Love is Always Write Anthology Volume 7

Jaime doing anything but standing there while somebody helped him get a shitload of grease off his legs. Hell I'll even bet his dick was limp wasn't it, Shane?"
    Shane blanched as he recalled that very fact.
    "Yeah it was but"
    "I said no fucking buts, Shane! Now you listen to me you asshole. You're throwing away the one good thing that ever happened in your shitty life. Jaime! That's right Jaime fucking Devereaux. You're acting like he's done something wrong when in fact all you've succeeded in doing is wrongly accuse the man who loves you of cheating on you, and forcing him into the arms of the bastard who started all this shit to begin with! Now are you honestly going to lie in that fucking bed like some pansy-assed girl and let some son of a bitch take away the only goddamn man you have ever loved? Well? Are you, Shane?
    Shane looked into the blazing eyes of his best friend and realized for the first time just how close he had come to throwing his life away. He swung his legs over the side of the bed, stood up, and strode over to his closet. Flinging open the doors, he grabbed the first pair of pants and shirt he could find and started dressing himself. He vaguely heard Ryan talking on the phone in the background to Tom, his husband, about keeping Jaime there until he and Shane could manage to drive across town. He spun around and stared at Ryan.
    "He's there? He's there at your house with Tom? Jaime is with Tom?"
    "Yeah, where in the hell do you think he's been sleeping for the last 3, make that 4 days?"
    "He's been with you guys all this time?"
    "Yes Shane. Jaime has been with Tom and me since you effectively called him a cheating slut! If you had picked up the goddamn phone you would have known that 4 days ago!"
    Shane dropped his head into his hands and began crying with great gulping sobs. Jaime was with Tom and Ryan. He wasn't with Jim. He hadn't been cheating on him. The relief was so huge that it felt as though a dam had burst deep inside him. He felt Ryan's hand on his shoulder, soothing him and heard his voice saying, "Shhh, it's going to be okay Shane. You'll see. You're going to get him back. I promise. C'mon buddy, we have to get you dressed. Jaime's waiting."
    Jaime was waiting. Those three words were like water in the desert to a thirsty man. Shane drank them down and wiped the tears from his eyes. With Ryan's help he finished cleaning up and got dressed. When he was ready, he asked Ryan to wait in the car for him. Shane made two phone calls. One was to Margaret. First he apologized and then asked her to contact Dexham to let him know that he would be out of the office the rest of the week. He gave Margaret no information as to where he would be, simply telling her he would be back in the office in 5 days. The next call was to a small beachside resort that he and Jaime had gone to for their first anniversary. He booked the honeymoon suite and arranged for champagne and roses to be placed in the room.
    As he walked down the stairs to meet Ryan he mentally began making a list of clothing he would have to buy for himself and Jaime when they got to the resort. Underwear was not on the list.
    ****
    Shane saw the highway sign for the resort and put on his turn signal, taking the exit. Just a few minutes now and he and Jaime could get out of this damned car and finish their discussion. Discussion? More like fight—a knock down drag out fight! Jaime was so pissed at him he was going to be lucky if he spoke to him in the next century let alone that night!
    The reunion at Ryan and Tom's had not gone well. Jaime was icy, distant, and had barely grunted his assent when Shane asked him…no begged him to accompany him to the resort. From that point on Jaime had simply not spoken at all, despite Shane's repeated attempts to draw him out. Shane wasn't really sure why Jaime had agreed to come along on the trip. He took it as a positive sign, however, that the other man would eventually forgive him.
    As they drove the last few miles, Shane tried once again to cajole Jaime into talking with him.
    "So, Jaim, do you remember this place?"
    Silence.
    "It's been what…5 years since we were last here?"
    Silence.
    "I remember our first night when we called for room service and they took so long to get there that we couldn't wait any longer. Hell, I can still see the bellhop's face when he brought up the champagne and you answered the door buck-naked. I thought he was going to burst into flames he was so red in the face.