Page 12 of Jalen & Colby

“Go for it,” Andreas says. He points at the door. “You’ll need to turn the key to get out, though.”

“Girl, who are you expecting to rob you? Spider-Man?” I joke as I drag a giggling Colby over to the patio door and let us out.

Andreas’s chuckles follow us into the lovely warm evening. Even in the dark it’s a wonderful view. The harbor and Opera House are somewhere to the right of us and Manly Beach to the left. Lights twinkle from the houses on both sides of the water where small white boats bob, waiting to go out again the next day. The balcony is huge, and Andreas has a whole-ass sectional out here, so I pull Colby to sit down with me.

“Are you okay?” I whisper.

He blinks his pretty blue eyes and looks up at me from where I’ve tucked him under my arm.

“Me? Yeah. Why?”

I use my hand to indicate Andreas’s apartment. “This is a lot.”

He nibbles his lip, and I curse myself. I don’t want to put doubt in his mind, but at the same time, I have to check in that he’s actually all right and not just going along with my harebrained scheme.

“Yeah, but…it’s fun, right?” he says timidly.

I nod, trying to convey my enthusiasm without overwhelming him. “So fun! And Andreas is super nice. I just…well, you’re my boo and I wanted to double check you were having fun.”

He glances back through the glass door, and I do as well. Andreas looks to be puttering around in the kitchen. Probably putting our leftovers in the fridge and sorting out those groceries he bought.

When I look back, Colby appears thoughtful. But then he smiles at me. “It’s like you said. Andreas can afford it, and we’re not being greedy. I wonder if he’s maybe a bit…well, a bit lonely. Don’t you think?”

I brush a lock of Colby’s sandy blond hair back, my heart aching for him and how selfless he is. “I think you could be right. Andreas seems to want to spoil someone, so why not us? It’s nice to meet a fellow JG nerd, after all.”

“Right?” Colby agrees enthusiastically. “Especially one sohot.”

We burst out laughing and don’t stop until Andreas joins us on the balcony with a tray of glasses filled with water. “Everything good?” he asks with a crooked eyebrow.

I grin as I manage to calm myself down, gratefully taking the drink he offers. I like being a bit drunk, but I don’t want to wake up with a headache. “It’s great, D-Andreas.”

Wow. I know I’ve had Champagne, but the temptation to call him ‘Daddy’ wasstrongjust then. SERIOUSLY, though! I can’t help it. He’s got Daddy vibes rolling off him in every direction.Urgh,he makes me want to be such a naughty brat but at the same time be so good for him. I want him to be proud of me.

But that might be taking something away from Colby, and I’d never do that. I need to at least give him a chance to see if anything’s blooming between him and Andreas before I do anything stupid.

Andreas gives me a knowing smile, which makes me think he caught my almost slip up. But seeing as I was the one who encouraged him to try out the whole sugar Daddy thing, then teased him as we left the restaurant, I’m hoping he doesn’t actually mind.

There’s no denying this whole thing is very unusual and happening extremely fast. Six hours ago, I was sulking because I thought I’d lost the Jurassic Galaxy set to a stranger. Now Colby and I are sharing the gift I so desperately wanted for him, and we’re here getting to know its previous owner.

Not just getting to know. I feel like we’re already becoming friends. I think Colby’s right. Andreas seems like he needs a better work/life balance, and who better to give that to him than two little cuties like me and my bestest friend in the whole wide world?

After making sure we’ve both drunk enough water, Andreas juts his chin back toward the apartment. “So, who wants the spare room and who wants the sofa-bed? I promise both are pretty comfortable, and I’ve got plenty of spare bedding to go around from when my sister and her kids visited a couple of years ago.”

I glance at Colby to find him already looking at me, waiting for me to take the lead. I promised to look after him and keep him close. Sleeping in a stranger’s house—even one as nice as Andreas’s—does come with certain risks and will certainly leave whoever’s out on the couch feeling exposed.

Dang it. If I’m going to lose Colby sooner rather than later, I’m going to take what I can of him now, while I still have the chance.

“Actually, can we share the spare bedroom?”

I watch Colby for his reaction, and he smiles at me with a little nod.

If Andreas is taken aback by my request, he doesn’t show it. He just pauses a second before smiling broadly. “Of course. No problem at all. Let me show you where it is and make sure you’ve got all you need. I have my en suite, so feel free to use the main bathroom as much as you like.”

I love the way he fusses over us as he herds us into the second bedroom and shows us how he’s bought us each a toothbrush. He’s also found two of his T-shirts that we can wear with our underwear to sleep in.

What really squeezes my heart, though, is that he thought to order me makeup remover wipes and moisturizer from the grocery store. He tries to play it cool by saying his sister drilled it into him how you should never sleep in your makeup, but that’s honestly one of the most thoughtful things anyone’s ever done for me, and for once, I find myself struggling for words.

He bids us good night, and Colby and I work naturally around each other to get ready to sleep. When we eventually slip under the covers, Colby automatically nuzzles against me to spoon. We’ve shared beds several times since I arrived in Australia, so it’s no big deal. Or so I tell myself.

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