Something Like Winter (39 page)

His self-assurance remained
intact even as he knocked on the apartment door. He imagined Ben
opening it, shocked and maybe a little thrilled by Tim’s audacity.
He felt less certain when Jace answered.

There is a big difference
between seeing someone in a photo and meeting them in real life.
Jace was taller than he was—which Tim didn’t like—and dressed in a
nice button-up shirt and casual slacks that made Tim feel scuzzy in
his T-shirt and shorts. His blond-brown hair was styled
intentionally messy, matching his controlled-but-casual appearance.
Jace looked Tim over with a flicker of recognition, but with no
hint of interest.

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

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

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

In other words,
I know all about you.
“Yeah, it was just like old times. Hey, I was hoping to talk
to you both about an idea I had.”

“
Ben isn’t home,” Jace
said.

“
But he usually is by now,
right? I don’t mind waiting.”

Jace took stock of him. Tim
was sure Jace was about to tell him to go fuck himself and to not
come around anymore. That’s what Tim would have said were the
situation reversed, but instead Jace shrugged easily and gestured
for him to enter.

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

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

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

Huh.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“
No problem,” Tim said,
whipping out his phone. “I’ll order us some pizzas. Ben still likes
cheese and tomatoes, right? What about you?”

Ha ha! Take that! Your
boyfriend is being fed by another man!

But this small victory went
unnoticed by Jace, who pet and talked to his cat while Tim was
ordering on the phone. When waiting for their food to arrive, Tim
gave up taking cheap shots at Jace and kept conversation civilized.
After all, the plan was to invite him to a party, and being the
only one behaving maliciously made him feel like a royal
asshole.

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

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

Chapter
Twenty-four

Water slides, a wave pool,
and all the overpriced snow cones you could eat. As far as Tim
knew, there were only two Splashtowns: one in San Antonio and
another near Houston. Back in high school, Ben often hinted that
they go, but of course Tim had been too twisted up with fear then.
That they were finally going now tied in nicely with his high
school nostalgia tour, even if the “astronaut of the stratosphere”
was tagging along. Tim was just happy Jace had agreed to this nutty
plan. Maybe Marcello knew what he was talking about.

Only Allison’s presence
threw him off. Why did Ben insist on bringing his fiercest
chaperone? As Tim drove them to San Antonio, Ben spent half the
trip down in the backseat with Allison, laughing it up or
singing—especially when Tim tried making conversation with Ben.
Hearing that voice again—even slightly changed due to age—was worth
the beating Tim’s confidence was taking.

A guard at the gate checked
Tim’s name against a list before they were allowed into the park.
Party headquarters was at a restaurant near the entrance. Despite
Marcello’s promise of Austin’s hottest guys, all the other
party-goers were much older and fully clothed. Maybe the eye candy
was out enjoying the actual park, like Tim was eager to do, but he
wanted to at least put in an appearance. Marcello greeted him
dressed in a ridiculous Hawaiian-patterned shirt, complete with
hula dancers and pineapples.

“
Happy
49
^th
,”
Tim teased, giving him a hug. “I didn’t get you anything because
you’re already too damn rich.”

Marcello batted his
eyelashes. “The only thing I’ve ever wanted is your happiness.
Speaking of which, who do we have here?”

Tim made the introductions.
When he got to Jace, Marcello snuck Tim a look of approval. Wrong
guy, dumb ass! Even Marcello thought Jace was hot, and he’d been
around the block—maybe even the globe—a few times. After a little
more birthday banter, they were free to hit the locker room.
Allison went her way, while he, Jace, and Ben got changed on the
boys’ side.

When they met again back
outside, the sun warming their skin, he caught Ben looking him
over. Tim stretched and casually flexed. Of course he wanted to win
Ben over with more than just his body, but he’d take what he could
get.

They started with the
nearest water slides, and for a while Tim forgot about his intended
conquest and just had fun. The park was nearly empty except for
nomadic groups of gay guys. The lifeguards on duty appeared either
amused or uncomfortable, many seeming happy to see a girl in their
group. Allison soon abandoned them for the attention of one of
those lifeguards. One down, one to go.

The wave pool came next.
They lost themselves in the oddly enjoyable experience of getting
knocked around by water. More than once Tim let himself
“accidentally” collide with his former flame. Ben even forgot
himself enough to smile, his eyes half-lidded before he seemed to
wake from his dream and look around for Jace.

As fun as flirting was, Tim
figured he wasn’t likely to get anywhere while Jace was around.
They tried tubing next, Tim preferring to swim along the
slow-moving river. After a break for lunch, they hit the artificial
lagoon. Ben caught Tim staring and splashed him, so Tim splashed
back before Jace playfully came to his rescue. Soon they were in
the middle of a huge—but friendly—water fight. As much as Tim
wanted to, he couldn’t dislike Jace. Regardless, he was still glad
when Ben’s boyfriend waded back to shore to dry out in the
sun.

Tim headed toward a wall of
rocks, showing Jace that Ben was left alone. Once he climbed onto a
stony outcrop, Tim watched them both—Jace to see if he was checking
on them and Ben, who was floating on his back. Tim couldn’t stop
staring. Ben’s body had matured, but he would probably never be
very big. He didn’t really have any muscle, but Tim didn’t care. He
liked Ben’s size, how it made him feel stronger in comparison. He
wanted to wrap his arms around that narrow torso, squeezing until
Ben laughed and told him to stop, just like they used
to.

And then he wanted to do a
whole lot more.

Three waterfalls coursed
over the wall of rocks, behind one a grotto. Glancing toward the
shore, he saw Jace lounging there. Chances were, his eyes were
closed behind the shades he was wearing, so Tim moved toward the
cave.

“
Check it out!” he called,
hopefully just loud enough for Ben to hear. “There’s a cave behind
this one.”

Ben waded over to see. Tim
stood beneath the waterfall, the pressure of the flow relaxing his
muscles, the cool water helping keep down one muscle in particular.
As soon as Ben was near, he held out an arm, breaking the water
flow and creating a door for Ben to duck through. The cramped
interior was lit solely by filtered light from the entrance. The
small pool inside was probably designed for kids, only deep enough
to reach Ben’s waist. Tim waded in, the water lapping at his crotch
as if encouraging him.

Ben still played the angel,
looking at the water, the walls, anywhere but directly at Tim. “You
know this is where everyone comes to pee,” he said.

Tim grinned. “Or to do
other things.”

Ben didn’t react. “They
should put a hot tub in here. That would be way cooler.”

Come on, Benjamin! Stop
playing. “I liked hearing you sing today.” Tim moved a little
closer to him. “In the car. It was nice.”

“
Thanks.”

“
Sometimes at night, on the
very edge of sleep, I swear I could hear you singing.” Tim laughed
at himself. “That sounds cheesy, but it’s true. Never in a million
years did I think you’d be in my life again, that I really would be
able to hear the sound of your voice.”

Ben’s attention was on the
ceiling now, as if praying to God to help him avoid temptation. “Do
you still paint?”

No more changing topics. No
more talk. Tim remained silent, thinking about how long it had been
since they had kissed, how Ben’s hand over his on a wooden spoon
could feel more intimate than sex. Finally Ben looked at Tim with
eyes both vulnerable and wanting. He started to say something, but
Tim shook his head and moved in close. Wasn’t it about time they
picked up where they’d left off?

Tim touched a lock of Ben’s
hair, heavy with chlorinated water. He brushed it behind Ben’s ear
and let his hand keep moving to the back of his head, pulling Ben
in for a kiss.

Their lips met, but it
wasn’t electric. Ben’s lips were mush beneath his, not responding,
and Tim knew he had lost. He had tried everything he could, but
Jace was the better— Fire! Ben’s lips came to life with hunger, his
body pressing against his, and then Tim knew why Lucifer was so
desperate to conquer Heaven and make it his own. He hadn’t been
wrong, his memories polished by nostalgia. In fact, they had grown
dusty and tarnished, because Tim had forgotten how wonderful
kissing Ben could be.

Tim grabbed Ben tight,
hands clenching at his back while Ben seemed so desperate to touch
every part of him that he couldn’t settle at one place. He felt
Ben’s hardness rub against his own and wished he could shout down
the walls of the cave, sealing them safely away from the outside
world forever and ever.

The constant roar of the
waterfall was broken before Jace spoke. “About done?”

Ben shoved Tim away hard
enough that he fell backward, splashing into the water. At the cave
entrance, Jace’s towering form blocked out the light, and Tim
wondered if he would have to fight. Except Jace’s face wasn’t angry
but drawn and hurt. He didn’t even look at Tim. Only at Ben who
spluttered an apology.

Tim got to his feet, Jace’s
gaze flicking in his direction.

“
Maybe you should wait for
us outside, Tim.”

He didn’t like the sound of
that. Maybe Jace hid his anger well, only revealing his demon when
others weren’t looking. Tim left through the waterfall, staying
close to the entrance and straining to listen. If Jace flipped out,
Tim would step in to save Ben, and it would be check and
mate.