Page 49 of Country Road Romance

Okay, that’s enough.Get off your ass and go wake up Charlie.

The few feet between the guest bedroom and his old room felt like a mile and, once there, he just stood, uncertain what to do. Even when he pushed the door open and stepped inside he couldn’t bring himself to wake Charlie up, choosing instead to look at his face, still peaceful in sleep.

“Are you going to just stand there and look at me all morning or are you going to invite me to breakfast?”

Jared almost jumped out of his skin.

“I wasn’t staring at you.”

Charlie leaned up in bed and gave him a look. “I think we both know that’s not true. Don’t worry, though. I thought it was kind of cute. But also kind of creepy.”

Once again Charlie gave him that feeling that his whole world was spinning out of control, and if there was one thing that Jared didnotlike, it was chaos and a lack of control.

Pull yourself together, damn it.

“Well, anyway, mom wanted me to tell you that breakfast was going to be ready in a little while. I hope you like waffles.”

Charlie’s eyes lit up at that. “I actually love waffles, but I don’t get to eat them very often.” He looked rather sheepish at that. “Carbs.”

Jared rolled his eyes. “Okay, Mr. Hollywood. Always obsessing about carbs or something rather than just trying to enjoy life’s pleasures. I’ll never understand it.” He stood there for another minute, but when Charlie didn’t move he started tapping his foot. “I’m not leaving until I see that you’re out of bed.”

Charlie actually blushed a little.

“Uh, I’m not actually dressed right now.”

Jared smirked at him. “I don’t think we need to worry about seeing each other naked, do you? Besides, you’re…,” he gestured at Charlie, “you’re Charlie Garrett, the guy who works out all the time and has an actual physical trainer.”

Charlie rolled his eyes. “You’re really not going to move or close your eyes, are you?”

“Not when the view is this good, I’m not,” Jared said.

“Fine.”

Jared wasn’t lying. Charlie was as beautiful naked as he was with his clothes on, of that there was absolutely no doubt. It wasn’t just that he was muscular and toned; he was perfectly proportioned. It might have been cliche, but Jared was reminded of the statues that the ancient Greeks had sculpted of young male beauty. In fact, it occurred to him that Charlie Garrett would have made a very good Alexander the Great.

Now that he had an audience, Charlie moved very deliberately. Whatever his initial hesitation, he clearly liked showing off for Jared, and Jared enjoyed the show just as much.

Finally, though, he managed to get dressed, though Jared was more than a little disappointed to see his beautiful bodydisappear beneath his clothes. Charlie gave him a smirk in return.

“Don’t look so sad,” he said. “I’m sure you’ll get to see it again, soon.”

Jared once again felt that little prickle of unease at the thought of continuing whatever this was with Charlie, at least beyond this weekend, but he pushed it away.

“Boys!” Joyce’s voice came from downstairs. “Are you about ready? Breakfast is on the table!”

“I guess I should have warned you that my mother can be a bit of a nag sometimes.”

“Don’t be so hard on her. She’s just trying to be a good host. Like mother, like son.”

Jared gave him a scathing look, but Charlie just laughed.

A few minutes later the four of them–Charlie, Jared, and Jared’s parents–were seated around the table tucking in to a very delicious helping of waffles. His mother, of course, had made sure to put bowls of strawberries and bananas on the table, too, as well as a very large bottle of syrup that she proudly told them she had bought on their most recent trip to New England.

Jared had to admit that it was very good syrup. In fact the entire meal was delicious, and it brought back some very warm and pleasant memories of his childhood. He kept looking at Charlie, to see what he was making of all of this, but he was so invested in his waffles that he didn’t even look up.

“So,” Joyce said at last, as they were all planning on doing today?”

To be quite honest Jared hadn’t really thought that far ahead, but now he realized that he should show Charlie something other than just his parents’ property.

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