Julian's Redemption by Jessie G

Author:Jessie G [G, Jessie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-03-03T18:30:00+00:00

Chapter 12

Darius

As they stood together in front of the bedroom door, with Julian looking at him with so much trust, Darius set aside his doubts and allowed himself to be what they both wanted. Confident and in control. Darius knew doing this on Julian’s turf was better than bringing him to the posh Coral Gables address that his parents called home. That setting would have made him feel self-conscious and off-balance, making it impossible to enjoy the welcoming atmosphere.

And Darius knew his parents would have gone out of their way to welcome him, even before he inadvertently spilled Julian’s story. There was always room at the table for another place setting and their guests were treated as part of the family. Julian would love it only if he could set aside the knee-jerk reaction to compare himself unfavorably to anyone he perceived as better.

“Should I…” Julian gestured toward the en suite and then ran a hand through his hair. “I probably look like I fell asleep in my clothes.”

He did, and Darius personally thought it was adorable, but a few minutes in front of the mirror wouldn't make Julian feel more confident. So, instead of agreeing, Darius kissed him until the corners of Julian’s mouth curved into a smile. Then he smoothed the apron down, gently re-tied the sash, and gave Julian an appreciative once-over.

“You look perfect.” Sleep-rumpled and kiss-addled was an excellent look on his lover. The turkey was just a bonus.

“Okay, crazy man, let’s do this.” That was all the encouragement Darius needed to reach for the knob, only to have Julian grab his arm at the last minute. “Uh, do they know I’m…”

The words ended in a jumble that Darius couldn’t decipher. “Know you...?”

“You know, that I’m...that I’m not...ugh.” And just like that, Julian’s show of confidence vanished. “All I keep thinking about is those people at Boater’s Grill.”

“Are you asking if my family knows you’re white?” Darius wouldn’t say he never thought about it. He was a gay black man and had plenty of experience with people who hated him for one reason or the other. Or both. Those people didn’t matter, and he wouldn’t give up Julian to appease them. That was all there was to it.

“Is that insulting? I’m not trying to be, Darius, but…” His lover hadn’t had an easy life and Darius would have spared him this if he could. As it was, he appreciated that Julian wasn’t ignorant to the possibilities, but worrying about what might come wasn’t helping them now. So Darius used his favorite distraction technique and kissed him again. It took a few pleasurable minutes before the tension seeped away and Julian was whispering, “Of course, you told them.”

“I wouldn’t do that to either of you.” Darius wanted this to work too much to set them up for such avoidable pitfalls.

“Okay. I knew that.” Deep beneath a million other thoughts, he probably did. “I’m shutting up now. You just—” Julian squared his shoulders and waved a hand at the door.

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