Adam's Advertisement Pt. 03

"Ok, that might be kind of boring." He laughed. "I've never seen it." I think I genuinely gasped.

"You've never seen Star Wars?! Is that allowed? You're almost 30!" Wil groaned.

"Don't remind me." I rolled my eyes. He acts like three and a half years between us is a lifetime sometimes. But he was the one who'd never seen fucking Star Wars.

"Well that significantly changes our Friday night plans.".

"Oh god, next you're gonna make me watch Lord of the Rings." Wil groaned. My jaw dropped.

"You've never seen Lord of the Rings?!" He grunted. "But that's our culture!"

"Your culture, dork." He said. "No Maoris in Middle earth."

"Ooh." I winced. "You got me there. I would boycott but we'll have to save the boycott until after the extended editions." He laughed. "You'll love it." I said. "Well, I'll love it. Maybe you'll tolerate it."

"I'll tolerate it." He sighed. "Do we get to fuck afterwards?"

"You're seriously underestimating how long Lord of the Rings is. We have to be back at work on Monday." He laughed.

"I have to be at work on Saturday," He reminded me. I winced.

"Oh yeah. Oh well. Boss will understand."

"He won't."

"Can't you take a weekend off? We could lie in bed all day." Wil sighed.

"I just took two weekends off. But you can lie in bed all day. Keep it warm for me."

"Ok." I smiled. "I hate that you work all the time."

"Me too." He said. "I haven't had a real day off since..." He cleared his throat. "Not for a while anyway."

"That's not fair."

"Well, it is what it is. If I didn't work I couldn't dance and if I couldn't dance I'd probably die, so, you know."

"Do you think you'll make real money one day?" He laughed.

"Ugh. No. I'm at the peak actually. I reckon 2 more years and then I'll have to go into teaching."

"You and Liam should start up a dance school."

"Liam is WAY too good. If it wasn't for Covid he'd be overseas for the next ten years in the freaking Russian ballet or whatever." He sighed. "Na, I think I'll apply for a role at the studio. Teach the teenagers. I might have to go back to school and do a course."

"That sounds good. You'd be a good teacher."

"No I wouldn't." He laughed. "I'd be jealous of all the students better than me."

"You're not jealous of Liam." He sighed and went silent for a bit.

"I guess not." He said eventually. "I think we're too close for jealousy. I just want to be as good as him. I don't mind that I'm not." I closed my eyes.

"You know..." I said. "A lot of the time I think you're full of it Wil. But I like it when you're sincere." I heard nothing on the other end. "Wil?" I checked. He cleared his throat.

"Yeah." He mumbled. "Still here."

"Just hiding because you don't do compliments?" He snorted.

"I don't think telling me you think I'm full of it is a compliment."

"I told you I like it when you're sincere. Which you almost never are." He sighed.

"I guess." He said slowly. "You know Freddie, sincerity has never really got me anything."

"It got you me." I blushed even as I said it. God. I wondered if he laughed about me behind my back. Honestly, I don't think we've ever hung out and I didn't come on too strong. I dont think I've ever seen him and not made an honest to God idiot of myself. I winced but he was speaking.

"My abs got you, and don't pretend it was anything else."

"Your abs definitely caught my attention." I smiled. "But I think I could have moved on pretty quickly if you didn't secretly listen to metal, and like horror, and cooking, and..."

"I hate cooking!" He protested. "It's just that you don't know what a saucepan is."

"I've offered to take you out to dinner a hundred times."

"Ok, sugar daddy." He sighed. "Well. You know how I feel about that." I sighed. I could argue, but I didn't really want to argue.

"Miss you and your stupid stubborn ass." I breathed.

"You definitely miss my ass." I could hear him smiling. "Miss..." He trailed off and his voice went scratchy as he held the phone away. "Hey. Yeah, no it's Freddie. Yeah, I can come. Ok..." I could hear him press the phione back to his face. "Hey Freddie...."

"Better offer?" I asked. Wil snorted.

"Definitely not. But I have to go anyway. I'll call tomorrow, same time ish?"

"Yeah ok." I hesitated. "Facetime?"

"Yeah." He said. "Uhhh... only I'll still be rooming with Sam..."

"Oh well." I sighed. "So not sexy FaceTime. But at least I can see your face. I'll just have to wait for your dick." Wil laughed.

"Bye Freddie."

"Bye Wil." There was a pregnant pause as I didn't quite hang up and he didn't either. Yeah. This was the point I usually embarrassed myself by blurting out a proclamation of love to a guy who was clearly not ready to say it back. I sighed.

"Love you." He said, and he hung up.

I stared at the phone.

Did he...?

I glanced up and caught my own reflection's eye. I grinned to myself. I don't think I've ever looked smugger. He did, didn't he?

Oh my god.

Wilson fucking Cain loved me.

-----

The guys had a couple of friends over the next night and I was knee deep in my third beer when Wil called. I blushed and silently excused myself.

"Hey." I said.

"Hey." There was a pause. "Where are you?" He said. "Sounds like a club." I laughed.

"There's some guys over." I said.

"Oh- I can call back?" I went to say no, but my door burst open and Rhys yelled at me to get my ass to the kitchen for beer pong. Wil laughed. "Yeah." He said. "I'll call back. Night Freddie."

"Wait..." But he'd hung up. Dammit. I let myself be dragged back to the chaos- Jesus there were only 6 of us, I have no idea how it felt so hectic.

Jamie showed up at some point after my epic win and managed to corner me when I went for an extremely drunk cigarette.

"Hey." He sat down beside me. I nodded at him and he gently plucked the cigarette from my mouth.

"Hey!" I frowned at him and he raised his eyebrows, and slowly turned the cigarette the other way before giving it back to me.

"Not judging. Just thought it might be better if you light the right end." I laughed.

"Ooops."

"How's Wil?" I lit the cigarette and stared out over the city.

"Fine." I said. "How's Liam?"

"Yeah, super annoying actually. He's called me like three times today." I laughed.

"Yeah, must suck to have someone love you so much." Jamie laughed. He stretched out beside me and cleared his throat.

"Hey uh... when we, Liam and I- when we came back to Auckland I had a bit of a rough time." He said quietly. "Just little things. You know, the guys would talk about their weekends and their girlfriends, and I didn't want to join in because I didn't want to say I'd spent the weekend having mimosas and going to art galleries." I snorted and he chuckled. "I just... thought I'd offer... you know. If you want to talk ever- not even about big things, just like... you know. When he makes you dress up because he has a whole thing about how we can't possibly go out to dinner unless I'm wearing a nice shirt..." I laughed.

"That's not really a problem for us. He hates going out." Jamie smiled.

"Or complain about that. I just thought- you know, I could have used someone who...." I glanced at him.

"Thanks Jamie." I puffed on the cigarette. "Actually..." I was drunk enough to really welcome that offer. "Uh... Hey... What do you know about Matt?" Jamie stiffened beside me.

"I know enough." He said coldly. "He's a piece of shit. I honestly don't get what Wilson ever saw in him, and I couldn't fucking believe it when I heard he went back after..." He trailed off.

"After?" He cleared his throat and didn't meet my eye.

"After they broke up." He said quietly.

"Yeah, what is that?" I grumbled. "He kind of has a thing for his exes, huh?" Jamie inhaled slowly.

"I..." He winced. "I don't know." He said slowly. "I think he... finds it hard to let go. But Freddo- you know, I've never seen him as happy as he is with you. I really wouldn't let it worry you. He hasn't seen Matt in months."

"He saw him the other day." I said. "Matt barged in with a ring and..."

"With a ring?!"

"I know! Batshit! He was really drunk. We had to get him home, it was kind of an adventure, and Matt's flatmate was there, small world, he was at your dinner party, you know you'd think in a city with 1.7 million people you'd see more than the 5 same faces." Jamie grunted non-committedly. "Anyway. It... I guess it just had me a little worried. And then... the other day.... he told me he kissed someone else, which is fine, and he told me and I have no right to care but..." Jamie nudged me in the knee.

"You have a right to care." He said softly. "But I promise you shouldn't worry about it. Wilson's not exactly famed for his self control but he is for his loyalty. He's not going to sleep around behind your back."

"Yeah." I put out the cigarette. "I know." I looked at Jamie. "But... he is a bit..." I looked for the right word. "Cagey." I said slowly. Jamie shrugged.

"He's burnt out." He said. "He'll get a bonus next season, and he might be able to quit the cafe, and I think with you he might relax a bit. I don't think you should worry Fred. Really."

"Ok." I said. I glanced at Jamie. "He said love you the other night." Jamie rolled his eyes.

"I wouldn't stress. Liam said I love you after like a week. You don't have to say it back." I laughed weakly.

"Ok." I said, blushing. Maybe I wasn't quite drunk enough to tell Jamie that it was me who started that. I opened my mouth to thank him when the door flew open and the others spilled out onto the balcony, swearing and spilling drinks. Jamie and I glanced at each other. Right. Enough faggy bonding. Time to finish getting fucked up.

----- ---- ----

When I went to bed- at like 2am, groaning because I was so about to regret that when I had to get up in four hours, I noticed I had a Facebook message from a guy I didn't know.

Just thought you should know what he gets up to when you're not around.

I rolled my eyes. Stupid spammy accounts. I went to click away but... something caught my eye on the thumbnail. Because... that was Wil. Even though it was shot from above on a shaky phone- I'd know that ass anywhere.

Still. I didn't click the link. I just looked at it. My palms got a little sweaty. I mean- he wouldn't. But it WAS him in the thumbnail. But he wouldn't!

I bit my lip.

But Jamie did say he found it hard to let go...

And even HE said he had poor self control.

And against my better judgement....

TBC