by Geneva Vand
Aiden blushed. "Did you want to talk to me, then? I can't imagine why. I haven't made the best impression."
"Nah. It's been entertaining." Jason's grin was devastating.
Aiden could feel his cheeks heat more and he hid behind his coffee. "Glad to be of service."
Jason kicked the toe of his shoe. "So can I get my caffeine and join you?"
"A little late to be asking isn't it?" Aiden smirked and raised a brow.
"I'm taking that as a yes. Be right back." Jason stretched his way out of the chair and wandered over to the line at the counter.
Aiden decided there was no point in trying to be discreet and simply watched him. Jason was so nice to watch.
Jason turned with his coffee and caught him staring. Aiden grinned unrepentantly.
Jason shook his head and made his way back to the table. His occupation of the chair was a bit less dramatic this time. He took a drink of his coffee and sighed. "Bliss."
Aiden laughed. "Are you one of those people that isn't human before coffee consumption?"
"Not normally, no. But I was babysitting last night."
Babysitting? That was interesting. Aiden focused on Jason's face and noticed the dark circles under his eyes. "It went that well, huh?"
Jason groaned. "I was babysitting twin seven-year-old boys. It went about as well as it could."
"Oh, good lord."
"Rina had a work thing and Mark had a different work thing, so they begged me. Rina's puppy-dog eyes are almost as good as the boys', by the way. So I was like, okay, it's only for a few hours."
"And?"
Jason leaned across the table toward Aiden and whispered conspiratorially. "I think they put them under some kind of evil-child spell."
Aiden let out a startled burst of laughter.
Jason grinned and continued in a more normal voice. "Yup. Luke put a pork chop bone in the garbage disposal and somehow dumped spaghetti sauce on the carpet in a room we weren't even eating in. Nicky broke a plate and a glass. I don't know what the weird brown stain on the kitchen floor is, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't there when Rina and Mark left. And they both drew on the wall in the hallway by the bathroom instead of brushing their teeth. And the house in general looked like a war zone."
Aiden stared. "All of that in a few hours?"
Jason huffed out a breath and nodded.
Aiden nodded back slowly. "Well, on the bright side, they're never ever going to ask you to babysit again."
"Right?" Jason's expression was so earnest.
Aiden couldn't help but laugh at the man. "You realize that's like something out of a cartoon, right? All that actually happened? Seriously?"
Jason laughed with him until they were sitting at the table giggling like little kids. "Swear to God. It really happened. Man, you should've seen Rina's face when she got home. The boys were in bed, but all the evidence was still there. It's not like I had time to get the stains out or paint the wall. Every time she found something her eyes just got bigger and bigger until I thought they were gonna pop right out of her head."
"Oh God." Aiden dropped his head on the table and wheezed. "What'd she say?"
Jason laughed harder. "That's the best part," he gasped. "She looked all around and thanked me for babysitting and told me she was going to bed. I just stood there and stared at her like she was crazy. She told me Mark could deal with his own damn little monsters this time because she was tired, and went to bed. It was great."
"What'd you do?"
"Are you kidding? I ran for it before Mark got home. I haven't heard from him yet." Jason shrugged.
"Hmmm. I can only presume he's in shock."
"Yeah. That's my theory, too."
Both men were quiet for a moment, sitting back and drinking their coffee.
"Own little monsters?" Aiden asked finally. "Are the boys not Rina's? Mark and Rina aren't together?"
Jason shook his head. "Rina, Sabrina actually, and Mark are my cousins. Mark is Rina's younger brother. His wife died of cancer a few years back, right before the boys started first grade."
"That's horrible." Watching your wife go through that and trying to take care of the kids during and after? Aided couldn't imagine how people came out the other side of things like that.
Jason gave a sad looking shrug. "It wasn't pretty, but cancer never is I guess."
Aiden blew out a breath. "Yeah. So Rina moved in with her brother to help out?"
"Toward the end when Liz was really sick. They thought it would be temporary. But it worked out well so they're just kind of feeling their way. Rina dotes on the boys, and Mark appreciates the help with the whole single dad gig. Nicky and Luke love having their aunt around. It works for everyone right now and there's plenty of room in the house."
"That's pretty cool actually."
"It is." Jason grinned. "When my landlord kicked me out so he could remodel, I decided to move closer instead of staying where I was at. That way they have another option if they want to make changes. Besides, I kind of missed them all. We grew up practically next door to each other, so we've always been pretty tight. They're more like my brother and sister than my cousins."
"It's nice to be close to family. Most of mine is a few days drive away. My cousin Sean and his wife are the only ones in town. And we're not nearly as close as you and Rina and Mark."
Jason's eyebrow went up. "Is Sean the owner of the homicidal dog?"
Aiden snorted. "Yes, but don't worry. Loki is safely contained in the apartment until his walk later."
"You didn't bring him with you?"
"I brought him Wednesday morning and he tried to kill the barista by wrapping his leash around her ankles and tripping her while she was carrying, like, a ton of stuff. I thought it might be wise to leave him at home today."
Jason smirked. "We're terrible babysitters."
Aiden grinned back. "We really are. But at least he's only gotten away the once, and he shouldn't be able to get up to too much more before Sean picks him up in a few days." Jason snickered and Aiden shrugged. "Hey, at least there's no evidence on the hallway wall." That apparently warranted a glare. Aiden blinked innocently and drank the last of his coffee.
Jason snorted and checked the time on his phone. He sighed. "As nice as this is, I have to go. I have a Skype appointment with a customer in a bit."
"You'll have to tell me what you do next time. Because I'm curious now."
Jason grinned. "Hah. You've just committed to a next time."
"I suppose I have." Aiden blushed. "I'm sure you'll see me around."
Jason laughed as he got up. "I'm sure I will. Pet the dog for me."
Aiden hummed noncommittally and watched him walk away. Why did Hot Guy have to be nice, too? It just wasn't fair. One man should not be that interesting and nice and hot as sin.
If Jason decided to come after him, and it looked like he was going to, Aiden was doomed. Completely, totally, utterly doomed.
Oh well. There were worse ways to go.
Jason groaned inwardly as he walked through the doors into the chill air of the local chain grocery store. Why was the milk always at the back of the store? And not just the back of the store, but the back corner farthest from the main entrance.
That was literally all he needed. Just the milk. Not even eggs. It should take five minutes. But the milk was in the back, so he had to park, hike, find it, hike some more, and then check out. There was no way it would take less than fifteen minutes all said and done. He was going to the damn gas station next time.
Jason was so distracted by his internal rant that he almost passed right by his Panther. He was already turning down the next aisle when his brain caught up to his eyes. He paused for a moment then retraced his steps.
He looked down the freezer aisle and grinned. Sure enough, there was Aiden. The lanky man was
staring at the cooler with what seemed to be very sincere concentration. His hands were planted firmly on his hips, drawing Jason's attention down. His legs
just never ended. Jason wondered if Aiden would wrap them around a lover. Or maybe he would just tangle them all up together. Mmmm...
Jason shook his head. It was a bit soon for that type of nonsense. He hadn't even coaxed the man out on an actual date yet, even though he'd ambushed Aiden around town a few more times in the last couple weeks. A date should probably be his primary goal. With that more timely thought in mind, he wandered down the row of freezers.
When he got closer, he realized Aiden was muttering to himself. Something about difficult decisions and mustn't make the wrong choice. Curious he sidled up next to Aiden to see what the man was so focused on.
Oh. That was just precious.
Aiden looked at the freezer, considering his options. So many options. So many really yummy, really unhealthy options.
He looked at his cart. It was almost healthy. He had plenty of produce and such. Surely getting one ridiculous treat wouldn't be considered a terrible sin. No, definitely not.
It had been a horrible week. Their biggest client of the month had been downright nasty. Ange had been out with the flu, then Rob had been out with food poisoning. They had all worked themselves into the ground. He deserved a treat. He deserved multiple treats, even, guilty conscience be damned. But he could only fit one in his freezer.
That meant he currently faced man's greatest grocery store dilemma. Did he get the mint-chocolate-chip ice cream or the cookie dough? This deserved a small amount of debate.
Mind made up, he opened the door and grabbed the round tub of cookie dough ice cream. He started to turn back around to put it in the cart. His movement ended abruptly, however, when he ran into a wall that he was sure hadn't been there a moment before.
Aiden screamed and flailed, smacked his arm into the wall, and lost his grip on the gallon of ice cream. It hit the wall and bounced off to roll in a pathetically aborted circle on the floor.
The wall went oof and rubbed its stomach.
Aiden’s eyes widened. "Oh my God! Jason, you scared the crap out of me."
Jason straightened, rubbing his jaw this time. 'We've got to stop meeting like this."
Aiden eyed the slightly red spot on Jason's chin and winced. He had probably done that. "Ah, sorry. In my defense you kind of snuck up on me."
"In my defense, it's not hard to sneak up on a man so absorbed in ice cream that he's talking to it," Jason teased. He bent and scooped up the offending item. "Here. I'm pretty sure this is yours now. Since you threw it across the store and all."
"Um." Jason waggled the ice cream at him. He snatched it and put it in the cart next to them. "Thank you."
Aiden hesitated for a moment and then did something between a shrug and a wave. He started pushing the cart down the freezer aisle toward the back of the store. It was a shameless escape tactic, and he knew it. He was probably supposed to make conversation or something after he threw ice cream at a person. But honestly. He could only take so many embarrassing interactions before his brain imploded.
Unfortunately for him, Jason laughed and trotted a couple steps to catch up. He matched his stride to Aiden's and kept pace next to him. "You can't get away that easily."
The amusement in Jason's voice was clear, and Aiden tried to hide his wince. "Ah, well, I thought it might be worth a try."
"What are you up to after you're finished attacking innocent bystanders with grocery items?"
Aiden stopped and turned to scowl at Jason. Was that much snark really necessary?
Jason gave one of those disarming smiles and tucked his hands into the pockets of his jeans. "What? I was just asking."
Aiden sighed and started walking again, then turned at the end of the aisle and walked along the back wall of the store. "You could try rephrasing the question." He heard a quiet chuckle behind him.
"All right. Doing anything interesting tonight?" Jason asked dryly.
Aiden tossed some cheese in the cart. "No, not really." Bacon landed on top of the cheese. "Just going home to put the groceries away. Why? What mischief are you up to, oh smartassed one?" Oops. He should try to tone down the bitchy. He winced and looked over his shoulder. Jason was grinning at him and carrying a jug of milk. When had he picked up the milk?
Jason waggled his eyebrows. "Well, I thought I would invite myself over to your place."
Aiden finally stopped walking and turned around. "Did you now?"
Jason kept walking until he was right up in Aiden's personal space then reached around him to put the milk in Aiden's cart. Aiden found himself trapped between Jason and the cart with Jason's hands on the handle, framing his hips. He also found he didn't mind.
Shouldn't he mind?
He looked down slightly and met Jason's eyes. Jason looked pleased with himself. And why wouldn't he? Jason had him trapped and spellbound, even if he was still nervous, and they both knew it.
Jason's smile was slow and wicked. "Mmhmm. I was thinking that I would follow you home and share that ice cream you tried to pummel me with. It's only fair, don't you think?"
"Ah." Aiden backed up a step and Jason let him go. That smile didn't dim one bit though, and it made him very suspicious. He hadn't realized that Jason would be sneaky. That was much more appealing than it should be. Aiden swallowed nervously, wetting a mouth that had gone slightly dry. "I suppose it's fair, but I don't know if it's wise." No, probably not wise at all.
Jason's smile flashed into a grin and Aiden stared. Oh, good grief. That should be illegal.
Another shopper bumped into the cart and Aiden shook himself free of his hypnosis. He moved over to the end of the seasonal aisle and waited for Jason to follow him.
No one ever went down the seasonal aisle. They could finish their conversation and then Aiden could either run away or take Jason home. Oh, boy. Was he seriously considering taking Jason up on his offer? Or was it caving to Jason's demand? Either way, he must be out of his mind.
Jason came to a stop next to him and started drumming his fingers on the shelving. Aiden couldn't help but smile at the small display of nerves. At least he wasn't the only one that was nervous. He smiled wider, slightly steadier with the proof that they were on more even footing.
"No, it might not be wise." Jason shrugged. "What if I promise to behave myself? And I'll buy you take-out for dinner."
Aiden raised an eyebrow. "Trying bribery on for size now, are we?"
"Well, yeah. If it works."
Aiden raised an eyebrow. "You'll have to wait for me to pick up my order from the butcher's counter."
Jason shrugged. "Okay."
"You get to help me carry the groceries upstairs."
"Okay."
"I want Indian food from the good place down the street."
"Okay."
"With extra naan."
Jason chuckled a little this time but still said "Okay."
Aiden raised a brow. "I also want a pony. A purple pony."
"That seems like an impractical pet to keep in town, but okay. Is spray painted good? I think that's the only way I can get you a purple one."
Aiden laughed gleefully. Jason had kept his expression completely blank, the perfect straight-man. "Okay. You win. But I'll let you go get dinner while I finish shopping and meet you in the parking lot."
Jason pulled out the sweet, happy smile this time. "All right. That sounds like a plan. As long as you're not going to just sneak away."
Aiden shook his head. "Are you kidding? I love the curry from that place."
Jason reached around him again to grab the gallon of milk out of the cart. "Where are you parked?"
"Under the big maple in the corner of the lot by the bakery."
Jason rocked forward and back on his toes and a weird expression flashed over his face. "Really?"
"Yes? Why? Is that a bad place to park or something?"
"I parked right next to you."
Aiden rolled his eyes. "Of course you did."
"It's fate."
"Uh-huh."
"It's fate. Like the dog
." Jason snickered. "It would have been weeks before I got to talk to you if it hadn't been for the mutt."
Aiden couldn't help but grin. "Would you just go get the food already?"
"See you in a few?"
Aiden made little shooing motions. "See you in a few."
Jason dashed off. Aiden looked after him, amused. The man had so much potential for cuteness. It was unexpected, but marvelous.
He mentally added another tally in the "pro" column. Jason had to have some actual negative traits. Everyone did. But so far, he hadn't seen much of them. Except for Jason's penchant to catch him in embarrassing situations. That was a little tiresome. But hey, Jason had seen the embarrassing bits and was still interested in his company, so that was something.
Aiden shook his head and headed for the meat counter. If he wasn't quick, Jason would beat him to the cars and the curry would get cold.
The checkout lines had been enormous, and it took Aiden longer than he had expected to get out to his car. The only vehicle near his was a very serious looking motorcycle. Well, then. Wasn't that interesting? Maybe he'd manage to sweet talk a ride out of his dinner date someday.
Much to his relief, Jason wasn't waiting yet. Aiden glanced around and saw him cutting across the grass between the parking lot and sidewalk.
Aiden realized he was smiling at the sight of the man walking toward him, and quickly turned to open the trunk. Honestly, Jason didn't need any more leverage. Having Jason walk up to see Aiden smiling just because he saw Jason coming was probably better avoided. He tossed the groceries in the trunk and turned just as Jason reached their parking spots.
Jason grinned and presented his loot. Aiden couldn't help it; he grinned right back, feeling like a teenager with a crush. Oh, well. He was already doomed, anyway. After all, he'd accepted Jason over for dinner. There was no way he was getting through that unscathed. Hopefully.
Jason handed him the bags of food. "Can you take these? I don't think they'll fit in my saddle bags."
Aiden handed half of them back. "I have to open the door first."
