Where Love Lives Ch. 03

Time had been speeding by me since Jackson kissed me. Two weeks had felt like nothing. Getting up in the mornings didn't take every ounce of energy that I had, and every time my phone vibrated, my heart fluttered and hoped that it was him. More often than not, it was. I guess they're right when they say that time flies when you're having fun.

'How's work?' was all he had to text to make me smile.

'Not so bad. You gonna come get something today? The jelly donuts are calling your name.' I would tease. He eventually did come in to see me at work and met Mrs. Russo. She liked him. Of course, she didn't know about us. She was still set on me being with Charlotte. At least, I think she was.

Since the aquarium, we had gone on a few dates. Mostly it was grabbing lunch or dinner. A few times, we just hung out and watched some movie. Tragically, there was no 'chilling' included. I was left to my fantasies on that front.

There was one point when we went to get ice cream on a whim, and I don't think I had ever been so cold internally and externally at the same time. Jackson's whole body tensed up, and his teeth chattered for a solid two minutes. Luckily, we laughed hard enough to make it go away. Everywhere we went, he would wear that leather jacket that he always had. It was like his trademark.

Another notable time was when we went for lunch before he had to go to work. We were walking through a light flurry when his eyes lit up like they do. A puppy was prancing around in the snow. It was likely the first time it had ever seen snow in its life. After asking the owner for permission, we played with it for a bit. It was very clear that we were both dog people, but I soon found out that we both loved all animals in general.

The winter in New York was warmer than any winter back home with my family.

~

"Hey, so my friend's birthday is coming up soon. I was wondering if you'd wanna come to her party with me. It's 80s themed," he mentioned over hot chocolate one Tuesday afternoon. He had asked the question with a foam mustache on his upper lip.

"Are you gonna keep the 'stache?" I asked him. He wiped the foam from his upper lip and tried wiping it off onto me. I dodged though.

"Yeah, it sounds like fun!" I answered, taking a sip from my own mug.

"Now look who needs to shave," he commented.

"An 80s themed birthday party? Why haven't I done that!?" Charlotte asked when I told her a couple days later. We were sitting on her bed, trying out these new face masks she had found from a hole-in-the-wall store. They were a lime green color with yellow flecks in them. It was kind of nasty to look at, but my face felt minty already.

"Wanna see what I plan on wearing?" I asked as I searched for the picture on my phone.

"Oh my god, yes. I wish I could go! I already know what I would wear," she said, and I showed her.

"Cute! You're gonna make the perfect first impression on his friends," she remarked. I had gone thrift shopping especially for the occasion. A small sense of pride started to blossom in me.

"I'm kind of nervous to meet them actually. What if they don't like me?"

"What are you talking about? They're gonna love you! What's not to love?"

I glanced over and saw my reflection in the mirror. My hair was being held back by one of Charlotte's hair bands, and my face mask was kind of scary. I studied myself for a moment before Charlotte poked her head into the reflection to get a look at herself too.

"We look like Shrek's bastard children," she commented and then laughed at her own joke enough for the both of us. I didn't respond though.

"What's wrong?" She asked me. I looked away and twiddled my thumbs. I kind of shrugged my shoulders. It's something that happens when I get upset or sad or something. I lose my ability to speak. It's not that I go mute or anything; I just don't like talking.

"Nothing," I signed. I learned American Sign Language in high school, and I tended to use it when I didn't want to talk. Back when I was living in Kansas, my mom started to pick up some of the things I was signing, but my dad flat out refused to even try. He just got angry.

"Boy, you know I took French in high school," Charlotte said. That got the tiniest smile out of me.

"Is it your family?"

I nodded. She wrapped an arm around me and squeezed me.

"Listen, Bobby. It's their loss. You are an amazing, funny, sweet person, and you deserve all the happiness in the world. You made it all the way out to this city, and if you can make it here, you can make it anywhere! I know that it can take some time to unlearn some of the things they taught you, but I'll always be here for you. I know what dealing with all this mental baggage is like," she said. Her words were comforting, and I took a deep breath.

"Thanks," I uttered out so quietly that I barely heard myself.

"Now. What do you say we get these masks off and watch a cheesy rom-com? We look like sea monsters," She asked. I nodded, and started to peel the mask from my face. Once exposed to the air, it felt amazing. My pores were able to breathe again.

Charlotte and I spent the night watching some new movie that made us both laugh and cry. It was super basic, but at least the male love interest was nice to look at. The bowl of popcorn didn't even last the first twenty minutes.

~

Friday night was here, and my phone buzzed. It was Jackson letting me know that he was here. I rushed down the stairs and walked out into the sidewalk. I looked around, but he was nowhere to be seen.

"Surprise!" Jackson announced, jumping out from around the corner. He took themed parties seriously apparently.

He was wearing a brown coat with a white fur collar, a white button-up underneath it that left the top three buttons undone, and denim short shorts. He had white shoes and knee high socks to go with them. I started to giggle as he opened his arms to present himself. We were actually wearing the same kind of shoes, but my socks were only ankle high.

I, on the other hand, had chosen denim shorts, a matching denim jacket, and a white shirt with a small rainbow embroidered on the chest. We checked each other out for a moment until the novelty of it all sunk in.

"You look SO good!" I said, laughing as he stood there proudly.

"You're looking pretty good yourself, mister. I like the touch of gay, too," he said, poking my rainbow. I just shrugged.

"You ready, John Cusack?" I asked him. He rolled his eyes.

"Only if you are, Tom Cruise," he shot back.

"Ooh, I think I win that one," I said, and with that, we were on our way to his friend's place.

Strangely enough, we didn't get any weird looks on our walk there. It just seemed like a normal thing. When we finally got there, we could hear classic 80s music blaring from outside the door.

"Ready to party like it's 1989?" Jackson asked.

"Hell yeah," I responded, and he opened the door.

Everyone was dressed so awful that it was great. There was tons of denim on denim, feathered hair, and bright colors. Solo cups were everywhere you could look full of who even knows what. I saw that every inch of the kitchen counter was filled with different types of alcohol. The current song was We Built This City by Starship.

"Jackson!" I heard a girl yell. She emerged through the crowd. Her hair was fiery red and teased to the high heavens. Freckles were sprinkled across her nose. She embraced Jackson with a huge smile.

"I'm so glad you could make it!" She continued over the music.

"I wouldn't miss it! You know I love the 80s aesthetic," he responded directly into her ear.

"You're an 80s heart throb! Who's this with you?" She asked him. She took a sip of whatever was in her cup as they turned towards me.

"This is Bobby," he introduced.

"Hi," I said with a wave. I held out my hand to shake hers, but she went in for a hug instead. I went with it.

"I'm Michelle. I've known Jackson since we were in high school," she explained.

"Nice to meet you," I said with a big smile.

"I've got a present for you," Jackson said in a sing-song voice. He reached into his jacket and pulled out a cassette tape. I looked at it and it read 'Michelle's 80th birthday party.'

"Awe! I love it! You think you're so clever, huh? Do I at least look good for 80?" She asked, taking the tape from him.

"Not a day over 25!" He responded.

"Let's get you guys something to drink!" She said as she pushed her way to the kitchen.

"What'll it be, boys?" She asked, grabbing two cups.

"Anything," Jackson said.

"Bartender's choice," I added on. She smiled wide and surveyed her options before grabbing a random bottle and mixing something. Jackson and I both took a drink at the same time. The alcohol burned as it went down, but it wasn't the worst thing I've ever had.

"So we've got the dance floor," Michelle said, gesturing to where a group of people were dancing. It was more like a dining area where the table had been moved.

"The gaming entertainment," she added on, gesturing to the tv where a game of Pac-Man was set up on some gaming console.

"And of course, the magic juice," she finished up, holding up her cup. We both toasted her before taking another drink.

Working for the Weekend by Loverboy came on, and we were thrown into the groove of everything. After downing the last of our drinks, Jackson and I went to the makeshift dance floor and had some fun. It's the first time we got to dance with each other. We could've the first night we met if we had met inside.

I could see sweat beading up on his forehead as he moved. I'm sure the same thing was happening to me. Throughout the course of the night, I had more to drink and met more and more of Jackson's friends. I'm fairly certain I met people named Carson, Brandon, Alexia, and Julie. The true test would be if I remembered any of them in a couple hours. Between the drinks and the fast pace of meeting them made it a challenge. I'd at least remember Michelle because she looked like this actress I saw in an 80s themed tv episode. Come to think of it, she was probably trying to dress up like her. All she was missing was a girlfriend.

I later found myself trying to beat Jackson's score on the Pac-Man game. He had gotten the high score of the night so far, and I was determined to beat him. I focused through my drunken haze to get the little balls and avoid the ghosts. Everything seemed to be going so much faster than I was used to.

"Yeah! Bobby!" The crowd cheered around me when I beat him. I threw the controller into the air, and it landed on the couch cushion next to me. Jackson accepted defeat with a big grin. I did a stupid victory dance.

"You know the only reason you beat me is cause I'm not sober, right?" He said, trying to save himself.

"Oh whatever," I said, tapping his nose and embracing him. It was quite obvious we liked each other.

"Jackson? Is this your boyfriend?" A girl's voice said from behind me in an almost bitchy tone. I turned around to find a girl taller than both of us standing there with another girl on either side of her. She looked like one of those queen bee types.

"Charlie's Angels, huh? More like Charlie's Demons," Jackson responded. The girl who had spoken raised her hands into the gun pose and then burst out laughing. Jackson joined in.

"Bobby, this is Raquel: My ex-girlfriend," he said to me with his arm around my waist. I smiled and held out my hand to shake hers. She took it, and her two friends disbanded to join the fun of the party.

"Nice to meet you," I said.

"Likewise," she replied.

"So was she the last one before you came out?" I asked. The last girlfriend I had before coming out was named Ashley.

"Oh no," Raquel said.

"No. I'm bi, Bobby," Jackson explained.

"Oh!" I said. I didn't really know what else to say. I guess his sexuality hadn't really come into question since it was a male-male relationship.

"So you didn't answer my question. Is this your boyfriend?" Raquel asked, demanding an answer. We both exchanged looks. We hadn't really defined our relationship at that point. Jackson searched for the words to tell her.

"We've been seeing each other a lot," Jackson said.

"Then what's the hold up? We're only young once," she urged.

"We'll go at our own pace," he replied in a friendlier way than I might have.

"Mhm. He's cute. You better snatch him up before some other hunk does," she said as she walked past us to the kitchen to get herself a drink. Jackson and I silently agreed to join her and get some more for ourselves.

"So how's the life of a super model in the greatest city in the world?" Jackson asked as he poured us something out of a random bottle.

"Oh you know, I'm only in town for the month. Then it's off to London for a shoot," she said casually. I couldn't quite tell if they were being serious or not. If they were, she sounded glamorous.

"Busy, busy, busy," Jackson said. Raquel turned to a guy standing nearby and held out her cup.

"Refill this, would you?" She said with puppy dog eyes. He obeyed. How was she real?

"Still always getting your way, I see," Jackson said, handing me a drink.

"Always," she responded, taking her own drink from the stranger. She looked to both of us and winked goodbye. She joined her other angels by the window.

"She seems... interesting," I said, inspecting her. She was one of the types that knew she was hot and owned it. I could respect that.

"Don't worry about her. One of the reasons we broke up was because she needed attention from everyone she crossed paths with. More attention with some than others," Jackson said.

The next thing I knew, Heaven Is a Place On Earth was playing, and the entire apartment was singing along to it.

"Ooh, baby do you know what that's worth? Ooh, Heaven is a place on earth!" We all sang, in and out of tune. Jackson and I sang directly into each other's faces. Then, he grabbed me by the small of my back and pulled me close. Our bodies were connected as we swayed to the music. It seemed to fill my soul as I let the lyrics escape my mouth.

"Ooh, lovebirds! The bedroom is open to make some Heaven happen," Michelle chimed in from out of nowhere. She was absolutely plastered, but she seemed to be having a good time. Before either of us could say anything, she was belting the chorus and walking away.

"Key change!" A girl yelled. I think it was Alexia, but I couldn't be sure. Everything was fuzzy.

After the song had ended, we all stood in silence for a minute. Jackson and I just stared at each other. I felt that the drinks I had had were starting to wear off, and I was at the point where I couldn't take anymore.

"You're ready to go. I can see it in your face," Jackson said, inspecting my face.

"Yeah. Do you mind?" I asked.

"Nah. I've had my fun. I'll walk you home," he replied. He turned to wave goodbye to Michelle, but she was too focused on taking another shot with a group of friends to notice. We headed to the door anyways.

"Goodnight, boys," a girl said from the kitchen flirtatiously. It was Raquel. She was waving with just her fingers.

"Bye, Raquel," Jackson said and rolled his eyes.

For the third time now, Jackson insisted on walking me home. We left the building to find that it was raining. It was coming down hard too. We exchanged looks as we stood under the awning of the apartment complex.

"You wouldn't happen to have an umbrella on you, would you?" Jackson asked. I didn't need to answer.

"This is gonna be a fun walk home," I said, pulling my jacket closed. He did the same and took a deep breath.

"If we huddle, we can probably keep warm," he suggested.

"Or do you just wanna be close to me?" I accused. He grinned wide, and I held out my arm. We interlocked our arms and braced ourselves.

"Here we go!" Jackson called out.

With that, we took off. My apartment was quite a ways away. Honestly, one of us should have probably checked the weather, but I guess it slipped our minds. We carefully jogged down the sidewalks. Almost everyone around us had umbrellas. We seemed to be the only ones in the whole city who weren't prepared. The raindrops beat down on my face as we splashed through puddle after puddle. My socks were soaked in a matter of seconds. I've always hated the feeling of wet clothes clinging to my body.

Not only was Mother Nature out to get us, but the walk signs at all the intersections seemed to be working against us too. It felt like forever when we were waiting for them to turn. Jackson was right about one thing though; My right arm was pretty warm, and I'm sure his left was too.

The bakery finally came into our line of sight, and we pushed our pace a little faster to get there. We slid to a stop in front of my door, and I quickly fished through my pockets to get my key. I pulled it out, and it hit the ground with a jingle.

"Bobby! Get it together!" Jackson yelled jokingly as I bent down to pick it up.

"I'm sorry!" I called back. I got up and unlocked the door, and we huddled inside.

Once we were in the cramped hallway that led to the stairs, we could breathe. The rain had no mercy on us, and we were absolutely soaking wet. Our hair was matted down to our foreheads, and the water had beaded on our faces. We definitely didn't have any alcohol left in or systems after that.

"It's the middle of winter! Shouldn't that be snow out there?" I asked rhetorically. Jackson giggled as he caught his breath.

"On the bright side, we got our cardio in for the day," he pointed out.

CRACK! BOOM!

I jumped, and he laughed at me. Lightning had struck right outside the door it seemed like, and thunder began to roll. Not even two seconds later, the rain started to come down even harder. I could barely see into the streets.

"You can stay the night if you want. Probably not a good idea to walk through that," I said, pointing towards the door.

"I'll take you up on that offer," he replied, and I led the way up the stairs.

"Fair warning though; My apartment is pretty small," I said, stopping halfway up the stairs.

"So is everyone else's in this city," Jackson replied. I shrugged my shoulders, and we approached my door. We entered, and I watched as Jackson took it all in.

"Okay, So you live in a closet," he commented.

"I make do with it. Make yourself comfortable. There's a bathroom right over there," I said. I could give him the grand tour of my home with a couple arm gestures. We both shed our soaking wet jackets and set them on the counter. I walked over to my dresser, and found some pajamas to change into.

"Could I steal something for the night?" Jackson asked.

"Nope. You have to sleep naked," I said in a matter-of-fact tone. I shrugged my shoulders and closed the drawer.

"I mean, fine by me," he replied and took his shoes and socks off first. I opened the drawer again and threw some clothes at him.

"Go change before you catch a cold," I told him.

"You sound like my grandma."

"Just do it."

Once the bathroom door closed, I quickly picked some things up. I could at least make it look a little nicer before he got out. I shoved some dirty clothes in the hamper that they were laying around. I tossed some candy wrappers in the trash, and then I saw an unopened condom on my dresser. I shoved it in my nightstand. Maybe I'd need it later... The door clicked open, and I turned to see him standing there, wearing one of my T-shirt's and a pair of my pajama bottoms. It was kind of a turn on.

"I'm gonna take a quick shower," I announced as I made my way past him. Even though I had just gotten out of the rain, the shower's rain was nice. Warm water rushed over my bare skin to wash away all the dirt. It was such a relief.

After getting all clean for him, I opened the door to find him laying in my bed. He was playing some kind of game on his phone. He was getting into too. It was adorable.