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EVAN HAD ARRANGED for them to have dinner the following night with Roman, just so that Jax had a chance to really meet him as Evan's boyfriend. It was also a chance for Roman to talk – really talk – with Jax. So, of course, he couldn't say no to this even though that's what he wanted to do more than anything else in the world.
Really, he never wanted to get out of something more than this. And it wasn't because Roman was a bad guy – he seemed like a great guy, a really amazingly good guy who loved his brother but it would be awkward and Jax wasn't used to being the one who gives the shovel talk. That was usually Evan with Jax' old boyfriends who never stayed longer.
Wonder why.
And it most definitely had nothing to do with his terrible personality that sometimes took things too far and the fact that he still had an inferiority complex because of his brother becoming a celebrity when they were teenagers.
Definitely not.
So Jax was screwed. He never even thought to give one to Melissa and the girl broke his brother's poor heart. After that, Evan didn't date and, if he did, he never brought them home. Their dad went ape-shit on Melissa after she broke up with Evan and they definitely didn't want that again. So yeah, that was his life.
And he's pretty sure that he's more nervous than Evan and Roman combined even though Roman's the one meeting the brother and Evan has to worry about what Jax is going to say. So that's saying something. And he can't text the groupchat because, obviously, Evan is in it and Lottie won't handle his bullshit because "it's just nerves, Jax, calm the fuck down already".
And this is too personal to tell Joe yet. Maybe later.
When he arrived at the restaurant that Evan had chosen, Jax met them inside and they quickly got seats because it wasn't crowded. Surprisingly. And there was silence as they sat down, no one knowing what to say, until Evan announced that he was going to the bathroom, leaving the brother and the boyfriend alone.
"So..." Roman started, trailing off as he looked at Jax for a moment before looking away.
"So," Jax repeated, hands shuffling against his pants as his leg bounced. He looked around for a moment before looking back at Roman, "Did you or Evan make the first move?"
Roman frowned for a moment before answering. "Me. We got close again after I took on Oliver and I was in L.A. so Evan invited me out for some coffee. To catch up and everything. A couple months later...I kissed him."
"Did he run away? Please tell me that he totally pulled a Cinderella and ran away," Jax pried for more information that could potentially embarrass his brother.
The Mitchell man chuckled and shook his head, "No. He didn't run away, he kissed me back. Look, Jax, I really love your brother and I – I wanna know that it's okay that we're together. You mean a lot to Evan."
Jax stared at him for a moment. It was weird to think about, mattering to his brother. Because his brother only mattered to their parents, he remembered the two always getting on to him for pursing theatre during high school instead of getting a job. "Your brother is making millions while you just put on a little show," they'd say.
And it hurt. Evan was never there to defend him and Jax didn't know how to speak up for himself against them. He was always too scared of what would happen. Even now someone yelling at him still makes him want to cry. Thank you parents for that. So yeah, hearing that he mattered...it just, it was weird.
