Friends, Sexcapades and Love Affairs Ch. 26

Author's note: Hi guys, thank you for leaving your heartwarming comments on the last installment!

BlowPopJ - I'm happy you're so happy reading my story!

MbC56 - Thank you for your comment! There is a bit of it left, so more to enjoy!

Hutchison12 - Adrian and Edward surely get in it... deep ;) And, indeed, it's not only physical but emotional, too.

And the anons who left comments, thank you, as well!

Now, I knew you were all wondering about Jared... so now it's his - and especially Shane's - time to shine!

Happy reading!

Chapter Twenty-Six - My Heart Was Set On You

Jared held the phone and listened to it ringing while it appeared that the person on the other end had better things to do than pick up. Shane was usually prompt when Jared called, so it struck him as a bit odd that he had to wait after calling a few times now. With a shrug, he placed the phone on the table and continued his work.

He was lost in his new project when the phone finally rang. It wasn't like he was waiting for Shane to call since they were just friends, and there were no particular outstanding obligations between them. Therefore, Jared stopped for a second and a breath to answer.

"Hey, Shane," he said, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible.

"Hi, Jared."

Jared, not babe. Of course, what did he expect? They were nothing but friends, and this sudden bout of paranoia should have made him feel ashamed.

"I was just wondering what you would like to eat tonight."

"Something came up." Shane was curt and tense as he spoke. "Rain check?"

"Sure," Jared replied brightly. "Tomorrow then?"

"I'll give you a call."

There was a short moment, and no one said a thing. Jared shook off the small unpleasant feeling trying to creep in. "Of course. Take care. Bye." He cut the conversation without waiting for a reply and then felt like an ass for it. But he couldn't take it back, and Shane seemed busy anyway. With all the time he chose to spend at Jared's house, it was a wonder he managed to keep his bar up and running.

It had to be work-related. Jared balanced a pencil on his knuckles and then scratched the crown of his head with it. He wasn't jealous; no, it wasn't possible to be jealous of a friend. He and Shane had cleared things up from the very start, and now -

And now, he was curious as hell about what Shane was doing. If he were busy at the bar, he could just say so. If needed, Jared would offer a helping hand. But, as things stood, it felt as if his help wasn't needed, and his presence wasn't wanted.

To say that it didn't feel a bit like a pang of something painful would have been a lie. Jared focused on his work again. His imagination was running away with him; and Shane was a good guy, and if he finally found someone else - which would be a real feat seeing how he spent almost all his free moments with Jared - he would just say it like it was.

For a moment, Jared stopped and pondered. He was always the guy who waited for things to happen to him. If Shane had someone in his life, he had to come clean. And this time, Jared wouldn't wait while fretting over doing what was right. This time, he would check on his friend and see if there was some contender on the line.

Contender? What was he thinking? Jared shook his head. He would drop by Shane's bar later, and if he weren't there, he would check his place, too. After all, they had spent a hell of a lot of time at Jared's and seldom at Shane's.

With that decision in mind, he returned to his work, this time decided to finish the project and send the first draft to his customer.

***

The bar was the same he knew, with the morose bartender at his station, and the men watching sports while drinking beer. Jared liked the place, nonetheless. Of course, since he was on a mission to find out if Shane had gotten himself a boyfriend, it was a bit funny that all he could do right now was to recall a particular moment in time that had involved two guys and a bottle of tequila. He nodded at the bartender and asked about Shane. The man measured him up and down.

"I don't know if you remember me -" Jared tried to reason with the man and make him recall that he had been there before in the boss's company.

"I know who you are," the bartender said. "You're Mr. McKay's beau."

Beau? Jared felt his lips twisting, but said nothing. And Mr. McKay? Yeah, that was Shane's name, but it was strange to hear it like that. It looked as if the morose man held his boss in high esteem. He tapped his fingers against the polished wood. "Okay," he said. "Do you happen to know where he is right now?"

The bartender just moved his head slowly in a vague direction. "He must be upstairs, with his guest. His brother's visiting."

Brother. Jared stood there and blinked a few times. Could it be the guy who had taken those beautiful pictures of horses that Shane had on the walls? From their conversations about families, he had surmised Shane only had one brother, so that mysterious guest had to be him.

Now his curiosity was increased ten folds. Could it be that Shane didn't want his brother to know anything about who he liked to hang out with? But why? Now that Jared thought a little more about their short conversation, he could tell Shane had been a bit upset.

There were many reasons why that could be. Shane always became tight-lipped whenever Jared asked about whether he wanted to visit his family in the countryside, so it had to be a sensitive subject.

But if Shane was alone with his brother now, maybe he needed support just in case his family had shunned him or something like that. Jared's mind was racing with scenarios. What if something had happened back home? But that was all the more reason for him to offer Shane his complete support. They weren't just fooling around; they were friends. And that meant that he had to see Shane and see him now.

"Thanks for the info," Jared said to the bartender and walked out of the bar, partially filled with dread.

***

He knocked a few times until Shane finally came to the door. Jared could tell he was surprised to see him there. With one look, Jared wanted to communicate and tell him that he wouldn't out him by accident or anything stupid like that. He was there as a friend. "You sounded worried over the phone. I was in the neighborhood and thought about dropping by to check on you," he said.

Shane stood there, frozen, and his face was conflicted.

Jared leaned forward and whispered. "The bartender told me your brother is here. Don't worry, I won't say a thing about you know what." He suggestively rolled his eyes to send the point across. Then he remembered the other cause of his worries. "Is your family all right?"

"Everyone's fine," Shane replied, somewhat mechanically.

Jared exhaled. "Great. You scared me. Won't you introduce me to your brother since I'm here?" He dropped his voice again. "And I'm no one else but a friend."

Although reluctantly, Shane moved away from the door to allow him inside. For a moment, Jared felt stupid. But as soon as he noticed that he was imposing, he would bid them goodbye and be on his way. Now, the curiosity was even bigger.

He knew his way around, even if he hadn't been there in a while. In the living room, slouching on the sofa was a man a tad older than Shane. He was attractive in a rough way, although not as handsome as his brother, and he was wearing the kind of outfit Shane had worn when they had first met. He had a heavier body frame, and a potbelly was bordered south by a thick belt with a large buckle. Jared could see him at home in the saddle of a horse and overlooking a herd of cattle.

The guest's eyes crinkled at the corners when Jared walked in. The resemblance was there, only that this man's eyes and hair were lighter in color, and his tan was stronger.

"Hi," Jared said, now a lot more nervous than when he had gotten there. "I'm one of Shane's friends. Jared," he added and offered his hand.

The man stood up and pushed back his hat as if he was embarrassed for a reason. "Coleman," he said as he shook Jared's hand. His skin was like worn leather. "You're a friend, you say?"

Jared nodded and smiled. "Shane told me you took these pictures. I think they're amazing. And I'm a photographer. I should know." He forced a small chuckle, but Coleman smiled, too, and he told himself he should be more at ease. "Is it the first time you're visiting Shane here?"

Coleman nodded. "I was sent to check on my little brother." His manner of speaking had the same twang as Shane.

Jared didn't miss the brief look between the two brothers. Maybe it wasn't his place to be there. To begin with, he had no idea what he was doing there. Later, he would have to offer Shane proper apologies. "I think that's awesome, to have an older brother. I wish I did. Well, I was just in passing and thought of saying 'hello'. I should leave you guys to catch up."

"But you just got here. Shane was making coffee. If he didn't forget all about hospitality, he would invite you to stay himself."

Another short exchange between the two brothers unnerved Jared further. All right, so from the get-go, his idea of checking up on Shane had been utterly stupid. First of all, he didn't have to question his friend. Second of all, he had no right. And third of all -

"Shane was just telling me about you." Coleman's words interrupted his mental verbalization.

"He was?" Jared sat on the sofa, next to Coleman, and stared at him, dumbfounded. What could Shane be talking about with his brother, while he was the main topic?

"You go see about that coffee, Shane," Coleman said, but his eyes didn't leave Jared.

Jared didn't know where to put his hands while he was examined like that. Shane appeared to hesitate for a moment but disappeared into the kitchen.

The second he was out of earshot, Coleman leaned forward. "What do you mean one of Shane's friends? How many does he have?"

Jared chuckled nervously under that curious stare. "I don't know exactly. He is very likeable, your brother. I suppose he has many friends. I mean, for sure, he has many other friends besides me."

Coleman pushed back his hat and then forward again. It appeared as if something was puzzling him. "And you're okay with that?"

"Okay with what? With him having other friends? Yes."

"Funny thing," Coleman commented, and he said that not in the sense that he found it humorous, but weird.

Jared had no idea what to make of it all. "Shane is an awesome guy. I mean, we hit it off right from the start. I had no idea I would like having a cowboy type as my friend."

A surprised look from Coleman made him feel like he had said the wrong thing.

"Not that there's something wrong with that," Jared hurried to add. "I mean, we just don't get many cowboys around here."

Coleman examined him closely. "You're a pretty one."

Jared gulped. Talking about funny things, that was a funny thing to say.

"And Shane says you're the only one."

Jared lost his voice for a second. The only one? Oh, no, they couldn't be talking about friends! Were they talking about friends with benefits? His cheeks were suddenly on fire. What was Shane thinking, telling his brother he was friends with benefits with some guy? So, he was out to his family, and everyone knew of his habits even?

"You seem like a decent fellow," Coleman continued, apparently unaware of the torrent of contradictory feelings Jared was experiencing right now. "Don't you go being all right with those others. God knows he didn't get that from either mom or pop."

"Get what?" Jared asked, more and more puzzled.

"To be in like Flynn like that."

Had he walked in another universe when he had gone through Shane's front door? What the hell was that supposed to mean? "Um, sorry, Coleman, but what do you mean?"

"You know," Coleman said with a hand wave. "From green to hound. One trip to the city and he forgot all about how our momma raised him. And to tell me, his brother, you were his first and only."

First what?! Jared's brain was a fish out of the water. Clearly, Coleman couldn't mean Shane's first friend because that was ridiculous. And if he talked about how Jared had been the first to top Shane -

No, no, his ears and brain must have gotten something wrong. Would Shane tell his brother, all so nonchalantly, that he had gotten his cherry popped by a dude?

On top of it all, Coleman was getting worked up, now his face all red, while he adjusted his position as if he couldn't breathe properly. Jared felt awful and placed one hand on his arm. "I'm afraid it's all a big misunderstanding."

"What misunderstanding?" Coleman asked. "What did he do to fool you?"

Jared exhaled. "Shane didn't fool me. We're friends. And there's nothing wrong with that." He felt stupid the moment the words left his mouth.

Shane appeared with a tray and coffee. Coleman threw him a murderous look and kept silent until the steaming cups were safe on the table.

"This boy here tells me you're a philanderer," he declared loudly.

Jared was dumbstruck. Shane appeared to be the same.

"When have I said that?" he expressed his amazement at Coleman's logic.

Coleman pointed a finger at Shane, ignoring Jared. "Wait till momma hears about this. When you told us you go to the city because you don't like girls but them pretty boys now and have to find one of your own, we said nothing. Pop said, let him go, he'll see how them sleek city boys are, but mom said, he'll find him, if he's there, he'll find him. And you said that you wouldn't come back without him. You've always been the apple of her eye. You'll go and tell her yourself how you came here to chase ... pants," Coleman added after a short pause, "instead of making her proud."

Jared stared at the two brothers in utter shock. His eyes traveled from Coleman to Shane, only to observe his dear friend red as a beet. "Coleman, your brother isn't chasing pants," he protested. "As far as I know, he's only been with me."

Coleman stared at him. "Then what about the other boys? The other friends?"

Jared ran both hands over his face. What the hell had he done? "I'm Shane's only friend of that kind," he said slowly, afraid of making shrapnel fly again with the wrong words.

The hard slap on his knee made him yelp. "Why didn't you say so? So, Shane, when you're bringing Jared home to momma?"

Well, that was the million-dollar question. Jared stared at Shane in disbelief, and he was just as red as before. But the answer to that would have to come another time. "Coleman, it's been a real pleasure to meet you," he said and stood up cautiously as if there was a minefield waiting for him from that point to the door. "Now I should really get going and let you guys talk. Shane misses his family," he added politely. "Just for the record, Shane is a swell guy, and he's not a philanderer. And not in like Flynn, either," he said for good measure.

He couldn't breathe properly. Where his mind had been a draught, now was a torrent. His heart didn't sit well, either, and it was so full it could burst. For reasons he couldn't quite explain, he needed out and fast. He couldn't see himself letting the words fly in front of Shane's brother like that.

On his way out, he stopped and clumsily kissed Shane on the cheek. "Call me, okay? We need to talk. Or just drop by my place. I'll be home."

Everyone had been aware of it but him, he couldn't stop thinking as Shane saw him to the door without another word.

***

He had no idea the seconds could pass so slowly. Now, doubts came to run around his mind in circles once more. Maybe it would have been better if he had chosen to stay and hear Coleman through. But Shane had been clearly embarrassed, and perhaps he didn't want to say anything in front of his brother either.

So Jared waited. He lay in bed for a while, but then he moved back to the room he used as an office to work on something. In the end, he decided against it. Apparently, he no longer knew how to crop a picture. He stood by the window and looked at the people below. How lucky they were to be so calm and know exactly where they stood in life.

Uncertainty overcame him, then left him. One moment, he felt indescribably happy, the other, he felt a new type of despair. What if all was, as he had said it with his own mouth, a big misunderstanding? What if Shane wasn't interested in him like that? But why would he have said all those things to his brother?

Damn, he had so many questions, and Shane wasn't there. Jared began pacing the room. He should have been clear and said when he was expecting Shane. Now he was stuck inside, looking at the damn stubborn clock on his phone that seemed to have frozen in time, like in some sci-fi tragedy.

He was caught up in his thoughts, so he missed someone using a key and coming through the front door. To make things simple, he had given Shane a key not long ago. So, he yelped and turned to punch in the face the intruder when someone touched his shoulder.

Shane dodged right in time. "Oh, damn, is this how you really feel about me, babe?"

Jared threw him a withering look. "What are you doing, sneaking up on me like that? And stop calling me 'babe'. It's tacky."

Shane's smile faltered. "I'm sorry about today. Meeting my brother like that -"

Jared grabbed him by the shoulders. "—really opened my eyes," he added the right words. "Shane, are you -" Great, now he couldn't find the proper thing to say. "Are you interested in me, as a boyfriend?"

Shane looked away, and Jared felt the doubts returning in full force. His hands slid away from Shane's shoulders, but they were caught midair, and then he was pulled into a tight embrace.

"I'm in love with you," Shane whispered in his hair. "From the first moment I set my eyes on you."

"Are you kidding me?" Jared mumbled.

"I'm sorry that you had to learn about it like that. I needed more time to convince you. I know. It's just my brother's big mouth -"

Jared started laughing. It had to be because of all the nervous jitters, but just realizing how stupid he had been was way too funny. Shane loosened the embrace only so that he could look at him, now completely puzzled.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," Jared said through hiccups of laughter. "God, all this time, we've been boyfriends, right? I mean, you were with me and I was with you -" He stopped, needing to breathe.

"Ha, ha, very funny," Shane said, and he clearly didn't appear amused. "Don't tell me I had to stage all that charade with being friends with benefits while you laughed behind my back."

Jared gestured in denial since he couldn't yet find his voice. "Oh, damn, I was so stupid, Shane. I mean, of course, you first came to me and asked to be boyfriends and I said 'no' because, apparently, it's tough to get your own head out of your ass ... What I mean is ... Can you forgive me?" he finally managed to ask.

Shane's eyes filled with fondness. "You're a bit dumb but cute."

Typically, he would have felt rightfully outraged, but in his ears, it was just too funny. "And seriously, your first? I mean, I know that I popped your cherry, but how much of a first does your brother think I was?"

Shane didn't say a thing, and Jared finally stopped laughing.

"Are you kidding me? Are we talking about that kind of first? Shane, tell me you're not serious."

"I'm serious. You're the first guy I've ever been with."

Jared fell silent. "You ... met me and just like that, you thought I was ... the one?" He couldn't believe his own ears, but it was the only logical thing to believe at that point.

Shane nodded.

"For real?" Jared caressed Shane's cheeks. "You thought that?"

"I felt it," Shane replied.

Jared blinked a few times. That was just fantastic; now, he felt like crying. "And you say I'm dumb," he said fondly. "You're lucky then because I can assure you other guys wouldn't have been as nice to you as I've been," he joked as he tried to straighten up the frown on Shane's forehead with the tips of his fingers.