a few weeks ago.”
“It wasn’t Dakota.”
“Okay. Uh, I know Kennedy is still there. Phillip. There’s a new guy I only met once. Benji?”
“Ding-ding-ding,” Jordan toned. “It’s Benjamin actually.”
“What did he do exactly?”
“You don’t care, remember?”
“Just fuckin’ tell me.”
“They’ve been hooking up. He admitted to Dylan that he’s had orders to keep tabs on him, to keep him safe since he got home.”
“Isn’t that implied by his job description?”
“Sure, especially when he was authorized to use sex as a way of keeping tabs on him.”
“Say again?”
Jordan sighed, repeating the sordid details for Tyler’s benefit. When he had finished; wrapping up with the conversation he’d shared with the younger man that morning, Tyler was aghast.
“I’ve never wanted to hit a guy more in my life.”
“Understandable.”
“Is Dylan okay? Did he go to a meeting?”
“He said he’s done with meetings. He’s going to try moderation instead of going straight-edge.”
“That doesn’t seem wise.”
“It’s his decision.”
Tyler swore under his breath. His arms crossed tightly across his chest. The pair settled back into silence again. A new gameshow had started; something newer and trivia based. Jordan’s phone pinged again.
“Who keeps texting you?”
“K texted earlier. This is Ma. She asked if I’d come home next weekend to help her. She’s finally putting the last touches on the Ghia.”
“The Ghia! She’s been working on that for years!”
“I know. Mom is thrilled it won’t be taking up space at the garage anymore. She already has a buyer lined up for it too.”
“You going?”
“I’m going to an art show at CSG on Friday night, so I’m giving her a maybe.”
“There’s an art show?”
“It’s an annual thing. A couple of Dylan’s CSG students are in it. I told him I’d come check it out. The others are coming too. I’m sure he’d appreciate the support, if you wanted to come.”
“I better not.”
“I noticed he gave you the print.”
“Along with some pages of a comic he started.”
“You said you didn’t want to talk about feelings and shit,” Jordan reminded him, “but if you do, I’m willing to listen.”
“There isn’t anything to say,” Tyler declared. His arms tightened over his chest.
“I know I’m not your go-to for this kind of thing, but with Heath out for another month...”
“Jordan,” Tyler let his head drop to the side, staring at him through wide eyes, “It’s done, okay? You don’t have to feel guilty about whatever you’ve been doing with him. He’s obviously been hooking up with other people. I hooked up with other people since he got back. We’re done. It’s over. We can move on with our lives.”
“Who did you sleep with?” Jordan didn’t usually inquire after his friends’ sex lives, but it was certainly news to him. “When? You’ve done nothing but pine.”
Tyler’s cheeks flushed. He didn’t answer, turning his gaze back to the TV.
“Come on! Don’t get shy on me now. You’ve been moping around since Greg broke up with you. Then it got worse when Dylan came back into the picture.” He stopped, considering options. “I know she’s been in a better place lately, but you didn’t sleep with Dani again, did you?”
“No, I did not sleep with Dani again!”
“Good. Glad to hear it.”
Tense silence permeated until the next commercial break.
“I slept with Simon,” Tyler finally announced. “It was a one-time thing, just to burn off steam.”
Jordan didn’t say anything. Instead, he shoved a handful of the nearly forgotten corn chips into his mouth.
“Well? Aren’t you going to lecture me?”
“Lecture you about what? You’re both consenting adults. I assume you used proper protection. Mora and Simon are in an open relationship. No lecture from me, as far as I can tell.”
Tyler’s lips pressed into a thin line.
“Can we stream something instead? I hate all the fake drama on these game shows,” Jordan changed the subject.
Tyler leaned forward, fina
lly uncrossing his arms to pick up the remote again. “Turn on whatever you want.”
Jordan frowned, flipping over to Netflix. As he scrolled through his queue, he slid a glance at Tyler. He seemed to be taking a moment of introspection.
“Do you want a lecture?” He asked.
“No.”
“How about some general advice then?”
“Jordan...”
“I’ve told you before. Give him time. Stop trying so goddamn hard.”
“I’m not trying at all, okay? He asked me to stop, so I’m stopping.”
“Can you do that?” Jordan asked.
“I don’t know,” Tyler admitted. “He was right. He usually is. We need to stop hurting each other. If that means we can’t see one another or even be in the same room, so be it. That’s going to make it hard on the rest of you, but it’s for the best.”
“Ty, it won’t be forever,” Jordan assured him.
Tyler put on a forced smile. “I hope not.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Over the course of the next week, Dylan was out of the apartment by nine o’clock in the morning. He picked up coffee and a muffin from a café on the corner from the townhouse. It wasn’t as good as Java Pub, but it was convenient. He usually got to the house before Harriet and was already in the studio when she arrived. He’d set up a second computer work space and had thrown everything onto the cloud so he could work from both the house and the apartment. He worked until Harriet reminded him to eat something.
Harriet was proving to be adept at handling his shipping and listings in the store. On Tuesday, a truck arrived, depositing two large crates into the entry way. Evidently, someone had been tasked with carefully packing the artwork he’d left behind at the castle. Harriet cataloged everything Dylan deemed saleable, took photos in the lightbox room, and got them listed on the website. She’d also taken over creating his business social media accounts and marketing.
She was an absolute treasure, to say the least.
“Mr. Montgomery?” Harriet stuck her head into the converted studio room. “You have a call from Mr. Stephens-Carter.”