Forever Man by A.J. DeWall

Author:A.J. DeWall [DeWall, A.J.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Romance/Gay, Romance/Contemporary
Publisher: Interlude Press
Published: 2014-08-04T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter 11

When he wakes up, Cole is holding him, one arm across his waist, the other underneath him, just barely touching his back. He settles into Cole’s loose embrace, listens to him breathe, watches his eyelids flutter as if trying to open. The room is cool and dark, save for slivers of the blazing New Mexico sun fighting to get in through the heavy curtains.

He wants to curl into Cole and drift off, get lost in the lazy Sunday morning they never got to have and wake up an hour or two later to Cole’s soft kisses. He wants to order room service and eat it on the bed, naked, wrapped up in the sheets and Cole’s smile. More than that, he wants to see Cole’s face the moment he wakes and realizes Ren is with him, that he wants him, that he loves him. So he waits, eyes focused on the relaxed features of Cole’s gorgeous sleeping face.

It’s only the fourth day of the twelve he promised Cole, and already it seems as if they’ve been together for a lifetime. In a way, they have. He’s certainly loved Cole for most of his life. He’s thought about him every day.

Sometimes it’s just a passing thought—walking by the ice rink at Bryant Park and wondering if Cole found a new skating partner in London, smiling into his coffee when he hears one of their old favorite songs blasting out of the Mudtruck. And always, it comes when he searches Paul’s lovely brown eyes for hints of blue.

Sometimes his thoughts of Cole last longer. Sometimes he stands at the Mudtruck, or in the elevator, or in the produce section, and listens to the entire song, his mind full of honey lips, smiling; of summer-tanned arms hanging out of car windows, tapping a rhythm on the door; of the flirty tenor of Cole’s voice, beckoning him no matter how many days and miles and walls he puts between them.

Then there are the days he thinks about Cole all day long, which usually culminate in a Meg Ryan marathon and a box of cupcakes from Magnolia Bakery. Those days are few and far between—he’s had six, maybe seven all told—but they sneak up on him without warning. He’ll be fine, really quite fine (thank you very much), happy, even. And then he’ll suddenly have an entire day to himself with no commitments, chores or responsibilities, and by midmorning he’ll be in full-on Cole mode, sorting through an old box of theater programs, silly notes and mementos.

On those days, he considers calling Cole, or texting, anything to connect and get them riled up, get them back into their thing, to get Cole thinking about him, but he never follows through. On these all day long days he’ll turn off his phone, or, if necessary, march down the hall to 31B and ask Mr. Walker to hang on to it until morning. He does this because on those days, calling Cole is dangerous. On those days, he could lose everything.

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