Page 19 of Mr. Perfect

“My office is this way,” Jude said, gesturing to the same hallway Jed and Minerva had disappeared down. Felix followed Jude to a space that was like his in size and style—masculine minimalist.

Jude sat on the edge of his desk and silently waited while Felix looked around the room. Stalling tactic? No. It felt necessary. What was he trying to find, anyway? Then it hit him. Felix was subconsciously searching for a sign of the boy he’d loved in the possessions of a man who was a virtual stranger.

His heart skipped a beat when he found it.

The baseball autographed by Chipper Jones, the Atlanta Braves infielder, rested in its place of honor in a souvenir display. The baseball itself was still in great condition except for the smudge left by the slugger’s bat. The Hall of Famer had hit the home run into the outfield seats, where an eager boy enjoyed an afternoon game with his father. The wooden souvenir base wasn’t as glossy as it had once been, and the glass top was chipped in a few places, but Jude telling him about the special day was still pristine in Felix’s mind.

They’d been assigned as partners for a freshman journalism project. Felix’s roommate had been a strange one, and he tried to avoid him as much as possible. The library had been packed, so Jude suggested they go back to his dorm room because his roommate was seldomly there. Felix had already developed a major crush on the guy but had no intention of acting on it. He’d caught the dark-haired hottie staring at him often, but not in an offensive manner. Still, it made Felix feel like his skin no longer fit his frame. Felix wasn’t even sure what to say to someone like Jude, who always exuded confidence. Felix had seen the baseball display case sitting on the shelf over Jude’s desk and had asked about it.

Jude had told Felix it was such a rare occasion for him to have one-on-one time with his dad, who worked seventy-hour weeks. He had been thrilled to have his father’s full attention, so the home run ball falling into his glove had been icing on the cupcake. Jude’s father had been as excited as his son was and asked around to see where they might be able to go to get the ball autographed. They loitered around in the parking garage, where many others waited and hoped for the opportunity to meet their favorite player too. Jude had been impatient, but his father’s good mood had never ebbed. Their perseverance paid off, and twelve-year-old Jude got to meet his hero and get the ball signed.

By this point in the story, sadness had crept into Jude’s voice. Felix had known whatever Jude said next would be awful. Jude’s father had died of a brain aneurism two weeks later. The souvenir case the ball rested in was the last gift his father ever gave him. The little gold plate on the base, now slightly tarnished, listed Chipper’s name and jersey number on it, as well as the date and the distance the home run ball had traveled. The ball, trophy case, and the memory meant the world to Jude.

Felix wasn’t surprised to see the baseball in a place of honor on the bookshelf along with the broadcasting awards Jude had received over the years. The only revelation was how rocked Felix felt by the memory. Not so much recalling the story itself, although it was sad, but what happened afterward.

For the first time in his life, Felix hadn’t been looking out for himself. He’d wanted to make Jude feel better, but he was clueless about how to do it. No one in his life up to that point had taught him how to comfort someone. Then he thought maybe sharing something about his own father would somehow make Jude feel better about losing his.

“Kelly said my dad took off when he found out about me.” Felix’s confession had rolled off his tongue as casually as if he’d spoken the ugly truth daily.

Jude had wrinkled his forehead adorably. “Who’s Kelly?”

“My mom,” Felix had replied.

“Oh,” Jude had said softly. There was so much weight in that one word. It hovered above them awkwardly for a few moments. “It’s his loss, Felix.”

That was the moment Felix’s crush had begun blossoming into love. He’d let down his guard, and one confession turned into two and so on. Sometimes, Felix spilled his secrets between kisses amidst tangled sheets as the two young men grew closer than either of them had been prepared for.

Jude cleared his throat in his small office, yanking Felix back to the present. “I don’t want to keep Minerva and Jed waiting too long. They’ll likely come up with more ridiculous schemes.”

Felix forced himself to meet Jude’s gaze. “Ridiculous? Like working with me?”

Jude snorted. “No. I’m looking forward to that part, but the photo shoot…”

“It’s a bit much, isn’t it?”

“Just a little,” Jude replied. His lips twitched at the corner, looking like a nervous tic. Felix knew better. The man was fighting off one of the smiles that came so naturally to him. Or at least they used to. “So, you wanted to talk?”

Felix rubbed the back of his neck while he figured out what to say or how to begin. “Look, I just wanted to tell you that I appreciated your apology yesterday.”

Jude grimaced.

“What?” Felix asked, his stomach starting to sour.

“I don’t think my apology means the same thing to you as it did to me,” Jude said sheepishly.

Felix felt his face heat as he seethed internally. “What the hell does that mean? Are you taking the apology back?”

“No,” Jude said, rolling his eyes. “I’m trying to explain that I wasn’t apologizing for what you think I was.”

Felix just stared. Jude had rendered him utterly speechless.

“I wasn’t apologizing for the crimes youthinkI committed against you in college,” Jude continued.

What the fuck is happening here?Felix’s face must’ve betrayed his confusion because Jude groaned and reached for him. Felix staggered out of his reach. “Then whatdidyou mean?”

Jude heaved a deep sigh and lowered his arm. “I am sorry that you believe I betrayed you.”

What?The question shrieked through Felix’s skull.