My Brother's Keeper

CHAPTER EIGHT

Using a hand towel  Colin wiped the condensation from the bathroom mirror that his shower had created.  He gazed into the mirror at his reflection once it was visible and wondered if he was doing the right thing by giving in to his desires for Jared.  He was so young and Colin's life was so complicated with everything he was going through.  Yes, Jared was extremely mature for his age, but his youth was still evident and Colin didn't want to do something that would hurt Jared later on like making a rush decision to have sex.  

Colin tried to always put himself in the position of others and not let his selfish tendencies get in the way of decision making.   But this was different he wanted Jared had scenes of them together in his head long before Jared's kiss.  He was so attracted to him, but kept it close to his chest instead of admitting it and letting Jared know.  It should have been the major reason to not come for the visit.  He should have waited with his father and Jared's mom for the graduation.  Now he risked hurting two people;  Allison deserved someone so much better than him and he dreaded having to break off the engagement.  

She'd sounded so happy when he spoke to her on his first night here.  He couldn't get a word in as she went on and on about all of the final plans for the wedding.  That same day she and her mother had attended a cake tasting for the wedding cake and he was thankful that he didn't have to be there to sit through the ordeal.  To be honest, he hadn't participated in much of the planning he always had an excuse ready to skirt any situation and this trip was the best excuse yet.  The flight to Denver allowed him to put miles between any pending wedding plans.  

Truthfully, he'd known from the beginning he wouldn't go through with it, the first indicator was that his mother and stepfather had no idea he was even engaged.  He'd proposed at the prompting of his father on one of his few visits.  He'd shorten spending time with his father since he first suggested the proposal.  His father had gone to far in buying the ring so Colin though that distance from them both was the best defense.  This had only angered his father and in the in the pressure made him drop to one knee at a dinner his father had arranged.  Colin knew the only benefit to marrying Allison was that his father saw it as a way of merging their two companies and turning Colin into a puppet sitting in control of them both while Joseph steered everything behind the scenes.  Now he was going to have to break poor Allison's heart and it was the last thing that should happen to her, she'd never been anything but loving to him.

Colin sighed and pulled on his boxers he'd felt a lot more energy after the shower.  Jared had taken him on a very long sightseeing tour of Denver.  By the time they got home, he'd doubted there was anything else to see in the entire city, but Jared assured him there was more to see tomorrow.  He'd been so excited to show Colin his school and they even visited Jared's dorm room and Colin met a few of Jared's friends, they'd all welcomed him warmly.  He and Jared made plans to join them on a hike tomorrow, so that Colin could see the city from atop of some of the surrounding foothills.

Slowly Colin made his way toward the door, he couldn't avoid Jared forever, but he was going to make sure that they set some terms of their relationship before they went any further.  He didn't want to end up hurting Jared too, and losing a friendship on top of the other losses he was about to face.  Colin stopped in the doorway when he saw the sight of Jared sitting on the bed covered to his waist by the bed sheets.   Colin wondered if he was completely naked underneath the covers.  He couldn't believe that someone that looked like Jared was interested in him in a romantic way.  

Jared laid his Kindle down on the bedside table when he noticed Colin in the doorway, he smiled and pat the side of the bed unoccupied.  Colin smiled back and followed Jared's direction.  He pulled the bed covers back on the opposite side of the bed and climbed under them.