More Than a Contract (mxm)

Part 11: "It Smells Great"

When I finally get in touch with Jaxson the next day, he sounds tired. He asks if he can pick me up after work, but I tell him I'm not working today. There's brief silence, then he asks if he can pick me up in ten minutes, and I say fine.

It's time to face this.

He comes in the less flashy car, and when I get in the back, he greets me in a sort of detached manner, like he's greeting an acquaintance.

I do the same right back to him.

Soon we reach the house and go inside, and I wonder what I'm supposed to say right now, but he doesn't let me say anything, he just asks me to follow him, so curiously, I do. God, if there's some lawyer hiding around here somewhere, waiting for me to sign an annulment or cancellation document or whatever, I'm going to feel very stupid and truthfully, very sorry.

He takes me to my room, well the room I sometimes occupy, and I freeze at the door, staring at all the changes he'd made.

It's a different color – from peach to light blue. Then there's all the stuff on the bed, new sheets, new clothes, new toys, everything new, even the bed.

"It was my oversight that some things were left from... before," he says coolly. "As you can see, everything is different now, brand new, and I hope that you like it better now." Pause. "I hope that you will want to stay."

I look at him curiously. He seems uncomfortable, like he doesn't know whether to look at me or somewhere else. He runs a hand through his hair.

"Oh, thanks," I say for lack of anything else to say.

"Would you..." he blinks a few times "...would you like to have lunch with me?"

I stare. "Oh, sure."

He nods, then goes out into the kitchen, where there's leftovers, I assume from last night or whenever last he cooked. The table is set, he just has to put food on the plates, which he does as I watch his every movement. When everything is ready, he licks his lips and looks at me.

I wait.

"Is this okay?" he asks.

"Yes," I say, trying to smile. "It smells great."

He nods again and starts to eat, so I follow his example. We eat silently for a bit, then he breaks the silence by asking, "How is work?"

I frown, surprised that he's asking me a question. "It's fine, as always."

"You're not going every day?"

"No, actually, I'm studying to be a life coach."

He blinks, his hand frozen win the air. "Oh. That's good."

"Go ahead, laugh at me for wanting to be something made up on television."

"No, Remy," he says, putting his fork down. "I really think it's great that you're pursuing something connected to your degree, something that you're passionate about."

I feel my face going hot, so I focus on my food, hoping I'm not all red from his praise.

He chuckles. "I love it when you blush for Daddy."

I almost choke on my lunch.

There's more silence while I finish everything on my plate, and when I look up, he's waiting for me patiently, smiling.

"So..." I trail off.

"Would you like something else? Dessert?" he says, then jumps out of his chair. "Wait, I think I have some pie."

And then he serves blueberry pie on a plate. It's cute.

"So when you say study, are you going down to the college or...?"

"I'm studying online."

He nods. "And how is, uhh, that going?"

I wonder why he's asking me all these questions since he's clearly not comfortable doing it. "It's fine. It's interesting, really, but I'll have to go through a lot of modules and then learn some marketing before I can start my own business. Well, online practice, really."

He frowns. "Online? Surely face to face is better."

"Well, it's not something a lot of people need or have even heard about, it's not like therapy, so you need to be able to cast a wider net. When you do it online, people from all over the world can hire you."

"Makes sense," he says. "But I still think you can do better."

I shrug. "I'm just starting."

"Right," he says, smiling softly. "I'm sure you're going to be a fantastic life coach."

Fuck, this is nice, and weird. Talking to Jaxson like we're actually together.

I frown. "Should we talk about... Saturday?"

"If you wish," he says. "But I heard everything you said and think I have addressed those issues. If I've missed anything, just let me know."

I laugh at the way he approaches everything so formally. "You know this is a human relationship, right? Not some kind of business deal."

He sighs. "I'm trying, Remy."

"I know," I say. "I'm sorry. I'm not trying to make you feel bad, I'm just trying to say thank you. You know, for doing all this."

He nods, smiling again. "Of course."

So in coming here I had prepared myself to yell and argue, even break off this whole thing, but now we're smiling at each other like nothing happened.

"Oh," I say. "Do you have any complaints?"

He blinks. "What?"

"Well, I had some, and you've made changes, but do you have any things you'd like me to work on? It's only fair."

"Yes, I do actually," he says, then starts listing them. "First I would like you to stop implying that I'm cheating on you when nothing could be further from the truth. I would also like to be able to always get in touch with you, rather than having you disappear on me and having to chase you all across town. Finally, I would like to be able to talk about these issues, rather than having to yell in public places, so if you have concerns, please tell me in advance, so we can discuss it like adults."

Wow.

"Is that all right?" he says a little coolly.

I flush. "Yes, those terms are, uhh, fair. I mean, I'll work on it."

He relaxes. "Good, you do that."

So what do we think? Do we forgive Jaxson?

I'm publishing the next chapter today too, because this chapter is very short for some reason. Oops.