Chapter Nineteen -- Reverse Musical Chairs
Adrian lay in bed, his eyes on the ceiling. His mind was full, filled with possibilities and the challenge of a puzzle that carried one name: Edward Hastings. After their torrid affair on the yacht, Edward had gotten an emergency call, and apologetically, he had bid goodbye to Adrian after leaving him on the shore.
When that had happened, there had been something in Edward's eyes that Adrian wanted to think he knew exactly what it was. Edward hadn't quite wanted to let him go, and, for a brief moment, Adrian had debated whether it would be a good idea to ask to come along. But, just as fast, the moment had been gone.
If he wanted to be more to Edward than just another lover of many others, Adrian needed to up the ante. That meant that he needed to break through the impenetrable wall that was Edward's life outside his usual proclivities.
Adrian knew that Edward was a doctor and that he came from money, but details were lacking. Where did he work? Who were his parents, his family? At the Awakening, it was clear that people there had known each other from their respectable lives, but Adrian, just like others, had been an outsider.
That was what he needed to become: not an outsider, but an insider. Adrian smiled at the joke that came to his mind. He had been inside Edward enough for that, but this was about real life, not the one spent in the throes of passion and the shadows of an existence that, apparently, was meant to be kept under wraps.
Edward hadn't struck him for one moment as someone hiding his sexual orientation, but there was still the matter of his wealthy family and those secretive Sunday meetings that Edward was required to attend without fail.
Adrian knew he would get with Edward where they needed to be. Edward needed it, too, although he probably hadn't become aware of it just yet. He could run his mouth all he wanted, stuck in his pretense that he was somehow too jaded to enjoy some trite romance. Adrian knew that he needed to lay the net and wait. He could be patient and careful. There was no way he would let Edward get away from him, now that they had found each other.
With that refreshing thought in mind, Adrian climbed off the bed and hit the shower. Someday, he would get Edward to spend entire Sundays with him, but, until then, Adrian had plenty of other things to do. After showering, he would call Jared and Mike and see what they had been up to.
***
Mike clasped his hands together and paced the room while waiting for Jared. Had he gone completely insane? He needed to swear off booze forever; what guy in his right mind handed in his resignation while completely off his socks drunk and stupidly in love with his boss? Apparently, one Mike Cavanaugh.
He grabbed both his cheeks and then slapped them at the same time. That should teach him to be so reckless. Tequila was one hell of a drink if it could turn him into someone who dared to quit his job so that he could pursue a romantic affair with his boss.
His phone pinged, letting him know that Jared was almost there. Without waiting for his friend to reach the door, Mike went into the hallway and looked down the stairs. Jared was jumping the stairs two by two, and his hair looked like a bird's nest. Yeah, they had all drunken like bottomless pits last night, and it looked like he had taken Jared directly from his bed, and, probably, a hungover.
"Hey," Jared said breathlessly, but brightly, like it was a good morning or something.
His eyes were shining, and his skin was glowing, but Mike couldn't quite imagine why Jared looked like that. Maybe tequila had a rejuvenation effect on some people. Clearly, Mike wasn't one of them. Jared was a lucky guy.
"Oh, J," Mike said and collapsed in Jared's arms once his friend reached the landing.
"Hey, hey, it's not that bad. Let's get inside, and I'll make some coffee, what do you think?"
"Maybe some chamomile tea instead? My stomach hurts a little."
Jared patted his head. "I'll figure out something. I'm sorry I got a little carried away and let you drink more than you should. I, of all people, should know how much of a lightweight you are."
Mike allowed Jared to take him inside his apartment and then followed him like a kicked puppy to the kitchen. Without asking for directions, Jared began preparing the tea. His moves were a bit abrupt, and, through the fog of his hangover and self-loathing, he felt the seed of a suspicion growing.
"You really hold your liquor well, J. I envy you."
"Well, you know, I might have drunken plenty of gallons of the thing in my life. Shane and his ideas," Jared said and shook his head.
Mike scrutinized his friend, but Jared stood with his back to him, so there wasn't much to tell from his body language. The suspicion just grew stronger. "What did you and Shane do after you two dragged home my sorry ass?"
"We called it a night," Jared said. He turned and smiled at Mike.
Mike observed Jared a little more. Bed hair. The same clothes from last night. Stupid grin on his face. Okay, not stupid, but ... satisfied? Mike's eyes grew wide. "You slept with him again!"
Jared's face fell. He put up his hands and began waving. "No! No! Why would you say such a thing? I didn't! Who are you talking about? Shane? No, no, definitely no, I didn't sleep with him!"
Mike could feel some of his hangover going away. He grinned. "You so totally slept with him again. Yes, with Shane." Jared blushed so quickly that Mike couldn't believe his eyes. "What happened with being just friends?"
Jared grabbed one elbow with the other hand and stared down at his shoes. "We are friends," he protested in a meek voice.
Mike scratched his head. "You are? Of course, you can't say boyfriends without friends, so --"
"No, we're not boyfriends. Just ... friends."
Mike blinked a few times. So, his brain was a complete mess, but what sense was in that? "Friends who have sex together?"
Jared nodded, although it was clear as day that he was embarrassed. Still, he wasn't denying it, so Mike was happy that at least, one time, he had read the situation right. If only he were a keen observer of whatever was happening to him or what he was doing when smashed on tequila.
"What kind of friends are those, though?"
"With benefits!" Jared snapped. Just that moment, his shoulders slumped. "Sorry, Mike. I shouldn't yell at you since it's all my fault I'm getting in this kind of situation."
"It's okay. So that you know, I'm not judging you or anything. But why friends with benefits? Can't you two be boyfriends?"
Jared continued to look down. "It wouldn't be fair," he said quietly. "I don't have much to offer right now, and it wouldn't be fair toward Shane to use him as a rebound relationship or something like that."
"And does he agree with this?" Mike asked, puzzled now.
"Agree? He came with the idea. And I said 'yes' because, obviously, I'm not in my right mind lately, and somehow, I thought, at the moment, that having a friend with benefits was an awesome idea." Jared's voice was bright again, but a bit forced.
Hmm, so Shane had come up with that. Mike was pretty sure Shane wasn't the kind of guy to do friendships with benefits, which meant that he was a bit sly, though. He could just go ahead and tell Jared that he was played, but, in this case, Mike decided to keep his mouth shut. If Jared suspected just a smidge that Shane was using any means necessary to keep him close with the clear intention to make him his boyfriend, after all, he would shut down everything, and that wasn't an option.
Funny thing how he could see things clearly for other people, but not himself. Mike sighed. "Okay. I suppose you guys know better what we're doing. What am I saying? Anyone with half a brain in this world knows better than me what they're doing. The hell did I do, J? I messed up everything." Changing the subject would let Jared off the hook for now.
Jared looked at him now. "Oh, Mike, you didn't mess up. Actually, it was kind of heroic and a bit funny. Tequila!" He made an impersonation of Mike's antics from the previous night.
That wasn't terribly encouraging, but, yeah, Mike could admit, it was a bit funny. He snickered, and then he remembered right away that he was unemployed. "Fuck. I quit my job."
"It was just a verbal resignation, but I'd say that it reached the correct recipient, so it's all good." Jared grinned now.
Mike moaned and covered his face. "I quit my job. I am insane!"
"You're not. All right, so maybe it was a little Shane's fault for nudging you to do that, but, well, I don't think it's a bad thing."
Mike took his hands off his face. "Is Shane mad at me?"
