Page 59 of Never Too Late

I don’t want to turn my head to see the look on his face right now. I don’t want to make him worry. Things between me and Jae are going great, they’re better than great. They’re perfect. I just can’t say the same for the nights.

“I’m fine, you don’t need to worry.” Lie. “Everything’s okay.” Another lie.

“You know, you don’t have to stay at his house every night. If it’s because you’re staying somewhere new, you’re not familiar with, please come home. I don’t want you to feel like you can’t. I have no problem with him staying over either, I know the way you look at him. I see the way he looks at you. He cares, we both do. Please don’t shut me out now that he’s back.”

Before I can reply, Tyler is already walking away. He doesn’t listen to what I have to say.

He’s hurt.

Please don’t shut me out now that he’s back.

Is that really what I’m doing?

I look over to the couches, seeing that he’s made his way back over with the boys. Frankie has got two of the guitars from the wall, one for both of them. In the background I can hear the boys playing the song we’ve been learning in lessons All My Life by Foo Fighters. The two of them sing along with the chords and Theo smiles looking between both guitars, studying the finger movements.

I should go back to Jae’s house or home to get some sleep. Ty offered. But seeing how he is with the two boys makes me not want to leave. It makes me want to stay. So instead of leaving, I wave Jae over and take a guitar from the wall myself, faking a smile that doesn’t reach my eyes, and join in with the singing.

Chapter thirty-four

Jae

“I’ve fallen asleep every night holding onto your dog tags. Holding on to you, because it’s all I have.”

I’m awoken by the sun as it blissfully beams through the windows. Reflections of oranges and yellows bounce from the mirror on the other side of the room to the walls opposite. Dax’s scent of ocean sea salt invades my senses as I nuzzle my face into his hair.

I've dreamt about this for so long.

Before we left the store last night after the two boys got picked up, I pulled Tyler to the side, asking if it would be okay if I was to take Dax out for the day. He seemed more than happy with the idea; he didn’t hesitate to reply. He mentioned it’s half term for the boys at school, so he’s spoken to their mum about them being in the shop during school hours because she’s also a teacher and needs to be at work. I didn’t question it. I saw how he was with the boys and how he is with Dax especially, he’s amazing. It’s obvious he enjoys their company just as much as they do his. I did, however, stress a million times, that if he needs us for whatever reason, to send either of us a text and we’d be straight back. To which his reply was, “I can manage a shop and two teenagers. You go deal with my brother.”

He’s been more than supportive of our relationship, part of me was worried he wouldn’t approve of me being back, especially with how Dax was after I left. But I can see that he’s happy for his brother. He cares about him, we both do. I’m just more than happy to give Tyler some time to relax.

He deserves happiness too.

I feel Dax to my side, slowly starting to wake up, clearly feeling uncomfortable, fidgeting between the blankets.

“I want to take you on a date,” I say as I wrap my arms around his waist, pulling him close to my body.

“Excuse me?” He’s still half asleep, full of confusion.

Cute.

“A date. Let me take you on one.”

“You don’t need to take me on a date, you do enough for me.” His pale skin starts to blush, similar to the colour of a pink rose.

Admiration, happiness, love.

“Besides, I’m at work today, remember?”

“Nope. Already spoken to Tyler. Frankie and Theo are there again today anyway, he mentioned they’re keeping him company, so he’s fine with you not being there, and I know I don’t need to do anything. But I want to. So, can I take you on a date, pretty boy?”

I did question for a moment how relieved Tyler was about Dax not going into work today, it was almost as though he was about to beg me to keep him away before I asked, telling me that Frankie and Theo are going to be at the shop most of the day anyway as he’d spoken to Novah earlier. There was a sense of familiarity with the way he said her name, and the look on his face when he said it too.

He corrected himself when I gave him a questioning look, but I didn’t push him.

“You can take me anywhere. But let me make sure it’s okay with Ty myself. It’s not fair I’m leaving him on his own so often, he deserves a break too.”

“Hurry up and give him a call then if you need confirmation, because you’ve got ten minutes to get ready, then we’re leaving.”

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