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“It’s a three thousand dollar elliptical machine! We can’t lose this sale. I don’t need to remind you how shaky the store’s sales numbers have been lately,” Mack, the district manager, snarled.
Jeremy rubbed his forehead and resisted the urge to shake his boss. It had been sheer dumb luck that the district manager had even been in the store today when they had a crisis. In theory, it should have made the problem easier to deal with, but Mack just seemed to be making the situation worse. “Believe me, I know. But I don’t know how we can make this customer happy. He said he checked online, and the site said this store had that elliptical in stock. And he’s pissed now that he’s here, and it doesn’t seem to exist. I don’t know what the hell happened, but none of the usual suggestions are calming him down.”
“Tell him we’ll ship it to him free of charge.”
“I told him that, but he said he expects to get it today. I can’t just tell the guy we’re sorry and that he has to drive to Macon to pick it up. I checked the inventory, and it’s there, but he isn’t willing to take my word for it that it shows up in the inventory. Considering what happened with the online inventory, I can’t say I blame him.”
“Then call to verify that the store has it!”
“I did,” Jeremy explained for the second time. “He’s not satisfied with calling to verify. What I want to know is what other options we have.”
Mack muttered something unintelligible under his breath then scowled at Jeremy. “And you said he’s looking to buy more equipment?”
Jeremy shrugged. “That’s what he claimed. Could have been bullshit just to make himself sound more important, but he said he was outfitting a home gym. He told me if he liked the elliptical, he would buy several for the fitness center at his company as well. He also said if we don’t fix this, he’ll take his business elsewhere.”
“Damn it, if there’s even a chance of that, we need to do whatever it takes to make him happy.”
“I know,” Jeremy said, trying to rein in his temper. “But what else can we do? He isn’t willing to take any of the suggestions I make.”
“Someone’s just going to have to drive to Macon and pick the elliptical up. Today.”
“Who the hell do we have to do that?” Jeremy said. “We’re short-staffed! We should have more floor staff as it is. We need to have more registers open during peak hours. We can’t afford to lose one for part of the day.”
Mack gave him a pointed look. “How about someone on the management team?”
“Like who?” Jeremy asked, growing increasingly frustrated. Management was short-staffed as well. Half the time he felt like he was scrambling to keep up with everything, and corporate was slow to approve hiring.
Mack crossed his arms over his chest. “Why the hell can’t you do it, Jeremy?”
“Because I don’t fucking drive,” Jeremy snapped. “You knew that when you hired me. I haven’t driven in fifteen years. I don’t even have a driver’s license.”
“It would be nice if you could pull your weight around here,” Mack snarled. “I think we’ve been more than accommodating about your special needs, but this is ridiculous. You no call no show on me, you can’t be on your feet as much as the other managers, and now this. I’m going to have to rearrange my whole day just to drive to Macon since there’s no one else to do it!”
Jeremy gritted his teeth together so hard he was afraid they’d crack. He forced himself to take a couple of slow, deep breaths before he responded. “I am sorry my disability prevents me from helping out with this particular customer, but you know I work as hard as I possibly can.”
“Just go out there and kiss this guy’s ass until he’s happy. Tell him I’m already on my way to Macon. Email me the details of his order, and I’ll get the damn elliptical back to Atlanta as fast as I can.”
Mack stalked out of the back office, and the exit door at the end of the hall closed with a heavy thud. Jeremy sighed, plastered a smile on his face, and went out to do as he was told.
***
Jeremy had a migraine by the time he left work that evening. Meds had taken the edge off, but the dull throbbing wasn’t much better. The only thing that had allowed him to put one foot in front of the other was the knowledge that Evan would be waiting for him when he got home. They’d been spending more and more time together, and Jeremy had given Evan a key to his apartment a few days before. He did it so Evan could come and go as he’d wanted and didn’t have to wait for Jeremy to get home from work to let him in. Plus, Jeremy liked the thought of coming home to something other than an empty apartment. It hadn’t seemed like a huge deal to Jeremy to offer the key, but the way Evan’s face had lit up when Jeremy gave it to him made him realize it was a huge deal to him.
As he took a seat on the bus, he slipped his phone out of his pocket and checked to see if he had any messages. He’d been too busy to check earlier.
The bus rumbled forward as Jeremy saw a couple texts from Evan. The first had been sent a few hours ago. Apparently, Evan’s day hadn’t been much better than his had been, but he smiled at the thought of Evan asleep in his bed.
At your place. Really rough funeral today. I think I might take a nap before you get home.
The next one was from half an hour ago.
I can go out if you aren’t up to it, but I’m making tacos, and you’re out of sour cream. Can you stop by the store on the way home?
After a day like this, the last thing he wanted was to go to a grocery store. Especially since he wasn’t sure Evan understood how much extra time and effort it took when he had to haul the bags home on the bus. It was so much easier for Evan just to run out with his car. But Evan had been cooking for him a lot lately, and Jeremy appreciated the change from pre-packaged dinners. Jeremy couldn’t think of the last time he’d eaten so well, and if that meant a few more trips to the grocery store, so be it. Besides, tacos were one of Jeremy’s favorite dinners.
Sorry your day was crappy. Sure, I can grab that, he replied.
Evan’s reply made him smile. Oh, and ice cream. Ice cream would be great after a day like today.
He typed out a reply and glanced up to see where on the bus route he was. Okay, so the sour cream was just an excuse to ask me to buy you ice cream. I see how it is.
You saw right through me.
Home soon. Be waiting in bed when I get there?
No, I need to make dinner.
Naked in the kitchen is fine then.
Jeremy!
Evan! He smiled to himself again and tugged on the cord to signal the bus driver to stop. There was a Publix on the way home at least. Going now. Love you.
Love you too.
My twenty-one-year-old self would have laughed hysterically at how sappy I’ve gotten over the years, Jeremy thought as he hauled himself upright and threaded his way through the crowd to get off the bus. Ehh, worth it, he decided. A guy like Evan was totally worth getting sappy about.
Unfortunately, even the thought of Evan naked in his bed or cooking him dinner naked didn’t dispel the lingering headache. He fought his way through the after-work crowds to pick up sour cream and two tubs of ice cream: butter pecan for himself and rocky road for Evan. He grew progressively more short-tempered as he waited in line to check out, the ice cream melting and his patience wearing thin.
He managed a smile when he opened his front door to find Evan standing at the stove in boxers however. He whistled, and Evan whirled around, a flush covering his cheeks and chest. Jeremy closed the door behind him and kicked off his shoes.
“Hey, good timing. I just finished dinner.” Evan clicked off the stove and hurried forward to take the grocery bag from him. Jeremy followed him into the kitchen. “Thanks for stopping at the store.”
“It’s the least I can do if you’re making tacos for me.” He leaned against the counter, salivating at the scents coming from the pan on the stove.
“I know they’re your favorite.” Evan took the sour cream out of the bag.
“They are.” Jeremy looked him over. “I like the outfit by the way. It’s not naked, but I’ll take it. Pretty nice sight to come home to.”
The flush on Evan’s chest that had begun to fade, deepened again. “I thought about it, but I was afraid of burning things.”
Jeremy chuckled. “There are some rather important bits I don’t want you to burn either.” He reached out, pulling Evan toward him. “I feel a little overdressed though,” he muttered against Evan’s lips before kissing him.
Evan returned the kiss before pulling back to smile at him. “We can fix that.”
Despite the frustration of the day and his growling stomach, he didn’t argue. All thoughts of dinner forgotten, he followed Evan into the bedroom. Evan’s boxers disappeared in a flash, but Jeremy’s polo and khakis took longer.
The lube was on the bed, and Evan was hard by the time Jeremy lay down beside him. “Eager?”
Evan shrugged, his expression almost sheepish. “I’ve been thinking about it since you sent me the message earlier.”
“Good to know. Maybe I’ll have to send you dirty text messages when you least expect it.”
“I better stop checking my phone at work then,” Evan said, but the brightness in his eyes made Jeremy think he liked the idea a little more than he let on. “I have a horrible mental image of walking around the funeral home with a hard on.”
Jeremy laughed aloud.
Evan smiled at him and pushed gently at his chest. “Lie on your back. I’ll do the work.”
“Oh, really?”
“I mean, I’ll, uh, ride you.”
Jeremy felt a pang of disappointment that Evan didn’t mean topping, but he wasn’t going to push. Evan would get there eventually. “Sure, that’s good too.”
Evan shimmied onto his stomach, and Jeremy’s disappointment was quickly swept away by the feel of Evan’s mouth on his cock. Jeremy’s eyes closed involuntarily, his hand moving to cradle the back of Evan’s head. He’d been half-hard, but the feel of a warm, eager, wet mouth quickly got him all the way there. When Evan pulled back, the cool air on the tip of his dick made him shudder, but he watched with interest as Evan knelt and prepped himself.
“I could watch you do that all day,” Jeremy said as Evan pushed two fingers inside himself.
Evan gave him a fleeting, embarrassed smile. “I’d rather you fuck me.”
“Fine, fine, if you insist.” His words became a moan as Evan wrapped a slick hand around him. Moments later, Evan was straddling him, pushing down over his dick, taking him inside with practiced ease. As much as he loved the shy, inexperienced virgin he’d begun dating a month ago, he was enjoying the confident side of Evan that was beginning to emerge. Jeremy smiled up at Evan as he bottomed out, reaching out to grasp his hips.
They froze like that for a moment, staring at each other, hazel eyes looking into blue. Then Evan shifted, tightening around Jeremy, and they began to move. Jeremy used his arms to coax Evan’s movements into a faster, harder rhythm, trying to make up for not being able to use his legs for leverage.
Evan threw his head back, the light catching a sheen of sweat beginning to form on his chest, and Jeremy clenched his teeth together. He could come so easily, but he wanted this to last, wanted to enjoy the feel of being inside Evan, wanted to draw out the pleasure. Evan riding him was incredible, but he wanted more control.
“Wait,” he said with a breathless gasp. “Wait. I want to try something.”
Evan stilled with the tiniest pout to his lower lip, and Jeremy sat up, kissing it away. “Trust me. I’ve wanted to try this for a while.”
They disentangled their bodies, Jeremy carefully sliding off the bed. “Bend over the side,” he instructed Evan. “Let’s see how we do standing up.”
Evan scrambled off the bed and bent over, allowing his ass to jut toward Jeremy. He bit back a groan at the sight and reached for the discarded tube on the mattress. Since his accident, it was the only position Jeremy had used when he was picking up guys in bars but one he hadn’t tried with Evan. With another quick smear of lube, he pushed inside, and Evan gasped and tightened around him, a shudder working up his spine.
Jeremy stroked his palm across Evan’s back. “You okay?”
“Yeah, it’s just really good,” Evan muttered, face pressed against the sheets. Jeremy began to move, listening for those little gasps and moans as he tested his body, seeing what it would allow him to do comfortably. Although ever mindful of the kind of movement that would send searing pain through his thigh, he was pleased to realize he could thrust harder and faster than he could on his back.
He closed his eyes and allowed himself to enjoy the sensations. The slick tightness of Evan’s body and the gentle slap of his balls against Evan’s thighs sent little shockwaves of pleasure through him. Although Jeremy missed seeing Evan’s expressions, the feel of him under him and the way he could move more than made up for it. Evan’s sounds became needier and more high-pitched, dissolving into whimpers of “please, please.”
It wasn’t until Jeremy himself was right on the edge that he gave in, laying his chest down over Evan’s back and reaching around to grasp his cock. With a few, short tugs he spilled into Jeremy’s hand. Jeremy closed his eyes and with a final deep thrust, he came too, pleasure boiling up and out of him and sending his head spinning. His legs shook but, thankfully, not from pain, and he panted against Evan’s sweaty back as he tried to gather himself together again.
He wanted to collapse, wanted to sink to the floor in a tangle of sweaty limbs and come and happiness, but he settled for carefully pulling out and lying on the bed. After they had both mopped up the worst of the mess, Evan scrambled onto the bed beside him, wrapping an arm around Jeremy’s chest and snuggling close.
“Holy shit,” Evan muttered against his neck, and Jeremy chuckled, wrapping an arm around Evan and craning his head to kiss the top of Evan’s hair.
“You can say that again, kid.” He dragged his thumb up and down Evan’s back, coaxing little shudders out of Evan. His eyes grew heavy, and his movements slowed as the exertion from the day crashed over him.
Just as Jeremy was drifting off, Evan lifted his head. “Can we have ice cream in bed?”
Jeremy’s jaw cracked as he yawned. “And skip tacos?”
“I can bring you tacos and ice cream.”
Jeremy contemplated the idea as he tried to shake off the sleepiness. “Works for me.” He sat up with a groan and hauled himself out of bed.
After they cleaned up in the bathroom and dressed in pajamas, Jeremy went to follow Evan into the kitchen, but Evan shook his head. “Nope, I had a nap. You go back to bed, and I’ll get you food.”
Jeremy chuckled. “So bossy now. What ever happened to the shy kid I met last summer?”
“You must have fucked it right out of me.” Evan grinned and turned on his heel, leaving Jeremy staring after him in shock. He laughed and shook his head, still smiling as he cleaned up their discarded clothes and straightened the sheets.
Evan appeared a short while later with plates, disappeared again, and reappeared with bowls and spoons. Jeremy devoured his tacos, and Evan glowed with pleasure when Jeremy praised them. The ice cream was messy though, and he cursed as the softened stuff dripped onto his chest.
With an impish grin, Evan licked it off him, and Jeremy contemplated another round in bed. Maybe blowjobs this time. He opened his mouth just as his phone chimed with a text notification. Since Evan was with him and Stephen rarely texted, it had to be work. “Ugh, what now?”
Evan sat up with a frown and took the nearly empty bowl from his hand. Jeremy got out of bed, grumbling as he grabbed his phone off the dresser.
The message was from Mack. Lisa’s kid’s sick. You’re going to have to open tomorrow. You owe me for today. Time to pull your weight.
Jeremy scowled down at the phone, the post-sex and good dinner glow fading in the wake of asshole bosses and reminders of his own inadequacy. A part of him wondered if Mack was telling the truth about Lisa’s call in, or if he was just dicking Jeremy over because he’d been forced to drive to Macon today.
He gritted his teeth as he typed in I’ll be there. Anything to help out the team.
It galled Jeremy to know he couldn’t argue about it. Mack was going to hold it over Jeremy’s head that he hadn’t been able to drive to Macon. It wasn’t as if Jeremy didn’t want to be able to do shit like that, but he couldn’t. The entire situation made him feel useless and inadequate.
As hard as he’d been working on his own issues, he still hadn’t gotten around to talking to Dr. Fuller about driving again. Ugh, damn it, he thought. He’d have to reschedule the following day’s appointment with Dr. Fuller now. The headache that had mostly receded began to throb again. The happy mood from sex and tacos faded and was replaced by the earlier feeling of irritation.
Evan frowned at him. “Everything okay?”
He sighed. “Just work shit. I don’t really want to talk about it, to be honest. I have to work early tomorrow, so I need to reschedule my doctor’s appointment. Give me a minute.”
By the time he finished calling the doctor’s office, Evan was immersed in a book. Jeremy began to gather the dishes, and Evan’s head popped up. “I’ll help with that.”
“No. Keep reading. I’ll clean up the kitchen and do the dishes.”
“Are you sure?”
Jeremy nodded despite the tension creeping up his shoulders and lodging in the base of his skull. “Yeah, it’s fair. You cooked; I’ll clean up.”
He stewed about work—and Mack the asshole—while he loaded the dishwasher. His head was pounding again, and he realized if he didn’t take something soon, he’d be in no shape to go into work in the morning. Talk about creating a shitstorm with Mack. He turned to put away the leftovers and realized Evan had left both cartons of ice cream on the counter. They were probably a soupy mess after being out so long, and when he reached for the butter pecan, he realized there was a trail of ants leading to the container. They swarmed over the top of the lid, and he recoiled when he realized there were dozens of them on the surface. He didn’t even want to think about how many were probably inside the carton.
“What the fuck, Evan?” he shouted. “You left the ice cream out, and it melted. Now there are ants everywhere.”
Evan appeared in the doorway, a hangdog expression on his face. “I’m sorry. I was in a hurry, and I wanted to get dinner to you before it all melted. I forgot it was still out.”
Jeremy shuddered as he dropped the ruined ice cream in the trash and reached for the rocky road, which was equally ant-infested. Bugs weren’t his favorite thing to begin with, and the idea of them inside his food was doubly disgusting. “I told you I’ve been having problems with them here. The complex is supposed to spray soon, but this is gross.”
He tied off the trash bag and stomped out of the apartment, carrying the bags with him. He pitched the bag in the complex’s dumpster with more force than necessary. The bag broke open, spewing trash, ice cream, and ants everywhere. He shuddered, dropped the lid, and walked back to the apartment, his head throbbing and every muscle in his body tense.
He walked into his apartment and saw Evan scrubbing the countertop so hard his knuckles were white. His anger deflated at the sight, and when Evan turned to him, eyes shiny with tears, a wave of remorse swept over him.
“Shit, I’m sorry, Evan. I didn’t mean to yell.”
“I didn’t mean to leave the ice cream out.” There was a waver to his voice, and Jeremy closed the distance between them. He plucked the sponge from Evan’s hand then dropped it on the counter. Evan’s body was stiff and unyielding as Jeremy pulled him close.
“I’m so sorry,” he murmured against Evan’s temple. “I’m an asshole who needs to learn to control my temper.”
Evan pulled back. “I don’t like being yelled at. I get that I made a mistake, and I’m really sorry about the ants, but you didn’t have to yell at me.”
Jeremy winced, hating that he’d probably acted just like Evan’s dad always had. “I know. And I’m sorry. It’s not an excuse, but I had a really shitty day. We had a demanding customer, my manager was an asshole, and it gave me a headache and put me in a bad mood. Coming home and finding you here helped, but when I got a text from him saying I had to go into work early, it pissed me off. Finding the ants in the ice cream was kind of the last straw. I really fucking hate bugs.”
Evan frowned at him. “I’m sorry you had a shitty day, and I wish you’d told me you had a headache. Did you take something?”
Feeling even worse because he’d yelled at Evan, and he was still trying to take care of him, Jeremy shook his head. “No.”
“Let me get it for you.” Evan disappeared into the bedroom before Jeremy could argue. He reappeared a moment later carrying a bottle. Jeremy filled a glass with water and took the pills Evan offered. Once he drained the glass, he set it on the counter with a sigh. “Let’s talk while we finish cleaning the kitchen, okay?”
Evan nodded. They worked in silence for a few minutes as Jeremy struggled to put into words how he felt. “The bugs were gross, but I shouldn’t have yelled at you. I want to apologize for that,” he said as he closed the dishwasher and hit start. “I’m really sorry.”
Evan squeezed water out of the sponge he’d been using to wipe down the sinks. “I know you are. It just makes me really uncomfortable.” Evan dropped the sponge next to the faucet and flipped off the light as Jeremy checked the lock on the door and turned off the lights in the living room. Once they were in the bedroom, he turned to face his boyfriend.
“I never want to make you feel uncomfortable. I guess I’m still adjusting to what it’s like to have someone in my life. I’m used to having a shitty day and coming home alone to stew. I’m not used to having someone else to consider, you know?”
“I didn’t have to come here,” Evan said. “I could have stayed at my place or whatever. I thought you wanted me here.”
“I did!” Jeremy protested. “I do. I really do, Evan. It’s just taking me some time to adjust. I don’t want to make excuses though.”
Evan nodded. “Can you try to warn me when you’re having a bad day or a headache? I get that you have kind of a short temper, but I don’t want to be with someone who yells at me.”
Feeling sick, Jeremy nodded. “Please, don’t stay mad. I’ll do better, I swear.”
“I’m not mad.” Evan stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Jeremy. Relieved, Jeremy held him tightly. “I just want to be really clear about how I feel.”
“I understand.”
Evan pulled back to look him in the eye. “Because that’s what it was like at home. My dad would have this crappy day then take it out on my mom and me. She put up with it, but I—I can’t, Jeremy.”
“It makes me queasy just thinking about being anything like him, to be honest.”
Evan nodded and squeezed Jeremy a little tighter before placing a gentle kiss on his lips. “I don’t think you really are. And maybe if you just tell me when you’re having a bad day, I can be a little more careful.”
“I don’t want you to walk on eggshells with me,” Jeremy said, his unease growing. “I’ll tell you when I have a shitty day or a migraine or whatever, but I want to talk to Dr. Fuller about what else I can do. You shouldn’t have to manage my moods. That smacks of emotional abuse to me, and I don’t want that at all.”
“I know you don’t.” Evan gave him a reassuring smile. “We’ll figure it out. Now come on, we have work early in the morning, and we could both use some sleep.”
Jeremy nodded and let Evan drag him by the hand into the bedroom.
“I’m kinda glad we had that fight,” Evan said twenty minutes later when they were under the covers on their sides, Jeremy’s arm draped around Evan’s middle. His head was still pounding, but he felt a hell of a lot better than he had earlier.
“Huh?” After the day he’d had, Jeremy’s brain struggled to keep up.
“Well, I mean the fight sucked, but we figured it out and made up. I’ve been kinda scared that if we fought, you’d run away, and now I know you won’t.”
Jeremy nodded, then kissed the back of Evan’s neck. “Yeah. True. We’re getting better at it, I guess. And I’m really glad you spoke up for yourself.” His laugh was a little bitter. “I hate that you felt like you had to, but it’s great that you did.”
“We’ll figure this out,” Evan said, and the confidence in his voice was reassuring.
Jeremy squeezed him tightly before closing his eyes and letting sleep take over.