by Andria Large
“There’s nothing left here, Mal. We both want totally different things. Go find a guy who wants kids.”
“But I love you, Jayme.”
“I love you too, Mal, but this isn’t working for me. We’ve grown apart, and I can’t trust you. It’s really not fair to either of us. All we do is fight, and I don’t want to live like this anymore.”
Mallory nodded, tears streaking down her flushed cheeks. He didn’t feel bad, not one bit. She had to have known this was coming.
"I'll be contacting a lawyer to get the paperwork drawn up. I'll let you know when I get it," he said.
"Are you sure we can't work this out, Jayme?" Mallory sniffed and wiped tears from her face.
Jayme shook his head. He'd already made up his mind and nothing she said could change it. "No, Mallory. We can't."
She dropped her head into her hands and cried.
"I'm gonna go. I'll talk to you soon."
He shoved up out of the chair and headed for the door. He’d have to find an apartment or something. He didn’t care about the house, she could have it.
It was his day off, he headed over to the gym to work off some of his aggravation and a little bit of heartache. He did some weight training, then hopped on the treadmill for a good run. He was about halfway through his run, when someone jumped onto the machine next to him. He glanced over to see a familiar handsomely dimpled face smiling at him.
“Hey, partner!” Tripp chirped.
Jayme rolled his eyes and turned to focus on the TV screen in front of him. He wasn’t in the mood for Tripp’s--bubbly, for lack of a better word--personality. Judge Judy was on. Not that he really cared, but it could be entertaining at times. He'd rather watch that than deal with Tripp right now. Usually, he’d have his earbuds in while listening to some rock music, but he forgot them today. Tripp started up his machine and set his pace.
“How’s it going?” Tripp asked him.
He debated on telling Tripp about the divorce. They have been kinda becoming friends over the past week and a half, so he figured what could it hurt?
“I asked my wife for a divorce this morning,” he said, his voice low and flat. He didn’t bother looking at Tripp. He didn’t want to see the sympathy he was sure was in the guy’s eyes.
“Shit man, I’m sorry to hear that. I guess it’s for the best though, huh?”
“Yeah.”
“Are you...are you looking for a place to live? I have a spare room that I’m looking to rent out if you’re interested,” Tripp said hesitantly, as if he wasn’t sure Jayme would appreciate the offer.
Jayme turned to look at him, eyebrow raised. “I am actually.”
“I have a house and the bills are starting to creep up on me. I need a roommate. It’s yours if you want it,” Tripp said casually with a shrug of his shoulder.
Jayme watched him for a moment. Did he want to live with his partner? They got along okay. If anything, it would make them better partners and friends.
He nodded, decision made. “I’m going to take you up on that, Tripp. Thanks.”
Tripp grinned wide, those dimples of his deepening. Jayme’s stomach fluttered for some odd reason. “Great! The room is ready whenever you are.”
“You busy after this? I could use some help packing up a few things,” he asked.
“I’m all yours, Man.” Tripp nodded.
After they finished their work out, Tripp followed Jayme to his house. Luckily, Mallory wasn’t home. Jayme went into the garage to grab a couple boxes they could put stuff in. He was mostly going to be taking his clothes and shoes, but there were a couple of other things that were his that he wanted. Like his guns and fishing rods. There were also some books and photo albums that were his. He was also going to take the TV from the bedroom since he actually bought that before they were married.
They worked in relative silence. He mostly directed Tripp on what to put in the boxes. When they were done, they loaded up the boxes, rifle cases and fishing rods into his work truck. He was going to have to come back for his other truck after they dropped this stuff off at Tripp’s.
Tripp led the way to his house, which wasn’t too far from Jayme’s. It was in the same town, just a different development. They pulled into the driveway and each grabbed a box to bring in with them. Tripp unlocked the door to the two-story house and walked in.
It opened into a living room on the left and an office on the right. The stairs were against the right wall after the office doorway. Past the living room was a wide-open kitchen with a breakfast bar separating the two spaces. It was neat and clean, and he liked it.
Tripp turned to him and the expression on his face had him frowning. “What’s wrong?”
“There’s something I should tell you and I hope it doesn’t change anything, but I can’t not tell you and have you find out later, and realize it’s a problem,” Tripp said, biting the corner of his bottom lip in worry.
“Okay?”
“I’m gay.”
He blinked at Tripp. He had no idea. Was he surprised? Yeah. Did it change anything? He didn’t think so. Could he live with a gay guy? Sure, why not?
“I mean, I understand if you change your mind about living here...” Tripp rushed to say.
“No. No, it’s fine. I don’t mind. It’s no big deal,” he interrupted. “I’m just a little surprised. I never would have guessed.”
Tripp smiled brightly. “Yeah, I know. I don’t really project a gay vibe. I get that all the time.”
“You’re not gonna come onto me now, are you?” He grinned crookedly, trying to make light of the situation.
“Not unless you want me to,” Tripp said with a sultry smile and a wink that actually had his heart racing.
Jesus, what was it with this guy that had him having these weird reactions? Yeah, Tripp was an attractive guy, but he had never been attracted to a man before. Was he attracted to Tripp? Is that what it was? Nah. Couldn’t be. Then why was he getting butterflies in his stomach whenever the guy smiled? Fuck, if he knew. It was an odd reaction. It didn’t mean a damn thing.
“Come on. I’ll show you to your room,” Tripp said, bringing him out of his thoughts.
He followed Tripp upstairs. Tripp showed him where the bathroom and laundry room was, then showed him, his room, which was across the hall from Tripp’s room. The bathroom in the hall would be his, since Tripp had an ensuite bathroom in his room. They piled his stuff in the corner, then went back to get the rest out of the truck. After they were done, they went down to the kitchen where Tripp went to the fridge and pulled out a couple of beers for them. Tripp cracked one open and handed it to him.
He eyed Tripp suspiciously as he took the bottle. “Are you even old enough to drink?” He teased.
“Shut the fuck up. I’m thirty.”
“Really? Shit, I thought you were in your early twenties with that baby face and those dimples.”
Tripp gave him a bored look that had him laughing.
“To new roommates,” he said and clinked it against Tripp’s bottle before they both took a long swig of the cold beer.
~~~
Tripp
Tripp was startled awake by a scream. He darted into a sitting position in his bed. Maybe it was a dream? He scrubbed his hand over his face to try and wake up some more. Another anguished cry met his ears. It sounded like Jayme. Tripp tossed his covers and ran to his door. He pulled it open, then stopped in front of Jayme’s door across the hall. He debated on knocking, but another cry came from beyond and Tripp didn’t hesitate another second. He shoved open the door and rushed to the bed.
In the dark, he could see Jayme thrashing around. He must be having a nightmare. It was a hell of a nightmare though to be thrashing and screaming. Tripp pressed a knee to the bed and put his hand to Jayme’s bare chest.
“Jayme?” he called, raising his voice a bit.
Jayme gasped loudly. The next thing he knew, the hand that was on Jayme’s chest was wrenched around, making him turn his body
while Jayme’s other arm came around his neck. He was practically lying on Jayme, his back to Jayme’s front, with his arm twisted behind his back, Jayme’s muscled arm squeezed at his throat.
He used his free hand to grip the arm around his throat. “Jayme! Jayme! It’s me! It’s Tripp!”
“Tripp?” Jayme breathed.
“Yeah, Tripp. Your partner and roommate,” Tripp said as calmly as possible while in a choke hold.
The arm around his neck loosened and fell away. “Shit.” Jayme hissed.
Tripp rolled, putting himself on his stomach next to Jayme. He pushed up to his elbows and looked over at his partner. Jayme’s hands covered his face and he was breathing heavily.
“Wanna tell me why you put me in a choke hold?” he asked gently.
Jayme dropped his hands and looked over at him, his eyes filled with sorrow and anguish. His heart broke. Whatever it was, it was bad.
“I... uh... I was a Marine for ten years before I became a game warden,” Jayme explained. “I was overseas for five of those years. Saw some horrific stuff. I haven’t had a nightmare like that in a while. I think being in new surroundings set it off. I’m sorry. I didn’t hurt you, did I?”
“No, you didn’t. Just caught me off guard. You moved fast,” he replied with a slight smile.
Jayme huffed out a laugh. “You shouldn’t wake me when I’m having a nightmare.”
“Good to know.” He scoffed and rolled his eyes.
“I’m sorry. I should have mentioned it.”
“It’s fine. It’s not like it came up in conversation. Are you okay, though?”
Jayme nodded. “Yeah, I’m okay. Thanks.”
He pushed to his knees and patted Jayme’s chest. “All right. I’ll let you go back to sleep and I’ll ignore your screaming.”
Jayme sighed and rubbed his face. “Okay.”
“Is there anything I can do for you?” he asked softly. He hated that Jayme was struggling with this.
Jayme shook his head. “No. No, I’m okay. Go ahead back to bed. I’m just gonna watch TV for a little while or something.”
“Okay.” He got up and headed for the door. He heard Jayme gasp and then groan behind him. A grin curled Tripp's lips. “That’s right, I’m gonna be telling everyone you put a naked gay guy in a choke hold in your bed.”
“Oh, my fucking God.” Jayme groaned but then burst out laughing.
He laughed too. He opened the door, gave his own ass a smack, then walked out of Jayme’s room. Jayme was howling with laughter as Tripp shut his door. Smile still on his face, he crawled back into his bed and settled down to get some sleep. It was only their first night as roommates, but it’d been an exciting one. He laughed to himself. Jayme’s reaction was perfect. He wasn’t sure how Jayme would feel once he noticed that Tripp was naked, but he’s glad that Jayme took it so well.
The next morning, he yawned loudly as he walked into the kitchen. He’d put on a pair of plaid pajama pants, remembering that he couldn’t walk around the house naked anymore now that he had a roommate.
Jayme was sitting at the table with a coffee and a plate of eggs. The man’s lips twitched as he took a sip of his coffee. Tripp grinned wide. Jayme set his coffee mug down and lifted his eyes to meet Tripp’s. He then quick looked away and shook his head.
“Nope. I can’t do it. I can’t even look at you right now.” Jayme laughed.
Tripp chuckled and went about making his own coffee and some breakfast. They had work today. Luckily, now that they were living together, they could ride in together in their work truck. Not only was he saving in bills for the house, but also on gas too.
Just as he was sitting down to eat, Jayme was getting up to wash his dish. Jayme continued to avoid eye contact, which made him snicker. “You can’t avoid me. I’ll be sitting next to you all day.”
“Don’t fucking remind me,” Jayme grumbled teasingly. “I’m going to take a shower and get ready. Don’t make me late, Rookie.”
“Yes, Sir.”
Jayme sent him a glare as he walked out of the kitchen. He smiled to himself. Jayme was fun to tease.
They walked into the station an hour later and into the conference room where their shift meeting is always held. Jayme seemed anxious next to him as they sat down at the table behind Jayme’s former partner, Brendan, and his rookie partner, Will. He wondered if Brendan knew about Jayme’s nightmares. They had been partnered for four years so he had to assume that the man knew. However, it was sort of a personal thing and Jayme might have kept it to himself. Jayme probably never would have told him about it if last night didn’t happen.
They all bullshitted for a few minutes until Sgt. Bernard walked in and gave them the low down on what was going on for the day. After the meeting was over, they all filed out of the room and to their vehicles.
Jayme sat there unmoving for a moment before turning and looking at him questioningly. “You didn’t say anything about last night.”
He smiled softly and shook his head. “It would have given too much away. I didn’t think you wanted people questioning why you were having a nightmare.”
Jayme blinked at him for a second then nodded sharply. “Thank you. I appreciate that.”
“It can be our little inside joke.”
One side of Jayme’s mouth kicked up. “Okay.”
“Is that why you were so anxious before?” he asked. “You thought I was going to tell everyone about last night?”
“Well...yeah.”
He shook his head slightly. “Maybe once you get to know me better, you’ll realize I’m not a heartless bastard.” He chuckled.
“I don’t think you’re a heartless bastard. I just figured it was good ribbing material.”
“It is. But with the sensitive material attached to it, I didn’t think it was appropriate.” He shrugged.
“Like I said, I do appreciate you keeping it between us,” Jayme said sincerely.
“You’re welcome.”
“Shall we go get some coffee?” Jayme asked.
“Yes, we shall,” he replied with an easy smile.
CHAPTER THREE
Jayme
A WEEK later, Jayme and Tripp were tasked to work Lake Travis for Memorial Day weekend to make sure everyone was being safe. People were spread out over the lake in boats, jet skis, inner tubes, and anything else that would float.
Jayme was driving their boat slowly around the throngs of people, stopping every now and then to do random water safety checks. They stopped next to a particularly rowdy group, and he knew it was going to be trouble. Everyone on board seemed to be drunk except for the driver, which was a plus for them.
“Hey there, fella’s,” Tripp said as he sidled the boat up next to theirs. “We’re doing random water safety checks today. Making sure everyone is being safe.”
There were six guys on the boat. A couple even looked underage. One overly boisterous guy yelled. “Fuck off, we ain’t doin' nothin' wrong!”
“Rob, chill out,” the driver bit out.
He glanced at Tripp to see his normally jovial partner looking hard and unyielding. Uh oh, this was the street cop coming out in him. He found out a several days ago that Tripp used to work for the Austin PD. They had pulled someone over for speeding and Tripp went into street cop mode, and it threw him for a loop. He didn’t think the guy had a mean bone in his body, but shit, he certainly did. The guy in the car had given them a hard time and he thought he was going to have to handle it, but Tripp took control and handed the man his ass on a platter. Wrote him up for multiple violations just to be a dick.
“I need everyone to hold up a life jacket. Everyone on board should have one,” Tripp said.
The men rummaged around until all of them held up a life jacket just like Tripp had asked.
“Happy now, Officer,” the man the driver called Rob said mockingly.
“I need to see everyone’s ID,” Tripp said, ignoring Rob.
Everyone on the boat grumbled, a couple even blam
ing Rob for opening his fat mouth, as they pulled out their ID’s. Tripp collected all of them and checked them over one by one, making sure no one was underage. Tripp handed one back to Jayme.
Jayme looked at the out of state license and knew immediately that it was a fake. He looked at the kid whose ID it was, and he could see that the kid was fidgety. A lot of times when kids got fake ID’s made, it was an out of state license that was easier to duplicate. Also, the name on it was a dead giveaway that it wasn’t his.
He handed it back to Tripp with a nod. Tripp held up the ID to show the kids. “I need George Costanza to step over this way.”
He rolled his lips in as he fought not to laugh. The kid whose ID it was stepped forward, and Tripp had him come onto their boat. Tripp sat the kid down on the bench in the back, and then stood over him with his hands on his hips.
“George, which baseball team do you work for?” Tripp asked, deadpan.
Jayme covered up his laugh with a cough. The kid looked at Tripp in complete and utter confusion.
“What baseball team do I work for?” the kid asked.
“If you were truly George Costanza, you would know,” Tripp said. “It’s the New York Yankees, by the way.”
The kid’s mouth worked, and he glanced over at his friends as if looking for help. None of them knew what the hell Tripp was talking about either. Jayme shook his head. Morons.
“How about you tell me your real name or produce your real ID.” Tripp demanded from the kid.
“That is my--“ He started, a defiant glint in his eyes. Jayme knew then this kid was going to give them hell.
“Don’t even finish that sentence, man. You’re lying to me. I want the truth, or I’ll arrest you for obstructing an investigation.”
“It’s Shaun White.”
Tripp made an aggravated noise. Jayme could tell he was losing his patience. “What kind of idiot do you think I am? You think I don’t know who Shaun White is? Last chance, kid.” Tripp pulled his cuffs from his belt. “Please, give me a reason to slap these on you.”
“Just tell him, Dude.” The driver sighed.
