Chapter 72

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Chapter 72

Jasper’s phone alarm went off at four thirty. He reached to turn it off and I tightened my arm around him just in case he had any ideas about trying to sneak off to shower without waking me. Understanding, he turned to face me.

“I’m sorry. You must be exhausted. Go back to sleep.”

I kissed him to shut him up. The nap on the plane didn’t totally offset my lack of sleep during the week, and for me this was truly the middle of the night, but I wouldn’t have missed this morning ritual for anything.

“I’ll sleep when you leave. Do you want me to call room service for some breakfast while you shower?”

“Nah, there’s always stuff at work. You don’t have to stay awake while I get ready.”

                        

“Okay,” I conceded, “but kiss me before you leave, whether I’m asleep or not.”

“I will,” he said and covered my lips for another kiss before pulling away and sliding out of bed. He padded into the bathroom and I heard him piss before turning on the water in the shower. I realized I needed to go too, so I followed him to the bathroom and relieved myself as he began to shampoo his hair.

“Do you have any plans for today?” he asked.

“None, except to pick up those boxes. I figured after breakfast I’d just walk around a little, maybe call to make an appointment with that realtor.”

“It would be good if we could see him tomorrow or Sunday. That would give us tonight to figure out what we want.”

“I’ll tell him that. And if he’s busy this weekend I’ll see if he’ll be free some evening next week. I want to start this search sooner rather than later. Maybe I’ll look around online myself.”

“That’s a great idea. That’ll give you an idea of what’s available, and price ranges. You may be in for some sticker shock. We won’t be able to get a place like Nasir and Emmett’s.”

“I have money and real estate is a sound investment.”

“We can’t get anything too extravagant. I can’t afford as much as you.”

“Jasper, what’s mine is yours. You don’t have to worry about that.”

“We can talk about it tonight, okay? Now really, you don’t need to stay up. Go back to sleep.”

“I’d much rather make sure you’re all clean for work,” I told him and stepped into the shower. I took the washcloth out of his hands and leathered it up with the hotel provided soap. “Let me do your back.”

I washed his back and his ass, before moving on to the back of his legs. When he turned around I didn’t hesitate to lean in and run my tongue down the length of his hardening cock.

“Do we have time?” I asked. I didn’t want to make him late for work on my first full day in New York.

“Not a lot.”

“I don’t need a lot.”

***

When I woke up again, well after nine o’clock, I read a text he’d sent hours earlier.

*Got here with time to spare. I could get used to starting the day like that*

*I want you to get used to it. It’ll be my pleasure* I texted back.

*Our pleasure ;-). Have breakfast yet?*

*Not even dressed yet*

*Not fair. I’m trying to work here.*

*Which is why I didn’t send a picture :)*

*LOL gotta go. Have a good day. Love you*

*Love you too*

After a quick shower, mostly to wash my hair, I got dressed and went downstairs. Eager to get out and explore, I grabbed a coffee and bagel to go from the cafe in the hotel lobby and ventured outside. Though the day was cool, the sun was out and some of the trees still held onto their colorful leaves, making Central Park a temptation too hard to resist. I walked far enough into the park for the city noise to be muted, checked the time and found a bench on which to settle before I called Roger. It was only half past seven in Seattle, but I knew he’d either already be on the Mountain, or at least en route.

“Edward! How are you?” he greeted me warmly.

“I’m good. Just sitting in Central Park having a coffee and a bagel for breakfast. I thought I’d do a little exploring while Jasper’s at work.”

“So he decided to go in?”

“That was always the plan.”

“I know, but I thought you’d be too much of a temptation and he might develop a sudden cold or something.”

I laughed. “We didn’t even consider it. He’s been away from work too much lately, and it’s only one day until the weekend. Besides, I need to get used to living the life of a house husband.”

“Speaking of, how is the house? How did it go with the roommates?”

My smile disappeared.

“Not well. We didn’t even stay there last night. We’re at the Park Lane Hotel.”

“Fuck! What happened?” Roger’s outrage was comforting. 

“Jasper’s friend Peter is determined to see me as a domestic abuser. He’s convinced I only moved here to isolate Jasper from his friends and keep him from changing his mind about getting back together with me.”

“He sounds like a jackass.”

“I can’t disagree, but that wasn’t unexpected. What was worse is he laid into Jasper.”

“What?”

“He said Jasper was weak and needy and implied that he’d been looking out for Jasper all these years because Jas couldn’t do it himself.”

“That doesn’t sound like the Jasper I met.”

“It’s not. It may be how Jasper came across when they first met, but he’s changed a lot since then. He certainly doesn’t need some need self-appointed guardian.”

“So whose idea was it to check into the hotel?”

“Jasper insisted that we leave last night and wanted to stay with his father, but I thought the hotel would be better.”

“You wanted him all to yourself, didn’t you?”

“Of course, but I wanted even more to avoid the unavoidable explanations. Jasper needed to get up early for work and the hotel was closer to that too.”

                  

“Sounds like the right call. But what’s next? You’re gonna live at the hotel?”

“It’s comfortable and the location is perfect, but Jas may want to move in with his dad. I’m also going to call a realtor to find a place of our own, as soon as possible.”

“With the holidays coming up, it’s either the worst or best time to be house hunting. Not a lot of people are selling, but those who are might be pretty desperate to make a deal.”

I frowned. I hadn’t considered how the holidays might impact the real estate market. I wanted to find a house quickly, but I also wanted something both Jasper and I were happy to live in for a while.

“The right house is more important than a good deal. I suppose I’ll mention to the realtor that we may be looking for a short-term rental if we don’t see anything we want to buy.”

“What about Emmett and Nasir? Don’t they have an apartment in New York?  Couldn’t you stay with them?”

I very nearly slapped my forehead for forgetting an option that was so obvious.

“I can’t believe I didn’t think of that. I don’t want them to worry about us while they’re together in Washington, but I’ll ask Nasir when he gets back in town Monday. Excellent idea, Rog. Thanks!”

“No problem. What are you gonna do about the jackass?”

“Whatever Jasper wants. It was hard to listen to the guy spew without knocking him flat, but that would have played into his hands. He was shocked when I kept my cool and Jasper lost his.”

“You think they’ll work it out?”

“I’m not sure. Jasper can be stubborn, especially when he’s pissed, but they’ve been friends for a long time, so for his sake I hope Peter pulls his head out of his ass.”

“You’re doing the right thing, even though I know it has to be killing you.”

“It’s hard to watch Jasper get hurt because of me. Peter would have never said all those things if Jasper and I weren’t back together. If the two of them don’t figure things out, I’ll have to find some way to make it up to Jas.”

“No, you won’t. He’s a big boy and he can choose his own friends and lovers. My advice would have been to let this run its natural course, but it doesn’t sound like you need it.”

“If I didn’t need your advice, why would I call you so often looking for it?”

“Beats me, especially since you count the all-seeing Seth among your friends, but I’m glad you call, for advice or otherwise. It’s just good to hear your voice, man.”

“I miss you too. I got used to seeing you almost every day all these years. But I should let you go. I know you have work to do.”

“I’m always happy to talk to you. Good luck with the Peter situation. Maybe try not to think about it too much over the weekend.”

“I’ll follow Jasper’s lead. I certainly won’t bring it up if he doesn’t. Give my hugs to the family!”

“All right, man. Later.”

I ended the call with a big smile. Talking with Roger was exactly the connection with home I’d craved. I certainly hadn’t been gone long enough to be homesick, but this was the third day in a row I hadn’t seen Roger at work and, combined with the park closure the previous week, I found I had truly missed him. It wouldn’t be the same, but a couple of those morning calls every week with an occasional longer chat on a weekend would be enough to maintain our friendship.

I took a few minutes to scroll through the news headlines, but nothing grabbed my attention. After making sure I had no urgent e-mails, I switched to my texts and pulled up the contact information for the realtor. I dialed the number and listened as the phone rang.

“Good morning, this is Barney Stone.” The man’s voice was strong and confident.

“Hi Barney, my name’s Edward Cullen. I got your name from my friend Emmett, who met your wife on a flight from Seattle. He said you and his husband were both standing together waiting for them without even realizing it.”

“Ah, yes, Emmett and, give me a second, Nasir, right?”

“Good memory.”

“It helps in my line of work,” he chuckled. “Yes, of course, I do remember them. Nice guys. What can I do for you, Mr. Cullen?”

“Edward, please, and can I call you Barney?”

“Absolutely.”

“Great. I’ll get right to the point. I moved to Manhattan yesterday to be with my partner, Jasper. He’s been renting a room from a couple of friends, but now we need our own place.”

“Well, Edward, I don’t know if Emmett mentioned, but I work for Sotheby's International Realty and specialize in higher end Upper East Side properties. That may not be what you’re looking for, but if you tell me the area and price point you’re interested in, I’m sure I can refer you to a colleague.”

“Money is not an issue,” I told him. “I mean, there is a limit, but I’m sure we can find a home for me and Jasper that’s well within my means. What’s more important is the house itself and the location, and the fact that we’ll want to close as soon as possible, preferably before the holidays.”

“Which holidays?”

“Ideally before Thanksgiving.”

Barney whistled.

“That’s not a lot of time, given we’re already in the first week of November.”

“I understand it’s a challenge.”

“I like a good challenge. You said you moved to Manhattan yesterday. Are you familiar with the city?  Do you know where you and your partner would prefer to live?”

“We were going to talk about it tonight and were hoping to make an appointment to meet with you to go over everything tomorrow. That’s actually why I’m calling.”

“All right. My schedule is better tomorrow morning than afternoon. What time were you thinking?”

“We’re early risers, so we can meet any time.  How about we talk over breakfast. We’re staying at the Park Lane hotel. Nine o’clock okay?”

“That’s fine. Is this the best number to reach you?”

“It is. Thanks, Barney.”

“Tell you what, I don’t want to show up tomorrow empty handed, so understanding that this may still change, can you give me some idea of what you’re looking for? Maybe I can find some listings that will help to narrow down the search when we talk tomorrow.”

“I guess I would prefer a house to an apartment, maybe something with a small back yard. Is that possible in Manhattan?”

Barney chuckled. “With enough money anything is possible in Manhattan. How about location, number of bedrooms, any special needs?”

“I like to cook, so a functional kitchen would be nice. And we’ll have visitors from out of state, so at least three bedrooms. As for location, Jasper works at Rockefeller Center and likes to walk. I’d prefer a place where he can have a safe commute.”

“It sounds like security is a concern,” Barney probed.

“Jasper starts really early in the morning, and he sometimes works late. Also, a couple of his friends were gay-bashed a couple of months ago on their way home from a club, and I know that’s been a problem in Manhattan this fall. I know his work is not the same as a gay club, but I’d prefer to live in a neighborhood where walking alone after dark is not too dangerous. Oh, and it might be nice to be near Emmett and Nasir’s place. They live at, um, hold on a sec, let me look it up.” I pulled the phone away from my ears and scrolled through my contacts until I found the address. I pressed the speakerphone icon and read it off to Barney. “Park and Seventy Eighth.”

“No problem, and sorry about your friends getting attacked. Fortunately those attacks seemed to have stopped.”

“I know, but still...”

“No, I understand. I like to know that my wife’s safe when I’m not with her too. But if you want to be near your friends, you’re actually in luck. That’s a very safe area and not a bad commute at all from Rockefeller plaza. Do you mind me asking where your partners’ friends’ apartment is?”

“No, they live on the Corner of 79th Street and West End Avenue,” I told him. I had memorized the location, believing that we’d be staying there for a while.

“And your guy walks to work from there? That’s dedication.”

“I think he takes the subway occasionally, but yeah, mostly he walks.”

“Well, Emmett’s place is about the same distance, so if we find a place near him it won’t make much of a difference.”

“We don’t have to live right next to Emmett and Nasir. Just in the vicinity.”

“Given our deadline, it’s good that you’re flexible on that. I think I have all the information I need for now. I’ll meet you and your partner tomorrow at your hotel at nine and we can iron out more details. I’ll scout out the area and see if I can find some interesting listings. Who knows, maybe we’ll even go see something tomorrow?”

“That sounds great, Barney. As I said, time is of the essence, though if there’s nothing suitable on the market I suppose we might do a short-term rental.”

“Let’s not go there quite yet. Let me look around and make some calls I’ll do my best to find you the perfect place before Thanksgiving.”

“Thanks, Barney. Emmett was right to send me to you.”

Barney laughed warmly. “I can’t say I disagree. See you tomorrow, Edward.”

With my most important task of the day accomplished, I was at a loss as to what to do next. For the first time it hit me that I was in the middle of a huge city that I didn’t know at all and where I knew no one except the man I loved, who would be stuck at work for at least a few more hours. There were plenty of things for me to see and do, but none of them held any appeal without Jasper by my side.

A tone for an incoming text distracted me. I glanced down and smiled.

*I’m due to grab lunch in a few minutes. Are you near enough to join me?*

*I’m in Central Park right in front of the hotel. If I get on the subway I should be there soon, right?*

*the line at the corner of the park won’t get you here easily. Walk down 6th ave and get on at 57th. Then 1 stop to Rockefeller center. Can you find it from there?*

His second text came before I had a chance to send my reply.

*It might be easier to take a cab or walk*

*I’ll figure it out. on my way*

*text me when you’re in the lobby and I’ll come down to meet you*

*can’t wait*

Having just scarfed down a bagel and coffee, I wasn’t even remotely hungry, but there was no way I’d pass up a chance to see Jasper. I wanted to be a good conservationist and either walk or take public transportation, and if I’d had more time I would have done that even with the risk of getting lost, but I wanted to get to Jasper as quickly as possible so I decided to take his advice and hailed a cab.

With mid-day traffic and the relatively short distance, the gain in time was probably marginal, but at least the cabbie knew exactly where he was going. I gave him a generous tip when he dropped me off in front of Jasper’s building and sent a text announcing my arrival.

I was a little puzzled by the plural, but the mystery was solved when Jasper emerged from the elevator with two co-workers, both of whom I met the last time I was in town. Momentarily ignoring his friends and everyone else in the lobby, Jasper walked straight up to me and gave me a welcoming kiss. Only then did he turn to the two men who had followed him.

“Edward, you remember Nick and Tom? When I told them you were coming over for lunch, they insisted on tagging along.”

“Of course I remember. Hi guys,” I reached out and shook their hands.

“Hi Edward. We figured since you’ve moved here and all, you wouldn’t mind if we horned in on lunch,” Nick said.

“I don’t mind at all,” I smiled. “It’s nice to see you again.”

“What are you in the mood for? We probably don’t have time for a proper sit-down restaurant, but short of that, we can get just about any kind of food.”

“Actually, I only ate breakfast about an hour ago, so I’m not hungry. What do you guys feel like?”

“Really, you’re not going to eat anything?” Tom confirmed.

“Sorry, I’m not.”

“So if Edward’s not eating, can we just grab something from Pret? It’s close and quick,” Nick suggested.

“They don’t have a lot of seats,” Jasper hesitated.

“If we don’t find seats we can bring stuff back here and eat upstairs in our office. You don’t mind, do you, Edward?” Tom asked.

“Not at all. What’s Pret?”

“Pret a Manger. It’s an English takeaway chain with sandwiches, wraps, soups and stuff that you can grab and go. The food is pre-made, but it’s made fresh every day and pretty tasty. Good for a quick lunch. We eat there pretty often,” Jasper explained.

“That sounds good. Maybe I’ll grab a sandwich or something for later. Let’s go.”

The restaurant was in the basement concourse of Rockefeller Center and it was packed with people, most of them standing in line to pay. The scant seating consisted of a padded bench seat along one wall with a few small round tables in front of it along with a few freestanding chairs on the other sides of the tables. All the seats were taken when we walked in, but as the guys were making their selections from the refrigerated shelving along another wall, a few tourists stood up to leave. I immediately headed for the table they vacated and used my coat to indicate that the two chairs were taken while I took a seat on the bench. Jasper handed his soup and sandwich selection to Tom and extracted a bill from his wallet to cover the cost, then came over to join me.

“Good eye. It’s a little crazy and noisy, but it’ll be a nice change to eat here instead of in the office. That’s what we do most days when it’s too cold to eat outside in the plaza,” he explained.

“One day, when you have more time, I’ll take you all out to a nice, quiet, sit-down place for lunch,” I suggested. He reached for my hand with a smile.

“You don’t have to do that, and we never really have that much time for lunch. But one of these days we can go out with Tom and Nick for drinks after work or maybe dinner. They’re good guys and they’re actually excited about you moving here. I think they were getting tired of listening to me complain about how much I missed you.”

“Oh my God, yes!” Nick said with a laugh as he walked over to sit with us. He put a salad box and three bottles of water on the table. “If we had to listen to that for another week...You really saved us,” he told me and winked.

“Shut up,” Jasper elbowed him lightly and then stood to give up his seat to Tom while he moved to sit beside me on the bench.

“Why should he? He’s only telling the truth. You turned into quite the moody bastard for a while. But at least it proved you had feelings. We were beginning to wonder.”

“You make me sound like a robot,” Jasper complained.

“Not a robot, but...let’s just say you used to get more excited about editing a special than seeing a hot guy. It’s nice to see you care about a man for a change.”

“Of course, having met you and knowing what we know now, we totally get it,” Nick said with another wink. I liked his carefree, flirty demeanor, which seemed to be his natural character rather than an attempt to make himself appealing.

“Well, maybe not totally,” Tom teased, leaning to look under the table in the direction of my lap. “Jasper’s been keeping some information very close to those sexy vests he likes to wear.” He waggled his brows as he unwrapped his baguette.

“You guys are impossible. I told you Edward keeps me very happy,” Jasper said with a laugh.

“But you didn’t share any details, honey,” Tom said and then opened his mouth wide, sliding the tip of the baguette in and out without biting it.

“This is a family restaurant, idiot. There are children,” Jasper laughed good naturedly, looking around for an example to illustrate his point. Unfortunately, the restaurant was filled with business people and tourists who had no kids in tow.

“Oh, are children offended by men eating sandwiches? I didn’t realize,” Tom teased before finally taking an actual bite of his baguette. Jasper just shook his head. He took the top off his carton of soup and ate a spoonful.

“Mmm, this is so good. Wanna try?” He filled the spoon and offered it to me. I opened my mouth and let him feed me. “It’s Thai chicken curry, my favorite.”

The soup was warm and flavorful and I would have enjoyed it even if it didn’t come served in a spoon that had just been in my lover’s mouth. “It’s delicious,” I concurred after I swallowed.

“I bought a large so we can share. And the sandwich is for you for later. I’m pretty sure you’ll like this as much as I do,” he said, pushing the sandwich towards me.

“Thanks, Jas,” I glanced down at the balsamic chicken and avocado sandwich. It looked as delicious as the soup. I leaned over and gave him a quick kiss “I’m sure I’ll love it.”

“Thank God I didn’t get dessert. Just watching you two is giving me cavities,” Nick continued to tease.

“You said you were in Central Park when I called. Did you go for a walk?” Jasper asked, ignoring Nick’s comment.

“Not really. I took my coffee and bagel in there and made some calls. I spoke with Roger and called the realtor.”

“How is Roger doing? I bet he misses you.”

I saw Nick’s brows jump up inquisitively and I swear I could see his ears perk up.

“Is this hot ranger Roger? The one who was with you for the interview?” Tom may not have been as transparent physically, but he seemed no less curious.

“The very same. Roger’s a good friend, and my former boss.”

“How good a friend?” Nick queried. I thought I heard a hint of suspicion in his voice.

“As good a friend as a gay man can have in a straight married guy,” I replied, hoping that would erase any doubts. Unfortunately, it didn’t work.

“Oh, honey, I hope not. The straight married guy who lived next door to my parents was a very good friend indeed when I was a horny teenager,” Nick sing-songed.

“Really?” Jasper seemed surprised. “Your married neighbor? What a pervert.”

“I’m not saying I use him to calibrate my moral compass, but to be fair, I came on to him. His wife traveled on business a lot and he seemed lonely. Besides, I don’t think she liked to suck cock even when she was around. Anyway, we both had a secret so at least I didn’t have to worry about him outing me. And sex in his bed was a hell of a lot more comfortable than behind the school fieldhouse, or under the highway overpass, or...”

“Okay, okay. We don’t need your entire sexual history,” Jasper interrupted with a laugh.

“I’m just saying.”

“I think, though, that Roger is not that kind of friend,” Tom concluded.

“Roger is very cool, but I may have lost some points with him by luring away his best employee,” Jasper answered.

“Hardly. Work seems to be going fine without me.”

“That’s good, because I want to keep you here a lot longer than a day.”

“I’m here for as long as you want me to be. And speaking of long-term, we have a breakfast appointment with Barney, the realtor, tomorrow at nine. He said he’ll try to find some sample listings for us to look over, but I told him we still need to figure out exactly what we want.”

“Good. Maybe we can see some places this weekend,” Jasper nodded and ate another spoonful of soup.

“That’s what I’m hoping. I told him time was of the essence.”

“You’re really taking this move seriously, huh? That’s great,” Tom endorsed. “What about work?”

“I think I might enjoy being a house husband for a while, taking care of the house and my man,” I said, wrapping my arm around Jasper.

“Oh, swoon,” Nick placed the back of his hand against his forehead and threw his head back dramatically, “that’s so fucking romantic! No wonder you missed him,” he pointed at Jasper, who chuckled in response.

“Edward’s not the type of guy who’s gonna be happy hanging around the house for long. Though I do believe you’ll enjoy setting everything up,” he said, turning towards me. “Eventually, though, we’ll need to find you something more substantial to do, so you don’t get bored and unhappy.”

“Eventually,” I conceded and gave him another kiss. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Tom watching us thoughtfully before sneaking a glance at Nick, who was too absorbed in eating his salad to notice. Jasper had told me that these two were just good friends, but that one look had me wondering if Tom, at least, didn’t want something more.

“Well, they certainly don’t grow them like you in Manhattan, do they, Tom? I guess we need to get out into the wilderness to find sexy millionaires who only want to take care of us?” Nick bumped Tom lightly with his elbow, causing his friend to grimace.

“I don’t need a millionaire, or anyone to take care of me,” he said gruffly. “No offence,” he added for my benefit.

“None taken,” I replied lightly.

“Sexy without millions isn’t nearly as hard to find. You’re just too picky,” Nick opined.

“I’m selective,” Tom corrected.

“And there’s nothing wrong with that,” Jasper helped him out. “When the right guy comes along, you’ll know it, trust me.”

“Now he’s an expert!” Nick teased, oblivious to another glance in his direction from Tom. I filed the little tidbit away as something to talk with Jasper about later.

We talked for a few more minutes as Jasper, Nick and Tom finished their lunches. Nick and Tom wanted to know more about the sniper and then, in a pleasant surprise, asked questions about Rainbow Beginnings. I did most of the talking while the guys ate and soon Nick was shoveling the last forkful of his salad into his mouth. Tom had finished his baguette and Jasper’s soup was gone as well. We picked up the trash and placed everything in the receptacles except for the recyclables, which I insisted on taking with me along with my sandwich.

“You may not want to do that,” Tom warned. “Plastic recycling bins are scarce around here.”

“I can carry them back to the hotel. They must have provisions for recycling there.”

Jasper looked skeptical “We recycle in our building, but I didn’t see anything at the hotel.”

“I’ll figure something out,” I assured him. It could take a little time to search the internet for the information I’d need, but I had that in spades. I also took another mental note to come back when the restaurant was less crowded and speak with the manager about recycling possibilities. Just because I was on leave from the NPS did not mean that I had to stop my conservation efforts.

I walked Jasper, Tom and Nick to the lobby and gave Jas a kiss before they headed past security to the elevators. With nothing but time on my hands, I decided to walk back to the hotel where I could have my lunch and surf the net to research recycling efforts in Manhattan. I wasn’t even halfway there, however, when my phone rang. I steeled myself when I saw that the caller was Seth.

“Is your phone not making outgoing calls?” he fired as soon as I answered.

“What? I think it’s fine. Why?”

“I know Jasper’s at work and that’s why he can’t call me, but after sitting here for an hour waiting, I decided to make sure your phone was broken.”

“What are you talking about? You’re not making any sense.”

“What other reason could there possibly be for you not calling to tell me how last night went?”

“Oh.”

“Yes, oh! Of all the thick, insensitive, boneheaded…I should punish you by not speaking to you for months, but I might just forgive you if you tell me everything now.”

I sighed. Talking with Roger earlier had been enough. I didn’t want to have to rehash everything once again, but I knew Seth wouldn’t be put off.

“I’ll tell you, but you have to promise not to say anything to Emmett and Nasir, and if you tell Garrett then he can’t say anything to them either. And under no circumstances should you say anything to Maggie or Rosalie.”

“This doesn’t sound good,” Seth said cautiously, his voice a lot calmer and laced with concern.

“Do you promise?”

“You have my word. Now, what’s wrong?”

“Last night didn’t go well. We spent the night at the Park Lane hotel and will probably stay there until we find a place of our own, unless Jasper wants to move in with his Dad.”

“Shit! His friends threw you out?” Seth sounded outraged.

“No, Jasper chose to leave.”

Seth sighed. “I’m not surprised. He was always very protective of you.”

“I might have tried to stop him if Peter had just been nasty to me, but he said some things about Jasper that made leaving the best decision for everyone.”

“What? What could he possibly say about Jasper?” I could hear his indignation.

“He implied that Jasper was weak and needed to be watched over like some child. That he couldn’t be trusted to make decisions about me. The more I think about it, the more I understand where it was coming from, but at the time it sounded bad. You have no idea how much self-control it took not to...” I stopped myself before I could articulate how much damage I wanted to do to Peter, as if saying it out loud could be some bad omen.

“I can imagine. It sounds like you stayed calm, though? I’m so proud of you, Cullen, and how much you’ve grown since I first met you.”

“You make me sound like some kid.”

“Let’s face it, when we met you were a child, at least emotionally. Now you’re a man. A good man. Pay no attention to Jasper’s asshole roommate.”

“I have no intention of paying any attention to him. If I never saw him again I wouldn’t shed a tear. But I don’t like seeing Jasper upset. This guy had been his best friend for many years.”

“Now that he has us again, he doesn’t need him,” Seth dismissed.

Saying nothing was easier than disagreeing, but privately I wasn’t nearly as sure as Seth. When we started college, I tried to keep Jasper from hanging out with Emmett and Seth, not realizing how much he’d needed them. I wouldn’t make that mistake again. Peter might be a shithead and the two of us might never grow to be friends, but he was important to Jasper and I didn’t want to be responsible the destruction of that friendship. It had to be Jasper’s choice.

“So what now?” He asked.

“We’re meeting a realtor tomorrow. Say, could you remind your husband to start the mortgage approval process for me? If we do find a place, I’ll want to close on it as soon as possible, and I know he’d rather I take out a mortgage than take the money out of my account outright, but if I have to wait for paperwork and approvals...”

“I’m sure he’s already got someone working on it, but I’ll remind him anyway. He’ll make sure you’ll get your new place as soon as you find something available.”

“Good. Thank you. It’s nice not to have to worry about that, at least. “

“Why don’t you want me to say anything to Emmett and Nasir? You know they would want to know. In fact, Emmett will probably ask me, so what should I tell him if not the truth?”

“Just tell him that dinner wasn’t great and that it will all take a little time to sort out, but Jasper and I are fine. That is the truth, minus a few key details. There’ll be time enough to tell them the rest later, without distracting them when they’re together.”

“Alright, and I won’t say a word to Maggie, though I probably won’t see her anyway.”

“She’d get too angry, and there’s no need.”

“She’d probably fly out there to rip Peter a new one,” Seth laughed gleefully.

“But her motives would be all wrong. The fact that he doesn’t like me is irrelevant. He didn’t do anything to me last night that she didn’t do to Jasper.”

“The curse of having overprotective friends and family.”

“More like a mixed blessing, I guess, but yeah. That.”

“But despite last night, you two are all right?”

“We’re great. In fact, I’m just walking back from lunch we had with a couple of Jasper’s co-workers. Nice guys. You’d like them.”

“Good. I’m sure they loved you and he needed that validation.”

“He said they suggested it.” Even to my ears I sounded defensive.

“I’m sure they did. He would have wanted to see you alone. Doesn’t change the fact that it will help him to know some of the people he trusts approve of his relationship.”

“You approve of his relationship.”

“But I’m here and he’s there. Anyway, it sounds like everything is aligned so I’m not needed.”

“Your special skills aren’t needed,” I corrected.

“Oh, Cullen, you say the nicest things. If you’re not careful, people might think you like me.”

“Like, love, respect and appreciate. I know I don’t tell you that enough.” Somehow it was easier to say over the phone than in person. I could almost see him tilting his face with a self-satisfied grin.

“I love you too. It took a lot of effort, but you turned out just fine.”

“Yes, master,” I teased.

“Oh, I like the sound of that. I wonder if Gar will let me keep you as a slave?”

“In your dreams! But seriously, thanks for everything, even this call.”

“A call you should have made!”

I chuckled. “Double thanks, then. Now I should let you go.”

“Okay, kisses for you and your man.”

“You too, Seth. Bye.”

I put my phone back in my pocket, thinking that I got off lightly. Then my phone rang again and when I pulled it out to check the caller ID I saw that it was an unfamiliar number with a New York prefix.  Since I didn’t yet have any friends in New York that might be calling me just to chat, I was wary in answering.

“Is this Mr. Edward Cullen,” a male voice asked formally.

“Yes it is.” I resisted adding the hostile “who wants to know?” that was in my head.

“Mr. Cullen, this is the lobby desk in Mr. Whitlock’s building. He instructed us to call you when certain packages arrived and they just did.”

“Oh, thank you. I’ll be there as soon as I can to pick them up.”

“Very good, Sir. I’m Arthur and I’ll be at the desk. Please bring identification with you.”

“Thanks, Arthur. I’ll see you soon.”

I still had the uneaten sandwich, but now it made no sense to go to the hotel. It made even less sense to carry it around with me. I was almost at Central Park again so I went in for my second meal of the day, picking up a bottle of water from a street cart food vendor. I ate and drank quickly while watching people relaxing in the part, and then used the GPS on my phone to find directions to Jasper’s apartment. Picking up packages wasn’t nearly as urgent as meeting Jasper for lunch, so I opted to walk. It wasn’t quite the same as hiking all day on my mountain, but it was exercise and it would help me learn my way around the city.

I ended up pretty much retracing the walk Jasper took me on the first time I visited New York. Although I wasn’t seeing anything new, I actually preferred that, drawing comfort from the fact that some places, like Lincoln Center, were already familiar. I even veered off the GPS prescribed path to walk by Old John's Luncheonette, just to remind myself of the place where Jasper and I shared our first Manhattan meal. I looked in through the window to see if I could spot our waitress but I didn't see her and wasn’t remotely hungry, so I kept walking.

The streets in this part of the city weren’t nearly as crowded as near Jasper’s work, giving me a chance to leisurely absorb the vibe. I liked this more laid-back side of the city, still very urban but free of the incessant hustle and bustle. The surrounding high rise buildings meant that the area didn’t quite feel like a neighborhood, lacking the intimacy that accompanied rows of brownstones I had seen in other parts of the city, but it had its own distinct charm. I knew I would have gotten used to it had we stayed with Peter and Demetri as we originally planned. I might have even gotten to like it. Given what happened the previous evening, though, I knew this could well be my last time here.

I crossed the street and said hello to the doorman, explaining who I was and the reason I was there. He nodded and pointed me toward the man sitting at the front desk.

“Hello, Arthur, I’m Edward Cullen. We spoke a while ago about boxes that were shipped here,” I reached for my wallet and pulled out my driver’s license to prove my identity.

“Yes, Mr. Cullen. The boxes are in the back. I will bring them out for you, but-”

“But?” My eyebrows shot up. I hadn’t anticipated any difficulties here.

“Mister Demetri called and asked if you would please go up to his apartment before you left.”

I frowned. This was not part of the plan. Sensing my hesitation, Arthur improvised.

“I will call him and you can speak to him, okay? He was very insistent that I not let you go without sending you up.”

It seemed I was to have very little say in the matter. I was mildly annoyed, but I waited as Arthur dialed the number.

“Mr. Demetri, Mr. Cullen is here. Would you like to speak with him?” Almost immediately, Arthur passed the handset to me.

“Edward? Hi. I know this must be unexpected and I hope I’m not interfering with your afternoon, but Ros is out and I thought we could take the opportunity to talk, just the two of us. Would you please come up for a few minutes? I promise I won’t keep you long.”

Just as the previous evening, Demetri sounded friendly. Although I was taken off-guard by the request, I couldn’t see any harm in going up to see him.

“Sure, I’ll be right up.”

“Great. See you soon.”

I looked down at the bag I was carrying that held the recyclables.

“Arthur, Jasper said this building recycles?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Can you point me to the recycling room? I’d like to get rid of these before I go up. I would have done it on the way here, but didn’t see any recycling bins.”

“I will take care of that for you,” he said, holding out his hand.

“But you will recycle it, right, not just toss it in the trash? Because if it’s just going to get thrown out, I can keep it.”

“No, no, I will recycle.” he assured me. Feeling a little foolish for being so uptight, I smiled and handed him the bag, thanked him and headed for the elevators.

It didn’t take long to get to the eighteenth floor. The door to the apartment was already open and Demetri was waiting for me. His crutches were under his arms, but he was leaning most of his weight back against the doorjamb. Dressed casually in black track pants and a t-shirt in a light turquoise color with a deep v-neck that revealed a good amount of a smooth and firm but not overly muscular chest, he looked very sexy; too sexy for a cretin like Peter.

“Edward, thanks for coming up,” he set the crutches to the side and greeted me with a hug. “I’m really so sorry about last night. I had no idea Ros was even capable of doing something like that. It was a side of him I’d never seen before.”

“I think Jasper feels the same way,” I replied neutrally.

“Please, come in,” he urged and motioned for me to go in first. When I complied he followed, picking up his crutches and moving a bit awkwardly to close and lock the door behind us.

“There’s some freshly brewed coffee in the French Press in the kitchen, and beer, soda and water in the fridge, if you prefer something cold.”

“A cup of coffee sounds great, thanks. Can I get you one?”

“Would you? Thanks. I’m getting used to these things, but carrying hot liquids in open containers gets tricky. When I’m alone I tend to use those commuter mugs with lids that seal. It makes me feel like my three-year old nephew with his sippy cup.”

I smiled, remembering how proud Owen was when his moms deemed him responsible enough to drink out of a cup without a lid.

“They make those travel mugs for adults for a reason, you know. Nothing to be embarrassed about,” I told him as I entered the small but well-appointed kitchen.

“The cups are in the upper cabinet to the right of the sink,” he told me when I glanced around, unsure how to proceed. I took out two mugs and set them on the table, pouring the coffee.

“How do you take yours?”

“Black is fine. Sugar’s in the bowl on the counter and there’s milk in the fridge.”

“Not necessary. Black is fine for me too.”

“Let’s go sit on the sofa. It’s more comfortable than these chairs.”

I followed him to the living room and used the coasters on the coffee table to set the mugs. We sat down and I waited for Demetri to set aside the crutches and reach for his coffee before I did the same.

“This is good coffee,” I commented.

“Thanks. Coming from a resident of Seattle, I’ll take that as a compliment. It’s not from Washington, though, or even from Greece. If you tell anyone, especially my mother, I may have to kill you, but it’s actually Lavazza from Italy.”

“Italian coffee? The horror!” I pretended to be shocked.

Demetri chuckled, appreciating my humor. “I know, I know, but in our family anything but Greek coffee is considered swill.”

“You rebel!”

“It’s the small rebellions that really count. I like Greek coffee if someone else makes it, but when I’m brewing my own this is fine. Besides, I go through enough trouble to wax this chest. I don’t need the Greek coffee to promote more growth.”

I liked that Demetri was naturally flirty, and his physique was exactly my type. If not for Jasper, I might have flirted back, but we were both happily in exclusive relationships so I took another swallow of the coffee.

“You’re probably wondering why I asked you to come up.”

I gave him a quick nod. “I can’t imagine Peter would approve.”

“What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him,” Demetri said, but there was an element of worry in his voice that told me he wasn’t entirely comfortable with keeping things from his husband.

“Is this meeting a secret, then? Because Jasper and I don’t have secrets from each other, not anymore, so it might be best if I left.”

“It’s not a secret. Not from Jasper, anyway, and I will probably tell Ros at some point as well, once he is reasonable again.”

“Jasper’s decision to leave last night had no impact on him, then?”

“I wouldn’t say that. It shook him up. He was – is -- very upset.”

“With me,” I completed the unspoken thought.

“He’s convinced you’re manipulating Jasper, turning him against us and all his other friends.”

“He doesn’t see how fucked up some of the things he said last night were?”

“He regrets some of what he said,” Demetri said, carefully preserving his husband’s confidences.

“So why am I here? If nothing’s changed, why are we talking?”

“Because as much as I love my husband and respect his opinion, I also love and respect Jasper and want him to be happy. I want to get to know you and make up my own mind.”

“Okay, that makes sense. I would like you to make up your own mind too. I’m an open book. Ask me anything.”

Demetri seemed to deliberately focus on his coffee so as not to look me in the eye.

“Ever since we were attacked, Ros is really sensitive to the issue of physical violence. Not that he wasn’t before, but-”

“I know he thinks I’ll hurt Jasper. He said as much last night. He’s wrong. I would never-”

“He says you used to beat up kids when you and Jasper were in school together. He says you tried to beat him up when he visited Jasper and that Jasper got hurt when he tried to stop you,” Demetri sounded more confident and lifted his eyes to meet mine as if challenging me to deny it.

“All of that is true.”

Demetri seemed surprised at my admission.

“Ros said when Jasper came out he moved out because he was afraid of you.”

“That may be true. I don’t know what was in his head at the time, but if he was afraid of me, it may not have been unreasonable.”

“Jasper left Seattle because he was afraid you’d abuse him.”

“I know. But there’s a difference between leaving because of a fear and leaving because of something that actually happened. I’m not saying that Jasper didn’t have good reasons to be afraid, but they weren’t based on my behavior at that time.”

Demetri was listening, but I could tell he wasn’t entirely convinced his husband was wrong.

“Here’s the whole truth. When I was a teen, I was a bully who got his way through intimidation, verbal and physical. I was a spoiled rich kid with a sick asshole bully of a father who would only accept me if I was just like him. For a while, I actually believed I was entitled to act the way I did.”

It was hard to go back to those days, even in my memories. Looking at myself through the lens of time, I saw what a poor excuse for a human being I had been. I’d gone through all this in therapy, which should have made it easier the second time around, but it didn’t. I drained my coffee in a couple of gulps and then stood and walked a few paces before I turned to Demetri and continued. 

“Back then, I only had one weakness, and that was Jasper. Not that I would have admitted it at the time, but losing him was always my biggest fear. I did what I could to control him because I thought that was the only way he’d stay with me. In the end, it’s what drove him away. And if Peter thinks what I did to Jasper when we were kids was abuse, well, he may be right. But it was never physical abuse. I’ve hurt others, yes, and I would probably have hurt Peter if Jasper hadn’t interfered, but I never deliberately hurt Jasper physically and I never would.”

“How can you be so sure? Ros says that violent urges like that never go away.”

“Which psychiatric program did you say he graduated from?” I snapped, then instantly regretted it, realizing I was proving Peter right by demonstrating my anger. Demetri flushed.

“You don’t have to be a professional to know people.”

I took a deep breath and went back to sit on the sofa.

“No, but it does help if you actually know the people you’re trying to judge. No matter what he thinks, Peter doesn’t know me any more than I know him.”

“True, which is why I’m not taking him at his word. But the question remains: do you still have those violent tendencies? Or an anger management problem?”

I took a deep breath, seriously considering how to answer.

“If Jasper or any of my family or friends were ever in danger, I’d have no problem defending them physically, if needed. Do I still get angry? Yes. Do I sometimes want to punch someone’s lights out if they’re being a total asshole? Yes. Have I done it? Not in the last few years. Whatever impulse is there, I don’t think I’m unique in having it and I’ve been able to control it. I will not hurt Jasper or anyone else I care about, ever.

“And I’ll go a step further, because I don’t think Peter is only worried about physical violence. I’ve been to counseling and I have a good handle on my temper. Sometimes I’m snippy, or short; sometimes I raise my voice; but that’s it. I’m sure over time Jasper and I will disagree, even fight, like any other couple, but I have no interest in controlling him and I will not abuse him verbally or emotionally, any more than I would physically. I can’t prove any of this, but you have my word. That’s the best I can do.”

Demetri watched me with a calculating expression.

“And you’re not here to talk him into moving to Seattle?”

Exasperated, I ran my hand through my hair.

“Were neither of you listening to him last night? Jasper had already decided to move to Seattle. I’m here so he doesn’t have to do that. I don’t want him to sacrifice the job he loves for me. I don’t want him to sacrifice anything for me.”

“Not his friends either?”

“I was here last night, wasn’t I? I would have lived here under your watchful eye if...Look, it would be nice if Jasper’s friends liked me as much as my friends like him, but I knew that wasn’t likely, at least with Peter, and maybe more of you, depending on what he told you. Frankly, I don’t care. I don’t need to be liked, just tolerated. Hell, I don’t even have to be there when you all get together. But Jasper might have a problem with that. You’d need to talk to him.”

“I wouldn’t put up with it if all my so-called friends excluded my man,” Demetri shook his head. “I might have lunch with them on occasion, individually, but if they all...We wouldn’t ask Jasper to do that.”

For a while, silence fell over the room as we were both lost in our thoughts.

“I think you heard last night, I met Ros and Jasper at the same time, on the same day. They were having lunch in my parents’ restaurant and I was their waiter. Ros’ ex was there too. It was the day they broke up.”

“And with the two of them sitting there, you decided to go after Peter? Sorry,” I said belatedly, realizing how my incredulity must have sounded. He merely laughed.

“Do you wish I’d gone after Jasper?” he teased, his eyes flirty again.

“Hell, no.”

“I didn’t think so, although we’re really not each other’s type. My point is, I’ve known them both exactly the same amount of time, and Jasper is a good friend. Hell, he helped me with Ros even before we were friends. I owe him for that.”

“He was probably doing it more for Peter.”

“Yeah, he was. Doesn’t change the fact that he did me a huge favor. Anyway, in all that time, I never once questioned their friendship. I just took it for what it was. I knew about their past and I thought that’s all it was. We’ve all fooled around with our friends when we were young. It didn’t mean anything.”

My situation was different, so I wasn’t about to contradict him.

“So, like I said, I never questioned their friendship, not until last night. After you left, I couldn’t help thinking about what you said. Do you really believe Peter has a thing for Jasper? Some sort of unrequited love?”

Finally, I understood why Demetri wanted to talk.

“I shouldn’t have said that. I have no idea, and it wasn’t a fair accusation. It wasn’t based on anything. If he’d really wanted Jasper, why would he have started dating you? I mean, back then they were both single. Jasper might not have been ready to date right away, but Peter could have waited. Did you ask him about it?”

“No. Last night wasn’t the right time.”

I slid closer to him and bumped his shoulder with mine. “I’m sorry I put that doubt in your head. That wasn’t what I intended. For what it’s worth, I watched the two of you last night and the way he looks at you is all love and concern. I can’t imagine he’d have room in his heart for anyone else, you know? And he sure didn’t look at Jasper that way. I would have noticed.”

Demetri turned his head towards me and gave me a small smile.

“I don’t know what you used to be like, but from what I’ve seen you’re either a good guy or a helluva good actor.”

“I’m definitely not an actor.”

“Too bad. This is the right city to be one.”

I laughed. “The one TV interview I did made me so uncomfortable, and all I had to do was be myself and answer questions. I could never pretend to be someone else for an audience.”

“That’s good to know, I guess.”

There was another prolonged moment of silence.

“I think Ros is being unreasonable, but he’s not listening to me. I’ll keep working on him. He would hate to lose his friendship with Jasper, only right now he isn’t thinking in those terms. He thinks he has to mount some sort of an intervention. He’s going to speak with Jasper’s dad and all our other friends.”

I gave a resigned sigh. I had worried something like that would happen.

“You can’t talk him out of it?”

“I’ll keep trying.”

“I’m not really worried about Jasper’s dad. Jasper is never going to lose him. The rest of his friends, though...”

“They’re my friends too. I may not be able to stop Peter from talking to them, but I can give them my side of the story, first.”

“Thanks, Demetri. Jasper and I would both appreciate that. Like I said, I don’t need anyone to like me, just give me a chance and tolerate me so that Jasper doesn’t feel like he has to stop seeing everyone. And not because I told him not to.”

“I knew what you meant. For what it’s worth, my friend Felix liked you when you two met. He said you seemed like a good guy, and now I can tell him the same. But know that if anything ever happened to Jasper, Felix would find you.” The threat hung in the air, but I wasn’t offended.

“I think you met our friend Emmett? He was Jasper’s friend first, and he was there to make sure I didn’t hurt Jasper back when I didn’t have all my shit sorted. If I ever harmed a hair on Jasper’s head, Felix would have to get in line behind Em.”

Demetri laughed. “Felix and I both liked Emmett. So you won’t try to talk Jasper out of seeing Ros again?”

“I’ll try to talk him into it, again. I already did some of that at the hotel last night. Right now, I’m not the one standing in the way.”

“Yeah, Ros dug himself a pretty impressive ditch last night. I’ll keep working on him. They’ve been friends for too long to let something like this get between them.”

“Wherever we are, our house will be open to him as far as I’m concerned. It’s Jasper he’ll have to convince.”

“I understand. I may have to work on them both.”

“I’ll help as much as I can, with Jasper anyway. I doubt I’d be much help with Peter.”

Demetri laughed again. “It’s so strange to hear you call him Peter. No one else does.”

“It’s how I know him. I doubt he’d want me calling him Ros.”

“Maybe someday?”

I shrugged. “I’ll leave that up to him.”

“I don’t want to keep you if you have somewhere to be, but if you have time maybe we can just talk? I do want to get to know you better.”

“I want to be back at the hotel when Jasper gets home from work.”

Demetri glanced at a clock.

“He’ll probably be another couple of hours.”

“Okay, what do you want to know?”

We spent a good hour and a half just talking, with virtually no references to Jasper or Peter. I imagined Demetri had been a good waiter, because he had a way of encouraging conversation and making people open up. He seemed genuinely interested, and he shared too, making sure the conversation didn’t feel like an interrogation. By the time I left I felt completely comfortable with him, and a little bit sorry that it might be a while before I saw him again.

“Give Jasper a hug from me and tell him I’ll do my best,” he told me in parting.

“I’ll do that, and thanks.”

“I enjoyed it. You have no idea how boring it is to just sit around the house all day. Oh, wait, you’re about to find out, aren’t you?”

“Fingers crossed, I’ll have a new house to furnish and decorate. That should keep me busy for a while.”

“Lucky! Oh well, I’d better get back to the housewives of whatever. Or maybe there’ll be something good on the food channel.”

I stepped into the elevator with a wave and a smile. Downstairs, Arthur had the doorman flag down a cab while he retrieved my boxes from the storage room and took them out to the curb. I stood watching him and the doorman load them into the trunk of the cab, giving them each a good tip before I got into the back seat and gave the driver the name of our hotel. When we got there, a bellhop quickly unloaded the boxes and took them up to the room. After tipping him and the cabbie before him, I realized I was rapidly running out of small bills. I could have asked for change at the front desk, but with everyone operating on credit cards I doubted they had much cash on hand, and I still had time to go to the bank before it closed for the weekend. I had just located the nearest branch of fifth/third, five blocks away on 55th street and 5th avenue, when Jasper texted.

*I’ll be leaving in a few minutes. Where are you?*

*At the hotel, but about to walk over to the bank at 55th st and 5th ave. that’s on the way to your work, right?*

*Just about midway in between*

*Let’s keep walking towards each other then. If I haven’t seen you by the time you reach the bank, I’ll probably be inside*

*sounds good. See you soon :**

*xoxo* 

I left the hotel wearing a huge grin and with extra energy that propelled me swiftly to the bank. There were only a few people waiting for one of the two tellers, and the line moved quickly, but still left me enough time to fill out my withdrawal slip, which I handed to the smiling teller when it was my turn along with my driver’s license.

“I need that in smaller bills as indicated on the slip, please,” I explained, knowing that my request was out of the norm.

“No problem, sir. Let me just look up your account,” the teller replied without batting an eye. Then she visibly stilled. “Just one second, Mr. Cullen,” she told me,” I’ll be right back.”

“Is there a problem? I know I have enough money in that account,” I asked before she could walk away. I was annoyed by the delay.

“No problem, sir. There is just a note in the file from your personal banker. I’ll be right back.”

I only had one personal banker, and I frowned, wondering what sort of note Garrett attached to my file. Perhaps he had put in some anti-fraud protection, but I had shown my ID to the teller so that shouldn’t have been an issue. I tapped my foot and watched as the teller spoke with a man who wore a crisp, well-tailored suit. They looked in my direction and then glanced down at the computer on the man’s desk. He then rose and they both returned, though she remained on the other side of the teller window while he walked to stand by me on the customer’s side.

“Mr. Cullen, my name’s Richard Gardner. I’m the manager of this branch. On behalf of Fifth/Third Bank I’d like to welcome you to New York,” he said, reaching out his hand. I automatically took it and shook it, though I was no less confused.

“Thanks, I guess. I’m just here to get some cash for the weekend. I need smaller bills for tips,” I explained, berating myself at the same time internally for babbling.

“Of course. Ramona is taking care of that as we speak, but I wanted to personally welcome you and let you know that if you need the bank’s assistance with anything in connection with your move, we would be happy to help.”

“Oh!” It finally dawned on me that Garrett must have flagged me as some sort of a VIP deserving this celebrity treatment. “Thank you, Mr. Gardner. I can’t think of anything at the moment other than the withdrawal.”

“If you do think of something, please don’t hesitate to contact me,” he reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a shiny case from which he extracted a business card. He handed the card to me with a smile. “I monitor my e-mail after hours and on the weekends, so please don’t hesitate to use it even if the bank is closed. We value your business and would be pleased to assist you if we can.”

“I appreciate that,” I said, slipping his card into my wallet along with my driver’s license. “I hope it won’t ever be necessary to contact you after hours.” I didn’t bother mentioning that I also had Garrett’s personal cell number if such a need ever arose.

“Certainly. Ramona, do you have Mr. Cullen’s withdrawal?”

“Yes I do. Let me just count it out.” She quickly and expertly counted through the stack of bills before placing them in a paper sleeve and pushing them to me across the counter along with the printed receipt.

“Thank you, Ramona,” I said. I put a few of the smaller bills in my wallet before stuffing it back in my jeans pocket. I placed the rest of the money in the inside zippered pocket of my jacket.

“Have a nice weekend, Mr. Cullen,” Ramona said with a bright smile.

“It’s a pleasure doing business with you,” Richard added.

“Thank you and the same to you both,” I replied, smiling back at Ramona and shaking Richard’s outstretched hand.

Unwilling to risk extending the delay, I walked outside before I pulled out my phone to check for new texts. I didn’t see a new one from Jasper so I quickly typed a message letting him know I just left the bank.

he replied instantly.

I turned and started to walk in the direction of Rockefeller Center, elated at the thought of seeing him in seconds. Sure enough, about halfway down the next block I saw him and sped up, meeting him in a few steps. The sidewalk was crammed with people, so we paused only briefly to hug before Jasper turned me and we started walking back toward the hotel.

“I still can’t believe you’re really here. I can’t believe I saw you this morning, at lunch, and now I get to spend the weekend with you. It’s amazing!” he raved. “Did you have a good day?”

“Fantastic day!”

“Really? What did you do?”

“Well, it started when I blew my boyfriend,” I teased. He threw his head back and laughed even as we kept walking.

“Lucky guy!”

“I’m the lucky one. Anyway, after that I had breakfast in central park and lunch with my boyfriend and his co-workers.”

“This boyfriend seems to be monopolizing your time.”

“More like I’m monopolizing his. He’s the only one who has to work, after all, while I’m just loafing around.”

“And did you spend the rest of the day loafing?”

“Not really,” I got serious. “I picked up the boxes and had a long talk with Demetri.”

“You did?” Jasper became serious too and slowed down, then apologized when our change in pace caused a woman behind us to run into us. “Tell you what. Hold that thought. There’s a place around the corner where I often stop to pick up dinner. Let’s go there and we can talk while they get the food ready, and we can eat back at the hotel. Sound good?”

“Sure, though I can’t say I’m hungry yet. I feel like all I’ve been doing today is eating.”

“Then we’ll just get an order of dumplings and if we get hungry later we can go to the hotel restaurant or order from room service.”

“Okay.”

The restaurant was indeed around the corner on 56th street. We walked in and the woman in the back smiled at Jasper with recognition.

“Your usual, Jasper?” she asked.

“Not today, Mrs. Wing. Just an order of the pork soup dumplings to go, please. My boyfriend just moved here today and he has to try them.”

“Oh, your boyfriend!” Mrs. Wing gave me an appraising look. “Nice boy! What’s your name?”

“Edward,” I told her, figuring she didn’t need the last name.

“You take good care of Jasper!” she admonished, wagging her finger at me.

“I intend to,” I told her with a smile.

“And come back here often,” she added before calling back our order into the kitchen.

Just like that, we were dismissed. Jasper didn’t seem to mind.

“So what happened with Dimi?”

I explained, condensing the story to the basics. “He seems as frustrated with Peter as you are, but I think he would like for the two of you to be friends again.”

Jasper grimaced. “I’m not even sure we were friends to begin with. More like he thought he was my guardian.”

“He was angry, mostly with me,” I tried to stay neutral. “We’ve all said a lot of things we didn’t mean in anger.”

He stepped closer and pressed himself against my chest. I immediately wrapped my arm around him to hold him close.

“I don’t like fighting with him. It feels wrong. But I’ll be damned if I’m going to let him keep coming at you like some rabid dog, even assuming he didn’t really mean what he said about me.”

“Give it some time and let Demetri work on him before you try to reconnect,” I advised. He jerked his head up to look at me. His eyes were almost steely gray instead of his usual vibrant blue and filled with cold determination

“I’m not gonna try to reconnect. That’s all up to him. And when he contacts me, the first thing out of his mouth had better be an apology.”

I pressed my cheek to his and didn’t bother offering more advice. He needed to handle his friend the best way he saw fit.

“One order of pork soup dumplings to go,” Mrs. Wing called out.

I reached for my wallet but Jasper stopped me with a, “Don’t you dare!” He paid the bill and took the bag with our order. “I’ll see you next week, Mrs. Wing, if not sooner,” he told her as he was pulling me out of the restaurant.

We walked down the long block on 56th street and then took a right on Avenue of the Americas back toward Central Park and our hotel.

“You walked down Fifth a couple of times today already,” Jasper explained. “I thought you might like a change of scenery.”

“It’s fun getting to know the neighborhood a little,” I agreed. “Where is the bar we went to last time in relation to here?”

“It’s on Fifty-Second street between Eighth and Ninth Avenues,” Jasper said, pointing behind. “Except for Broadway, which angles a bit between Seventh and Eighth, Midtown is pretty much a grid, so it’s easy to figure out.”

“It does feel pretty easy. I wouldn’t say I feel like a native, but even after just a day on my own things are starting to feel familiar.”

Jasper gave me a big grin. “You’ll be a native in no time. The city grows on you pretty quickly.”

It only took us a few minutes a few minutes to reach 59th street and round the corner to our hotel. A quick walk through the lobby and elevator ride later and we were behind the closed doors of our room. Jasper set the food bag on the dresser and reached for me, virtually tossing me onto the bed. My breath arrested in surprise, then quickened when he climbed on top of me and lowered his lips to mine. His kiss was hard and demanding, his tongue invading my mouth and quickly establishing dominance. I responded, but made sure he kept the lead. The way he sometimes took control in bed never failed to turn me on.

“Do you know what I’ve been thinking about all day?” he asked when our lips finally parted and we were both panting heavily.

“Tell me.”

“I’ve been thinking about coming back here, stripping us both naked and riding you so hard neither of us could think. I’ve been thinking about your hard, hot cock throbbing inside me, your body bucking underneath me. And then you flipping me over and pounding me into the mattress, fucking me into oblivion.” His voice was low and husky, with just a hint of a rasp. If I hadn’t been rock hard already after all the kissing, I would have gotten there in no time flat with the images he implanted in my mind.

“Those are some distracting thoughts. How did you get any work done?”

“I have no idea. I probably didn’t. It was a good thing I was alone in the editing booth, because I was hard all day.”

“God, Jas, that’s so hot! I love when you’re like this.”

“It’s not too much?”

“Fuck, no. Feel how much I love it.” I pushed my hips up to press my erection against his. “Your wish is my command. I’m here to make all your fantasies come true.”

“Well, then,” he sat up astride me and reached down to pull off my shirt. I helped him as much as I could and then did the same with his. I ran my hands over his chest, tweaking his pebbled nipples to make him gasp.

“Two can play this game!” he mock-threatened and did the same to me as I worked to unbutton and unzip his pants. Once all the fasteners were undone I yanked his pants and underwear down. Released from its confines, his erect cock pointed directly at me - a tempting, delicious morsel with a bead of precum just forming at the tip.

I licked my lips and Jasper gave a wicked laugh. “You had some earlier. It’s my turn now.”

He slid down the bed, his ass hovering above my knees as he deftly unbuttoned and unzipped my jeans. Then he slipped off the bed completely and quickly removed both our shoes, socks and pants. He retrieved the condoms and lube from his bag and tossed them on the bed next to me, before turning and heading for the bathroom. He returned with a fresh towel which he tossed to me as well.

“Might as well get all the practicalities out of the way now, so we have no more interruptions,” he commented with a shrug. While I had been stroking myself to maintain my erection, I was sorry to see his was down to half-mast. I shifted on the bed and spread out the towel before laying on top of it.

“Looks like you need a little attention,” I said suggestively and licked my lips again. He smiled with amusement and grabbed his cock, giving himself a few slow strokes. It was enough to bring him back to full hardness.

“Don’t be greedy. I told you, it’s my turn to feast.”

He leaned over, resting his hands on the bed, and dipped his head to give my cock a long, slow lick from root to sensitive tip. He paused at the tip and moved the tip of his tongue back and forth along the sensitive ridge of my frenulum. Even without any other direct contact, my cock jerked in response.

“Somebody likes that,” Jasper said softly, looking up at me through blond curls that had fallen forward to partially obscure his face.

“Somebody loves that,” I corrected. I reached for a pillow and lifted up onto one elbow so I could place the pillow behind me for a better viewing angle. “Somebody would love some more of that.”

“More of this?” he teased and gave me another long, slow lick, punctuated by the flicking tongue tip at my most sensitive spot.

“Mmm,” I moaned my approval.

“Yes, I think more can be arranged.”

He licked me again, this time starting at my balls, causing me to gasp. More licks followed, each one slow and sensuous, more than sufficient to keep me aroused, but not nearly enough to send me over the edge. It seemed Jasper was determined to drive me insane with this erotic torture, but I sure as hell wasn’t going to object. Instead, I closed my eyes to enjoy his languid ministrations.

Jasper took his time. After a few minutes I felt the bed shift as he crawled on top of it, his legs on the outside of mine. He settled in a frog-like position over me and continued to bathe my cock and balls with his tongue. The slow pace was maddening and I started to squirm beneath him, longing for more friction. He chuckled and continued licking a while longer, but then he took mercy on me and enveloped my aching cock in the warm confines of his mouth. The act was surprising enough to make me open my eyes and the sight of him going down on me only turned me on more.

I felt his throat relax and pull my cock into its depths. I bucked up eagerly, encountering no resistance. His tongue moved to massage the thick ridge on the underside of my cock that surrounded my urethra, almost as if he was trying to coax out my cum. He pushed my hips down with his hands, but followed with his head, keeping the entire length of my cock trapped inside his mouth and his nose pressed into my trimmed pubes. He swallowed around me, and the contractions of his throat along with his constantly shifting tongue were almost enough to make me blow.

Sensing my building tension, Jasper pulled off and took a deep breath. “I love having your rod down my throat,” he said softly, his voice slightly gravelly. “Such a fucking perfect fit!”

Before I could reply he swallowed me down again, and I swallowed my breath. More throat constrictions and tongue massage followed, and he also began gently fondling my rapidly constricting nuts. With his hand occupied, he couldn’t keep me pinned down and I couldn’t keep myself still, my hips lifting off the bed in a natural instinct to thrust. He pulled up until only the top third of my cock was in his mouth and placed his hand around the root, then began to bob his head and jerk me. If I thought I was close to orgasm before, it was nothing compared to the sensation when he started to suck. My balls crowded to the base of my dick and it really felt like he was going to siphon the cum right out of me.

“Jas, so close!” I warned and instantly the suction stopped. Jasper released his hold and let me fall out of his mouth with a pop, though he continued to move his tongue against my frenulum.

“I want to drink you cum, but I want you to fuck me more.”

“Whatever you want,” I told him as I writhed beneath him, his tongue driving me crazy and keeping me right on the edge.

“I told you what I’ve been thinking about all day, remember?”

“Yeah,” I gasped.

“Tell me,” he demanded.

I forced myself to gather my thoughts.

“You wanted to ride me, and then you wanted me to fuck you.”

“Not just fuck me,” he chided. “There was more.”

He flicked his tongue against my frenulum mercilessly, pausing only to sweep his tongue over my slit to lick up my precum.

“Fuck!” I cried and bucked up.

“How?” he was merciless.

“You wanted me to pound you, to fuck you into oblivion,” I said desperately as he ran his tongue lazily over my cock head.

“Exactly!” he spoke triumphantly and lifted his head. “Will you do that for me?” Will you make my fantasy come true?” he challenged.

“Too fucking right, I will,” I responded confidently.

He rose to his hands and knees and crawled over me like a cat, dipping his head to kiss me hungrily before he lifted it again.

“But first you’ll prepare me?” It was phrased as a question, but neither of us had any doubts as to the answer.

“It will be my pleasure. Turn around!” I commanded. He shifted eagerly so that his ass was in my face and lowered his mouth to my cock again. This time he didn’t suck, but even being merely enveloped in the wet heat was enough to remind me how much I needed to come. I forced myself to concentrate on him, using my hands to spread his cheeks to see the puckered skin of his entrance. I circled it with a dry fingertip, barely caressing the sensitive skin and watching his muscles constrict in anticipation. Suddenly, I wanted to be in there so fucking bad! I pulled him toward me even as I pressed my face forward and with no other preliminaries used my tongue to breach him.

“Ah!” he gasped and released my cock. “That’s it! More!”

I wasn’t nearly as patient as he had been. Like a man starving I attacked his waiting hole with my lips and tongue, slurping, sucking and licking, coating the outside and inside of his entrance with copious saliva. Jasper moaned and pressed his butt back, impaling himself on my tongue while I used my hands to spread his cheeks as much as I could to get as deep as I could go.

With my tongue still in motion, I reached for the lube and flipped open the cap. I made sure the bottle was on top of the towel and then let the thick liquid drip onto my fingers, not really caring if any dripped further down. When my fingers were suitably slick, I pulled my tongue out of his ass and replaced them first with my index finger, and soon after with the index and middle fingers.  I pumped them in and out of his opening, taking care to find and massage his prostate as he groaned softly and rocked himself on my hand.

“That’s it. That’s good. I’m ready,” He declared a few moments later. He pulled forward and moved to turn around again while I reached for the condom. He looked at it with distaste while I ripped open the packet.

“Soon,” I promised him, knowing it wouldn’t be soon enough, but that the additional wait, however annoying, was worth the peace of mind.

“Let me put it on,” he requested. I handed him the open packet and he extracted the condom. He rolled it onto me swiftly, pushing down the air bubble from the tip. He reached for the lube and poured some into his hand, warming it as he closed the cap with the other and tossed the bottle aside. He then applied the warmed lube to my cock with both hands, his grip tight and arousing.

“I think we’re both ready for this,” he commented with a smirk as he pumped his fist over my rigid pole.

“Hop on, cowboy,” I encouraged. “Your bucking bronco is ready and waiting.” I bucked my hips to illustrate.

“Aren’t you feisty and eager?” Jasper chuckled, his voice laced as much with lust as with mirth. “I like this challenge.”

He positioned himself above my cock and used his hand to guide me to his opening. He closed his eyes, rolled his head back and exhaled with deep satisfaction as he lowered his body until about a third of my length was inside him. He placed his hands across my ribs for balance and worked his body up and down, taking inch after inch until he was sitting across my thighs, his balls resting on my lower belly and his hard cock leaking precum onto my abdomen.

“Goddamn!” he exclaimed, rolling his head forward and opening his eyes to stare into mine. He moved his hands to my shoulders and leaned down to kiss me, lifting himself partially off my cock in the process.

I bent my knees, planted my feet on the mattress and shifted my hips up to thrust back into him. In this position I couldn’t  sink in to the hilt, but his satisfied groan was enough of a payoff. With his hands still gripping my shoulders, he pushed himself back into a sitting position and began moving up and down again, occasionally rotating his hips in a way that tore groans from us both. Gradually, his pace increased and he dug his nails into my skin.  I tried to reach for his cock but he shook his head.

“If you touch me, I’ll come, and it’s too soon.”

I knew exactly how he felt. After all his earlier teasing, it was a miracle I hadn’t come yet.

“Just close your eyes and let me...” his voice trailed off and my eyelids slid closed. I could feel him, moving faster, riding me harder, like a man on a mission, but it wasn’t a smooth ride - more like fits and starts. I followed his lead as best as I could, trying to match his ever changing rhythm. My head wasn’t clear enough for logical thinking, so it took me a while to figure out that he was deliberately erratic in an attempt to keep us both on edge without pushing us over. Once I understood the method, it was easier to accepts the shifts in tempo, though it did nothing to ease the frustration. It seemed like I’d been hard forever and all I wanted was a few seconds of smooth fucking so we could both come.

“Time to switch,” Jasper dictated, apparently feeling the same way. He lifted off me and waited for me to roll over before he lay down on the bed, pulling a pillow beneath his stomach. He turned his head to look at me. “Fuck me, Tiger! Fuck me right into oblivion.”

I scrambled up and lay over him, my legs resting between his widespread ones. I ran my tongue along his spine as I penetrated him with one smooth thrust. I tried supporting my weight on my elbows, but he objected.

“I want you on top of me. All of you over all of me.”

I groaned as I sank down on top of him and reached up with my hands to entwine our fingers. For a long minute we stayed like that, my length fully sheathed inside him, unmoving.

“I love you so much, Jas,” I told him. “Let me know if I get too heavy.”

“You won’t if you start moving. I meant what I said. I want you to fuck me through the damn mattress, all the way to fucking China!”

“You want to get fucked?” I growled as pumped my hips, pulling out and thrusting deep. “You want to get fucked hard?”

“Yeah, harder”!

“Harder?” I asked after another deep hard thrust.

“Harder, faster, deeper...Gimme all you got!”

“Fuck!” I never had been one to resist a challenge, especially when issued by the man I loved to do something to bring us both pleasure. I released his hands and brought my arms beneath his armpits, twisting them so they faced upwards and I could firmly grasp his shoulders for additional leverage. His approving moan only spurred me on, and I began to pound him, hard and deep, just like he wanted. He muttered nearly unintelligible words of encouragement as I pinned him with my weight and fucked him faster and faster. The animalistic sex wiped thoughts of everything else from my mind. I bucked and pistoned until the only recognizable idea was the need for release. My body on autopilot, my cock repeatedly withdrew and plunged into the welcoming clinging channel until my whole body shook with exertion. Then I felt the tell-tale repeated contractions around my cock and Jasper’s body shuddering beneath mine, and I thrust even harder, knowing my own release was imminent.

“Edward. Edward!” Jasper’s voice was quiet but urgent enough to penetrate my lust-induced haze. I was instantly alert and stopped moving.

“What is it? Am I hurting you?”

“No. I just want- I want to feel you. I want you to come on me.”

He panted, still short of breath. He turned his head and in his eyes I read his desire. I immediately pushed myself back until I was on my knees behind him, his perfect ass and back spread out like a blank canvas before me. I ripped off the condom, tossing it carelessly aside. I grabbed my cock and began to stroke. I was so close it only took seconds for my pent up tension to uncoil and release with a velocity that almost stole my breath. I cried out as my cum shot out in burst after burst, painting Jasper’s body in milky white streaks. In my frenzy, I kept pumping even after I was completely spent, until my mind caught up with the reality of total release and I fell forward, catching my weight at the last minute to keep from crushing Jasper beneath me. I collapsed into stillness that was silent except for our heavy, satisfied breathing. I hovered on the brink of consciousness, sleepy exhaustion trying to pull me under. It was only when Jasper shifted beneath me that my eyes flew open and I rolled to the side, wide awake once more.

He turned his body to face me and placed his hand against my cheek.

“You’re an amazing lover.” He declared it so decisively, I had to smile.

“It takes two, Jas. We’re amazing together. You were in the driver’s seat today.”

“I know,” he sounded dismayed and raised his hand to shield his eyes. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what got into me.”

Concerned, I reached for his hand and moved it out of the way so we could see each other.

“Why are you sorry? Didn’t we both just say how amazing that was?”

“I know, it was amazing, but you’re my top. You’re supposed to be in charge. I don’t want you to think that I misrepresented myself or I’m trying to change things now that you’re here.”

“Jas,” I said gently, kissing him before pulling back to speak. “I don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about.”

“Yesterday I ravaged you in the limo and now this...” he closed his eyes. “I’m not always like this.”

“Like I already told you, I love it when you’re like this.”

“But I love it when you’re like that too. I do,” he insisted.

“Okay, so we’ll take turns. It’s all good.” I shrugged. I’d hoped that was the end of the discussion, but I could tell he wasn’t satisfied. He flipped over and curled up, pressing back against me until we were spooning and I could feel my drying cum between us.

“What’s really bothering you?” I asked quietly.

“I’m not sure. Yesterday in the limo, I wanted to welcome you to New York like that. But today? I don’t know what got into me. I wonder if the things Ros said last night didn’t make me want to prove something, and I don’t even know what and to whom.”

“I think you proved that you have some awesome fantasies,” I said lightly, hoping to make him smile.

“Yes, but were those really my fantasies or am I letting Ros screw with my head?”

“Unless you were thinking about him while we were making love, he wasn’t in this bed today. It was just you and me, doing what made us feel good.”

“So if I start being as bossy as Seth, that’s okay?”

“Sure. I’ve never once heard Garrett complain about their sex life.”

“But you’re not Garrett. You’re not looking for that.”

I hated that he was feeling so insecure and I could have throttled Peter for any part he had in making him feel that way. I wanted to make Jasper feel better, but it was difficult when I couldn’t even see his face.

 “Jas, would you turn around?”

I felt his body tense.

“I just think this conversation would be better face to face.”

Reluctantly, he peeled his body away from mine and flipped over to face me.

“Does Garrett strike you as someone who needs to be dominated in the bedroom?”

Jasper shrugged. “No, but I don’t know him that well. I know that Seth likes to take charge, though, and Garrett clearly loves Seth, so...”

“That’s the key! Garrett loves Seth. He and I haven’t exactly discussed this, but I get the distinct impression that before Seth he was more of a traditional top. But he realizes that Seth needs to have the control, so he willingly takes the back seat. Nothing gets him off more than making Seth happy. And it’s the same for me with you.”

“So me taking control gets you off? What if I suddenly wanted to top, all the time?” Jasper challenged.

An unpleasant recollection pushed itself to the front of my mind. Once upon a time a man I loved wanted to switch, and my refusal broke his heart. Looking back, I was so ashamed, knowing I should have reacted differently. But if I had, Cliff and I might have still been together, and that would have made things worse when Jasper returned. Maybe it was fate? Regardless, the answer to Jasper’s question was simple.

“If that made you happy, it would make me happy. I don’t know how to make this any clearer. It’s not that I love you as long as you’re a bottom. I love you. Period. End of story.”

“But good sex is important,” Jasper insisted.

“Based on our track record, we have nothing to worry about. If things change and one of us is unhappy, we’ll just have to get creative, but why waste time and energy on that now? If you want me to be a toppy top, I will be. If you want to take charge and top from the bottom, that’s fine. If you want to top, we’ll try that too. Hell, you know I want to try it. It’ll be something first for us both. And whether we love it or hate it, we’ll always have other options.”

“You really don’t mind me being so bossy?” he confirmed.

“I think there’s plenty of evidence on your back and now my chest to show how much I don’t mind it.”

He laugh-snorted and reached to trace a drying trail on my chest, his fingers getting caught up in hairs that stuck together. “I’m sorry. We should clean that off.”

“We will, as soon as I know this,” I raised my hand and circled the area around us with my index finger, “is all resolved.”

“It’s resolved. I love you,” he shifted closer to me and snuggled into my sticky chest.

“I love you too. Even when you’re being a drama queen.” I told him and kissed the corner of his eye.

“A bottom’s prerogative,” he said and giggled softly.

“Indeed!”

“Are you hungry?” he asked a few moments later. “We still have the dumplings, although they’re probably cold by now.”

“You know, I finally am hungry, and I don’t care if the dumplings are cold.”

I extricated myself and retrieved the take out bag from the dresser, bringing it back to bed. We opened the carton of dumplings and the container of soy sauce and fed each other the still lukewarm delicacies.

“You’re right, these are really good. You get food at this place often?”

“Couple of times a week. It’s on the way home and tasty. They have a couple of other locations where food is supposed to be even better, but obviously they’re not nearly as convenient.”

“I like this just fine, no other locations necessary. We should go back this weekend to try something else.”

“We can, or we can go to one of the hundreds of other restaurants. Manhattan is our oyster!”

“You’re my oyster!” I teased, setting the empty food container aside and launching myself to tackle him until he lay beneath me. “I love being here with you, Jas. I know it’s only been a day, but it feels so right.”

“I’m glad,” he said, reaching up and running his fingers through my hair. “I was worried.”

I caught his hand with mine and kissed his palm. “Now you know there’s no need.”

We stayed in bed a little longer, but eventually we showered and dressed. Still hungry, we decided to go back to the same restaurant and had some fried rice and pan fried noodles. When we were done and paying the bill, Jasper got a text from Felix.

“Felix, Anton, Francis and Cam will be at Industry tonight. Wanna go?”

I was torn. On the one hand, it would be good to spend time with Jasper’s friends to counter any poison Peter might be spreading. On the other hand, Jasper hardly got any sleep the night before and we were meeting Barney for breakfast the next day.

“I’m game if you are,” I said, leaving the decision to him. He considered it for a moment.

“I don’t feel like it tonight. I’ll ask if they want to meet at our hotel bar for a drink before they go out. It’ll be calmer and then we can go right upstairs,” he explained as his fingers flew over the virtual keyboard.

“That sounds perfect.”

A few seconds later his phone pinged with a reply text.

“They’re in. They’ll text us when they’re on their way, but it won’t be for a couple of hours. What do you want to do in the meantime?”

I signed the credit card slip and rose. “This is your town. You decide.”

“We could go back to the hotel and unpack those boxes, or...” he got a mischievous glint in his eye.

“Or?” I asked carefully.

“Why bother unpacking if you’ll just have to pack them up again soon. Let’s go shopping instead.”

He damn well knew I normally hated shopping, but my cold-weather wardrobe was deficient and I remembered what Seth said about living in a stylish city with my stylish boyfriend.

“Sounds good.”

Jasper lifted his brow. “You’re not gonna protest? Or even wince a little? Who are you and what have you done with my Edward?”

I chuckled. “It’s a new city and I’m turning over a new leaf.”

“Huh,” Jasper pondered for a moment and then broke out into a triumphant smile. “Seth gave you the business?” he guessed.

“It wouldn’t have been enough if I didn’t like shopping with you so much.”

“There is that. How fortunate that, unlike straight couples, we can use the same fitting rooms,” he leered.

“Indeed,” I agreed.

In the end, we hit a lot of stores and were actually too busy making selections to fool around much in the fitting rooms. We went back to the hotel loaded down with bags. I had a new quilted combat jacket as well as a few shirts, sweaters, jeans and a sport coat. Jasper claimed not to need anything, but I insisted that we buy him a shirt and sweater that he tried on as an excuse to join me in the fitting room. The sweater was especially perfect for his coloring, bringing out the blue of his eyes in a way that made me not want to leave the fitting room. Only the text from Felix letting us know he and Anton were on their way kept us from getting indecent in a much too public place.

Back at the hotel, Jasper stayed in the bar while I went to drop off the bags. His friends were all there with drinks in hand by the time I came back down and Jasper had a beer for me. Whether despite it being Friday evening or because of it, the bar wasn’t too crowded and so we didn’t have to vie for seating at a banquette with two two-top tables pulled together.

“Edward, you remember the guys-” Jasper started to introduce everyone again just in case, but I jumped in to let everyone know it wasn’t necessary.

“Of course I do. Hey Felix, Anton, Francis,” I extended a hand to each man and all of them shook it without hesitation. “And Cam,” I looked at him with a smile and was happy to see him smile back and shake my hand.

“Hi, Edward,” Cam said softly and lowered his eyes, stepping closer to Francis.

“Welcome to New York, Edward,” Felix said, trying to keep his deep voice down. He and Anton took the padded bench seat while the rest of us grabbed chairs and clustered around the two joined tables. “Jasper tells us you had a full first day.”

“I managed to fill my time.”

“Dimi called to tell me what happened, and I filled the other guys in,” Felix said, looking at me steadily.

“I hope he told you Ros was a complete dick,” Jasper said through his teeth.

“In a nutshell, though not in those exact words,” Felix winked, trying to keep it light. “Ros has been under a lot of stress.”

Jasper rolled his eyes. “How long has that song been playing?”

“No one’s gonna listen to him if Dimi says not to,” Felix assured.

“Even if Dimi didn’t say,” Francis added. “Some of us prefer to measure a man on his own merits, without any help.”

“Thanks, man,” I told him.

“Cam told me to say that,” he joked, slinging an arm around his shy boyfriend. Cam grinned and looked at Francis from the corners of his eyes.

“I said it. I didn’t tell you to repeat it.”

“Edward needed to hear it.”

“They’re right,” Anton chimed in. “All due respect to Ros, but I trust my instincts and you didn’t give me any bad vibes. You handled yourself okay even when Lance made a scene last time.”

Felix nodded silently.

“You sure you don’t want to come out with us tonight?” Cam asked and from the surprised looks he got from all the other men, I gathered he didn’t speak up like that often. Francis looked pleased.

“I’m beat, Cam,” Jasper replied. “Last night was tough, and then I had a full day at work and we have a breakfast meeting with a realtor tomorrow. Give us this weekend to acclimate and then we’ll be happy to go out with you guys. Edward’s not on a timeline anymore.” He said the last with a smile in my direction.

“That sounds good, you guys,” Felix said. “Or we can all hang at our place.” He pressed his shoulder against Anton’s as he spoke and his boyfriend nodded.

“So is anyone else going to be there tonight?” Jasper asked.

The conversation continued for another round of drinks, and then, as if in response to some unspoken signal, the other men decided it was time for them to go. Instead of handshakes, we all hugged goodbye and I felt content. Although these guys were still more Jasper’s friends than mine, it felt like I wasn’t completely on the outside anymore.