Page 28 of Just Watch Me

“Jesse. That’s right. How are you? Excited about the new project?”

“Yes, sir, I am.”

Chad pinched his lips together. When he gave a small shake of his head, I lost it.Why should I keep standing in my own way for his benefit?I’d spent my entire life avoiding anything controversial or aggressive, hell, anything assertive. Advocating for myself was as foreign to me as Latin.Where has that gotten me?Stagnant in the same job with the same boss who would happily see me rot as a programming underling as long as it made him look good.

“I didn’t mean to overhear, but you mentioned something about growth opportunities?” My palms were clammy, and perspiration gathered at the back of my neck.

Rick glanced at Chad then back to me. “There are. Are you interested?”

“Yes, sir, I am. I’ve been wanting to explore opportunities in game design. I have ideas and think I could be valuable for that piece of the project.”

Rick’s eyebrow arched. “Thanks, Jesse. I’ll keep that in mind.” He looked back at Chad. “We’ll talk later,” Rick said in a stern voice.

As soon as Rick walked away, Chad’s thin control snapped. “What the fuck was that, Jesse? Trying to throw me under the bus?”

“Throwyouunder the bus? You’ve intentionally held us back for your benefit. It’s wrong, and you know it. No more, Chad.” I clenched my hands into fists. “I’m taking the rest of the afternoon off.” Only a little over an hour remained, but it was the principle. I left before he could stop me.

I was shaking by the time I got back to my desk.

“You all right?”

“Yeah, just feeling off. I’m heading home,” I said to Ben.

“Feel better, dude.”

I nodded and attempted a smile.

By the time I was out of the building and heading back to my apartment, my rage had melted away, leaving a pleasant warmth behind.Pride?An unfamiliar feeling.I did it. I stood up for myself.

When I entered my apartment, I threw my messenger bag on the couch and opened the blinds. I wasn’t sure what to do with myself as adrenaline pumped through my veins. I could burn off the energy in the gym, but that sounded boring. I wanted to celebrate. I wanted to do something bold, brave, something that helped me continue my high.

As I paced my apartment, I noticed movement in Skylar’s. He would be thrilled for me. He’d seen in me what I couldn’t, what I was capable of.Why hadn’t I?

My heart squeezed as I thought about the number of days we had left together. Single digits.Do I really want to spend them in the friend zone when we could play in the bone zone?We may be running out of time in the same city, but I didn’t have to spend that time living in fear of messing things up with him.

I’d spent much of our time together waiting for Skylar to get bored with me, but it had never happened. It was time I accepted that maybe he really did want to be around me. If circumstances were different, he might even want to bewithme.

I was already so attached to him. It would break my heart when he left.So why not make more memories I can hold on to? What will I regret more? Not experiencing what it felt like to touch Skylar and be touched by him or my heartache running a little deeper?In the months to come, when I would feel sorry for myself, I would much rather cheer myself up with thoughts of how his skin felt under my hands instead of just my speculation.

Skylar looked out his window and smiled when he saw me. He still had his work clothes on, a slim-fitting charcoal suit.

It wasn’t even a decision at that point. Leaning into instinct and raw desire, I grabbed the hem of my shirt and pulled it over my head and held his eye contact as I unbuttoned my jeans and pulled down the zipper. Skylar’s mouth fell open.

I attempted my sexiest smirk and crooked my finger at him. We stared at each other for a long moment, then Skylar turned into a charcoal blur bolting out of his apartment.

CHAPTER15

As soon as Skylar was out of sight, my confidence began to escape like a slow tire leak. It wasn’t a long trek from his part of the building to mine, so I used the short window to distract myself by closing the blinds and unlocking my door.

Do I really want to do this?Yes, yes, I did.

I pulled my jeans off so there would be no mixed signals when Skylar arrived.Should I pull out lube and condoms? Or let it play out naturally?I was already in over my head.

After seeing each other come three times, the need to get my hands on him overwhelmed me. Especially since I was minutes away from finally, finallytouching Skylar like I’d been wanting to.

It was difficult to reconcile the sexy neighbor who’d fucked the hell out of a stranger over his couch with the sweet, kind, hilarious guy who liked spending time withme. I jumped at the knock on my door.

I swallowed. “It’s open.”

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