Page 27 of Holiday Wishes and Tentacle Dreams

Doren had also beenverywilling to touch him. Part of him had been so wounded by how disgusted Phil had been by the changes in his body. They hadn’t been intimate for the last four months they were together, and although Jake wouldn’t blame his depression on anything Phil had done, it certainly hadn’thelped.

Now, here was this person who liked him just the way he was, right now, without reservations. Jake wasn’t sure he likedhimselfwithout reservations, but he wouldn’t look this gift horse in the mouth.

Throwing on his trusty red flannel and a pair of baggy blue jeans, Jake headed back downstairs, to be greeted once more with the sight of his surfer friend. Doren had produced a long-sleeve t-shirt and shoes fromsomewhere, although Jake didn’t know from where. They were still in a bathing suit in December, but this was a little more reasonable.

Doren stared up at Jake as he paused on the staircase, a glint of something mischievous in their eyes.

“What?” Jake asked. “Did I forget to brush my hair or something?”

“No, I just very much enjoy you in that red flannel shirt. You were adorned with it the morning that we first met, and the fit isperfect.”

Warmth sprang to Jake’s neck and face, and he looked down at his belly, where the shirt pulled tight at the button. He wasn’t sure why Doren liked it so much. He should get a larger size. Still, at hearing the compliment, a fuzzy sensation whirred in his chest, followed by a similar one in his balls.

“Well, thanks.” Jake reached the foot of the stairs, and taking a chance, reached out his hand. He wanted to touch Doren when he wasn’t in the middle of an emotional breakdown, for once.

Doren took his hand in theirs, pulling him toward the exit, only pausing to give Miranda Priestly a few quick pets. She purred in response.

“She is such a slut for you,” Jake joked.

Doren rolled their eyes. “She recognizes quality when she sees it.”

With that, they were out the door. Other than a few trips to the coffee shop, Jake hadn’t explored Linwood Falls at all. Doren guided him through some adorable side streets containing real treasures.

First off was an adorable stand that soldonlylobster rolls, and given that it was December, Jake was surprised that it was open. Luckily for them, the prices were also off-season, and the food was amazing.

Next up was an art gallery in a converted old church. It was an odd assortment of pieces: some were the seascapes one would expect in a beach town—although very good examples of the genre—but mixed among them was some surprisingly innovative art. A few abstract sculptures took Jake’s breath away. He’d always loved sculpture, and in the juxtaposition of cold metal with warm marble, the artist had captured the sense of loneliness that came with wintering in a summer town.

Linwood Falls must have a solid contingent of artists living and working in the area for the gallery to have so many excellent pieces. A surge of affection filled Jake at the thought of the tiny town. It was bustling during tourist season, but the people that were here in the winter were the true residents. They stuck it out, weathering the frigid months every year, because this was their home.

It had been a long time since any place had felt like home. There had been a time when his apartment with Phil filled that need, but it had been months, an entire year maybe, since that had been true.

After they left the gallery behind—Jake had no money to buy anything, especially not at the prices that the artists deserved, although he made note of his favorites—they set out for their final destination, a little path that ran along the coastline just south of the beach.

The way passed by several inlets and outcroppings, and the ground underneath was an uneven bed of gravel and dirt. Jake reached for Doren to steady himself. Once he’d done that, he couldn’t find it in him to let go, instead leaving his arm looped around Doren’s as they walked.

His depression wouldn’t just go away. Jake understood that very well. But something in him had settled during their time out of the house, and now, with Doren’s lithe body pressing against his, it was like he was getting back to his old self.

As they reached the top of a particularly steep incline, Jake forced the chilly December air into his lungs, catching his breath.

“Would you wish to sit for a moment?” Doren asked, pointing to a small wooden bench set between the path and the rocks of the coastline. Jake simply nodded, and Doren guided the two of them over to rest.

Gratitude filled Jake that Doren didn’t take their arm back. Even better, they leaned closer to Jake, and although the wooden seat was freezing underneath them, the sun warmed their skin as they gazed out onto the water.

They sat in silence for a while, but finally, Jake had to say something.

“I really like you.”

He’d wanted to project confidence, but his voice shook as the words left his tongue. Phil had only broken up with him—abandoned him, really—just a few weeks before, and he wasn’t exactly suave and self-assured in the wake of it.

But Doren…they were worth it, no matter how hard it was.

“I like you, too,” Doren said, leaning their head close to Jake’s. “I haven’t been so at ease with another person in a long time. I would very much like to explore this further.”

“I’d like that, too,” Jake said. The dazzling smile that Doren gave him at those words made Jake’s heart race. The surfer was so beautiful, and Jake could drown in those ocean-blue eyes.

But hedidlike Doren, which meant he had to be honest.

“But being with me is hard. You have to understand that. In some ways, I’m lucky. My depression has never made me suicidal. I’ve never been catatonic.”