Page 12 of The Holiday Boyfriend

Austin didn't shake him off. I turned to look at him, feeling some kind of hurt that I had no right to feel. Austin could choose to go home with whoever he pleased, and I had no way to stop him.

As one last ditch effort, I asked, “Are you going home withhimor me?” I spat out the word “him” like it physically hurt me to say it.

I tried to put confidence into the question, but worry and doubt crept through my blood like poison. What if Austin chose his ex? They had dated for a reason, but I had to remember that they didn’t work and had broken up.

Austin dazedly looked between the two of us, his gaze stopping on Jared's. My heart stopped, and I turned, ready to leave with my tail between my legs at his choice, when I felt a tug at the corner of my shirt.

Austin looked up at me with round, watery eyes that were tinted red from his drunken state. My heart restarted, beating double time at his adorable appearance.

Fuck,how had I never noticed how cute Austin is?

And now that I had, I wanted to bring him into my arms and hide him from the world. I didn't want anyone to see him like this but me.

I couldn't do that, because that was a ridiculous thought, but I did gather Austin into my arms. His parents always complained about how skinny Austin was, and considering he felt a lot lighter than I was expecting, I saw they had a point. I made a mental note to make sure he was properly eating his meals later.

Austin sighed into my arms and closed his eyes. When he snuggled into my chest, something unlocked in my heart and melted at the sweet man in my embrace.

I knew it was petty, but I shot Jared a victorious smirk and basked in his sour expression as Icarried my best friend out of the pub.

The metal wall décor by the door caught my eye. Two Doves kissing was a common decoration around town, but something about this one felt different. Maybe it was the way the dim pub lighting caught the beady eyes of the Dove facing me, but its eyes almost looked alive and followed me for a brief second before turning dull again.

I blamed seeing things on the lack of sleep from the past few days and walked out into the cool evening night.

Levi and Felix—who I hadn't known was drinking with them—were waiting for us outside. Their conversation stopped when we approached them.

“Is he okay?” Felix asked as he glanced at Austin with a worried look. Austin had his eyes closed and was softly snoring into my shirt.

“He'll be fine. I'll get him home and hydrate the hell out of him. You two need a ride home?” They looked steady on their feet, but they shouldn't be driving after drinking.

Levi shook his head. “My dad's running an errand in town. He'll get us home safely. You just take care of your man.”

“I will,” I said with a wide smile. I knew he didn't mean anything by that statement, so why did it sound so right? Austin was mine, maybe not in the way that lovers claimed each other, but he was mine nevertheless.

“Call me if you need anything,” I said before nodding goodbye to them and heading to my truck. Austin wasn't heavy, but carrying a grown man was still tiring. It didn't take long to have him buckled in the passenger seat and five minutes later, I was parking in our small apartment complex.

Austin didn't stir the entire time. I walked around to his side of the car, opened the door, and called out to him. “Austin, we're home,” I said, lightly shaking him.

He groaned and peeled his eyes open. His black pupils were so blown they completely overtook his blues, but there was a dreamy expression on his face as he smiled up at me.

“Jim,” he whispered before closing his eyes again. Accepting my fate, I scooped him into my arms once again and carried him inside the building. Fortunately, the elevator was already waiting on the first floor.

Once inside our home, I gently placed Austin on the couch as I headed into the kitchen to fill a cup of water. I made sure to grab a plastic cup in case Austin dropped it. We didn’t need him around shattered glass in his drunken state.

“Austin, wake up,” I called as I helped him sit up. It seemed that he hadn't fallen into a deep sleep yet as he quickly shook his head awake again. I knelt by the couch and handed him the cup. I kept my hand wrapped around his to help him hold the cup.

“This dream feels so real,” he said. I chuckled and brought the cup to his lips.

“This isn't a dream. C'mon, drink your water. You need to hydrate,” I coaxed, and thankfully, he didn't fight me. I slowly tipped the cup as he gulped down the liquid. The cup was quickly drained, and I stood to refill it, but Austin grabbed the end of my shirt again.

“Don't leave,” he whined. His eyes rounded with sadness, and I quickly went back to my knees. A sad Austin was the last thing I wanted.

“I'm here. I won't go anywhere,” I said softly. He was shivering slightly, so I took the seat beside him and wrapped an arm around him.

“You promise? You won't leave me alone for the festival again? Like last time?” His voice sounded so small.

I wasn't one hundred percent sure what he meant, but agreeing to stay with him wasn't a hardship. Spending the holiday festival together had become a tradition of sorts for us, since neither of us tended to have a partner when winter came around.

The only exception was a few years ago when an ex-girlfriend nagged at me to spend the holidays with her somewhere warm. I had reluctantly agreed, since giving in to her seemed like the easiest solution at that time, but I missed home—and Austin—the entire trip. It didn't come as a shock that we ended up breaking up not long after returning to town.

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