Page 106 of After the Siren
Jake rolled over onto his back, one arm behind his head. ‘Yeah,’ he said, finally. ‘Yeah, it’s ... fucking weird. But I feel kinda good about it. Guess I can stop thinking about whether to do it, now I’ve done it. Gotta deal with some shit tomorrow, but it’s fine.’
‘Like what?’
‘Oh, just talk to Davo, talk to HR, that sort of stuff. I guess they wanna know if I’m gonna make an Instagram reel about liking dick.’
Theo twined their legs together. ‘Still thinking about coming out publicly?’
Jake sighed. ‘Yeah. Like, not right now, but maybe. Not necessarily making a post or something, but I guess ... not hiding it. But also’ – he tipped his head to look at Theo – ‘it might make people ask questions about us. So kinda depends where you’re at.’
‘I have no idea where I’m at,’ Theo admitted.
Jake leaned in to kiss him again, just a brush of his lips against Theo’s. ‘It’s cool,’ he said, pressing another kiss to Theo’s shoulder. ‘We can talk about it later. I reckon you need to sleep.’
‘Probably.’ Theo hesitated. ‘Stay?’
‘Yeah, ’course. Though your sister ...’
‘I’m going to tell her. If that’s okay with you. I think she’s guessed, anyway.’
‘Fine by me. You might wanna shower first, though. I’m not complaining, but ...’
Theo stayed under the shower for a while, resting his head against the glass shower wall and letting hot water run down his back. He got out, eventually, and dug out a spare toothbrush for Jake. The study door was still closed, and he decided he’d talk to Eva in the morning.
Jake went to brush his teeth then got back into bed, nudging Theo onto his side and then pressing himself up against Theo’s back. Theo wouldn’t normally have allowed it, but he was willing to concede that it did feel nice. Comforting. Jake’s arm over his chest, Jake’s chin against his shoulder.
‘Hey,’ Jake said against his ear as Theo was drifting off to sleep. ‘At least now, if we want a threesome, we know who we can ask other than Paddy. Good to have options.’
Theo elbowed him, but not very hard.
Theo woke up pressed against Jake’s back, with one of his arms wrapped around Jake’s chest. Jake took hold of his forearm and murmured discontentedly when Theo tried to move it. Theo managed to extract himself, with some effort, and took a moment to look down at Jake, asleep in his bed. He looked good there.
Theo could hear the blender going in the kitchen and knew Eva would be up; she’d probably already gone for a run. Sure enough, she was sitting at the dining table scrolling on her phone, a half-finished green smoothie at her elbow.
Theo paused in the doorway. ‘Hey, can we chat?’
Eva looked up. She looked tired. She always looked tired these days, and Theo realised with a furl of guilt that, for all he’d wished she’d ask more about what was going on with him, he hadn’t asked about what was going on withher. Had just accepted when she left early, and came home late, and worked weekends, because that was what their siblings did and what their parents had always done.
‘Of course. There’s coffee in the pot.’
He poured himself a cup and took it over to the table. It was one of those silver winter mornings, the weak sunlight stretching tendrils across the floorboards. He sat down and Eva raised an eyebrow.
‘Just so we’re clear, Jake is your mystery boy, right?’
‘Yes.’
‘I see the break-up didn’t stick.’
‘No.’
She nodded. ‘I’m glad. You’re serious about him.’ It wasn’t really a question.
Theo shrugged. He knew he was smiling. Knew he was giving himself away. ‘It’s still kind of new. But maybe.’
She beamed at him. ‘I haven’t seen you smile like that in a long time.’
‘He’s . . . he’s pretty great.’
He saw the moment she switched into lawyer mode. ‘Are you going to tell the team?’
