Page 103 of Something Like Winter

The next day he called only once, unperturbed when he still didn’t get an answer. Tim went through the motions of the day, waiting until evening when he was sure Ben would be out of class. Then he drove over to the duplex and rang the bell. Allison opened the door, eyebrows raised as if his every thought was transparent.

“He’s not here,” she said.

“Does he have a class this late?”

“He’s usually home by now. Just not this home.”

“Jace?”

She nodded. “Sorry.”

Well, that was something. At least she didn’t look smug as she shut the door. Of course she probably didn’t realize that Tim knew where Jace lived. Or that Tim was crazy enough to head straight into enemy territory. Why shouldn’t he? Jace was invited to the party too. Besides, it was time he learned firsthand what he was up against.

His self-assurance remained intact even as he knocked on the apartment door. He imagined Ben opening it, shocked and maybe a little thrilled by Tim’s audacity. He felt less certain when Jace answered. There is a big difference between seeing someone in a photo and meeting them in real life. Jace was taller than he was—which Tim didn’t like—and dressed in a nice button-up shirt and casual slacks that made Tim feel scuzzy in his T-shirt and shorts. His blond-brown hair was styled intentionally messy, matching his controlled-but-casual appearance. Jace looked Tim over with a flicker of recognition, but with no hint of interest.

“Hey,” Tim said, flashing a smile. Even that failed to provoke a reaction, causing him to wonder if he wasn’t looking his best today. “Jace, right? I’m Tim.”

He extended a hand, which Jace accepted. Because Jace was tall, he looked thin, but his hands were warm and strong. Tim hated to think of all the places they had been.

“Tim, of course,” Jace replied. “Ben said he had run into you recently.”

In other words,I know all about you.“Yeah, it was just like old times. Hey, I was hoping to talk to you both about an idea I had.” “Ben isn’t home,” Jace said.

“But he usually is by now, right? I don’t mind waiting.” Jace took stock of him. Tim was sure Jace was about to tell him to go fuck himself and to not come around anymore. That’s what Tim would have said were the situation reversed, but instead Jace shrugged easily and gestured for him to enter.

The apartment felt more alive with Jace there. Even Samson seemed peppier. He still did the creeping, cautious sniff thing that cats did, as if seeing a person wasn’t proof enough that they weren’t really a giant pudding monster. Then Samson happily followed Jace to the living room and hopped up on his owner’s lap as soon as Jace was seated in the recliner.

Tim spread out on the couch, trying to make himself as large as possible. Hey, it worked in the animal kingdom. “So, Ben tells me you’re a stewardess or something.”

Jace smiled as if this didn’t bother him. “Yes. That’s exactly what I am, although I prefer to think of myself as an astronaut of the stratosphere.”

Huh.

“That’s funny,” Tim said without humor. “Seems like all they talk about on the news lately is airline employees having to take cuts. Must be hard making a living in your line of work.”

“I don’t live in a mansion,” Jace replied, “but I managed to take Ben to London recently. That was nice. Still, I’ll be glad when Ben has graduated and is earning money. What are you studying?”

Tim mumbled something about architecture while trying to come to grips with the situation. Here he was, a high school sweetheart back from the past and gorgeous enough that most gay guys would love to get into his pants—and yet Jace calmly sat there watching him with the same casual curiosity as his cat. Was Jace always like this? If so, Tim could understand the appeal of being with someone so confident.

“I don’t know much about architecture,” Jace said, “although I did see one of Hundertwasser’s buildings once, and that was a real eye opener.”

“He was amazing,” Tim admitted. “Shows you what’s possible if people think outside the box. Buildings can be art.”

“True. I suppose it’s like poetry. I’ve never really enjoyed it either, but someone like Dr. Seuss makes it so wacky and fun that it’s impossible not to like.”

Tim nodded. “Although it’s odd how if you make a painting that’s strange and different, most people dismiss it. Everyone scoffs at modern art or art installations, when really that’s also being playful within a medium. These days you have to grab people’s attention any way you can.”

Hold on now! Tim felt like leaping to his feet and pointing an accusatory finger. Jace was disarmingly charming when he should be biting his nails and fearing for his relationship. Even now, he was checking his watch as if he had other concerns.

“If he’s this late, I should probably start dinner.”

“No problem,” Tim said, whipping out his phone. “I’ll order us some pizzas. Ben still likes cheese and tomatoes, right? What about you?” Ha ha! Take that! Your boyfriend is being fed by another man! But this small victory went unnoticed by Jace, who pet and talked to his cat while Tim was ordering on the phone. When waiting for their food to arrive, Tim gave up taking cheap shots at Jace and kept conversation civilized. After all, the plan was to invite him to a party, and being the only one behaving maliciously made him feel like a royal asshole.

Not that he was done completely. The second the doorbell rang, Tim leapt up to answer it, like he owned the place. When he opened the door, he found something much more appetizing than dinner. Ben stood there slack-jawed, arms full of books and take-out.

Tim grinned at him. “For a pizza boy, you’re pretty hot.”

Chapter Twenty-four