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It was fair to say that Jared’s love life was a disaster.
His problem was just that he attracted guys who expected him to be something he wasn’t. They saw a big, tall dude and assumed he was someone dominant, smooth, and butch, both in life and the bedroom. Jared was not that dude; in reality, he was a dorky grade-school teacher who tripped over his own feet and accidentally broke things on a near-daily basis, with a reputation amongst the kids for being soft rather than strict, and the favourite to turn to whenever they had a problem. He spent his days persuading restless kids that algebra could be fun, mediating playground disputes, and grading tests as encouragingly as he could. He was no alpha male, and had no desire to be.
In the end, his short-lived relationships inevitably ended in break ups, some relatively smooth, some messy and painful. He’d given up on dating and decided to stay single for a while after the last one, a particularly bruising experience. This hadn’t gone unnoticed by his family, who had decided it was time to ‘help’. He loved them, but they were all far too nosy for his liking.
This was what had led to this new low. In his early thirties, he was going on a blind date organized by his sister. She’d arranged it all with the other guy before telling Jared and refused to call it off, and Jared wasn’t the sort of dick who’d just stand somebody up, so here he was.
It was embarrassing as all hell, but he was going to grit his teeth and get through it.
All his sister had told him was that the guy was called Jensen, he was a physiotherapist, he’d be sitting at the table in the back right hand corner of some bar Jared had never been to before, and you’re going to just love him, I know it!.
Not a lot to go on.
Jared arrived at the bar just in time. From the outside, the place looked modern, fashionable, and, above all, expensive. Not his usual sort of place, and he suddenly felt self-conscious about his jeans – it was the best pair he had, but they were a little worn and just basic Wranglers, not a fashionable designer brand like the people coming and going from the bar seemed to be wearing. Well, it was too late to rethink his clothing choice now. This was probably going to go badly anyway, so he might as well suck it up and get it over with. Then he could head home, text his sister I told you so on the way, and collapse in front of the TV for the rest of the night before a standard weekend of grading tests and lesson planning.
He pushed the door open, blinking slightly in the sudden darkness as he stepped inside, and headed towards the table where his date was supposedly awaiting him.
The corner of the bar was even more dimly lit, giving it a more secluded feel. There was only one table there and sitting at it, was the most handsome man Jared had ever seen.
His cheekbones were razor-sharp, his lips full with a perfect Cupid's bow, his jawline lightly stubbled and strongly defined. His clothing looked as expensive as everyone else’s in the room; a light brown sweater that looked like it was made of cashmere or merino wool — definitely something super soft and super fancy — and tan trousers that, to Jared’s admittedly untrained eye, looked well-tailored and matched the sweater perfectly.
Jared rarely thought about his own clothing, but right now, in his comfortable jeans and chain-store shirt, he felt downright shabby.
Oh, this was going to be a fiasco. Jared could feel it.
“Jensen?” His voice wobbled nervously. Fuck, he thought to himself, resigning himself to a painful, socially awkward hour of uncomfortable small talk before ending with a polite thanks, let’s never do this again.
The man looked up, smiling. “Yeah. You must be Jared. Good to meet you. Sit down, I’ll buy you a drink.”
Jared sat as requested. The expected judgment hadn’t appeared on Jensen’s face. He’d seemed friendly, and totally unfazed by Jared’s inappropriate clothing. Either Jensen was the best actor in the world, or he genuinely didn’t care.
“So, what do you drink?” Now that Jared was sitting down, he could see Jensen’s eyes were a clear and striking green. “Whisky? This place specializes in it. Or a beer? Something else?”
Jared managed to unstick his tongue from the roof of his mouth. “Uh, either, I guess? I mean, I like scotch and bourbon.” He paused to glance over at the bar. Behind it, there were rows and rows of bottles, all filled with a variety of different shades of amber. “I don’t know that much about them though, so I don’t know if I could pick something out from all those.”
He felt his cheeks start to burn. He sounded like an uncultured hick in this fancy bar, in front of this well-dressed and gorgeous guy. Jensen must think he was an idiot.
“No problem. I’ll get us both my go-to and you can let me know what you think.” Once again, there was no sign that Jensen was bothered by Jared’s cluelessness. Instead, he seemed… pleased, somehow. “Back soon.”
Jared nodded, then watched as Jensen spoke to the bartender, and waited as two glasses – one of the darker ambers – were poured. Without meaning to, he found himself checking out what looked to be a magnificent ass. Of course it was, the guy was basically physically perfect, and about ten leagues above Jared.
At least I’ll get a good view and a few decent drinks out of the evening Jared thought wryly. There was no way he’d made a good impression. Sorry, Megan. Hope he still talks to you after this.
Jensen picked up the glasses and walked back towards him, his stride confident. Yeah, this guy was exactly Jared’s type — physically, at least. He was most likely a dick, no matter how cool he seemed so far. Otherwise he’d be too good to be true.
Jared smiled at Jensen, hoping that he hadn’t been too obvious about checking him out, as he arrived back and set the glasses in front of them, before sitting down and staring at Jared.
“Go on, then. Try it. Let me know what you think.”
Jared sipped the drink, then nodded “Good. Smoky but smooth. Really good.”
Jensen smiled at that, and good god, he was even more handsome then. And, Jared conceded, he didn’t seem to be a dick at all. Maybe Jared could salvage this so the evening was only mildly awkward, rather than excruciatingly catastrophic.
He took another sip of the whisky – it really was pretty good – before speaking. “Sorry about not dressing up enough. I didn’t realize this place was so fancy. I’ve never been here before.”
Jensen looked confused, then shook his head. “There’s nothing wrong with what you’re wearing. You look great.”
As he said that, Jared was sure Jensen flicked his eyes over him appreciatively. Maybe he wasn’t the only one who was enjoying the view.
“I’m far more interested in you,” Jensen continued. “Megan said you’re a teacher?”
Jared nodded. Jensen looked at him expectantly; he fidgeted with his shirt sleeve button nervously. “Yeah, grade school. It can be tough work sometimes, but I love it. I’m teaching the youngest kids this year, so it can be pretty chaotic some days. There's a few who skipped kindergarten, so they’re not used to a structured day. Sometimes having them all sit in their seats for five minutes is a major win. Not exactly the glamorous career I dreamt of when I was at school myself. I wanted to be an actor.”
He paused and laughed self-consciously. He hadn’t meant to drop that nugget of information; it had been a childish, unrealistic dream, after all.
Jensen didn’t laugh. “I thought about becoming an actor too, actually. Did some modeling as a kid. Right up until I graduated high school, if you can believe it.”
“Oh, I can believe it,” Jared responded, trying to pitch his tone a little flirty. This was a date, after all, and he was interested, and it seemed that Jensen might be into him too. Might as well try and be a little brave, right?
It seemed he’d hit the mark; Jensen seemed into it.
“But you must have changed your mind too. You’re a physiotherapist now?”
“Yeah. There were so many models desperate to switch to acting, and I’d just have been another guy with no experience. And modeling was boring. I wanted to do something where I had to use my brain a little bit.”
As soon as he thought of it, Jared knew he wouldn’t be able to stop himself. “So you’re saying you became a physiotherapist because you wanted to stretch yourself?”
Jensen looked at him dumbfounded, then covered his face as he faux-groaned. “Oh my god, that’s awful. Is this what spending all day with kids does to your sense of humor?”
“I wish I could blame that, but no. That’s just me.”
Jensen was shaking his head and laughing, deep and genuine, with no attempt to hold back. Definitely not a dick, then, if he reacted like that to Jared’s stupid joke. Jared felt himself relax properly for the first time since he’d left his apartment.
After that, conversation flowed easily. They talked sports – turned out they both supported the Cowboys, an opportunity to bond over near-infinite suffering – and swapped funny work stories, managing to make each other laugh so hard it hurt. Jared was sure he caught Jensen wiping away tears at one point.
They finished their drinks and Jensen insisted on buying another. “I can’t tell you what it is. I need something to get you to meet me again.”
He winked at Jared, then walked to the bar. Jared felt a little flare of heat in his stomach. So Jensen wanted to see him again! He could hardly believe his luck; he couldn't remember the last time he’d been this into someone. He couldn't keep the smile from his face.
When Jensen returned, they picked up again as if there hadn't been a pause. Jared couldn't remember ever feeling quite like this about anyone. It was both like meeting up with an old friend and falling in love at first sight, all at once. They talked about music – Jensen sang and played guitar as a hobby, because he was apparently actually perfect – and movies, the bickering when they disagreed hitting just the right note of flirtatious teasing.
It felt like no time at all until their glasses were empty once more. As Jared drained the last drops, Jensen leaned in closer, resting one hand on Jared’s thigh and cupping his jaw with the other.
“Hey, would it be okay if I kissed you?”
Jared’s smile widened, Jensen’s fingers moving as his face shifted under the loose grip. He felt good, just the right amount of alcohol to feel loose but not drunk, and the expected disaster date had turned into a great time with a beautiful, sweet guy who wanted to kiss him. Jared hadn't felt this good in a long time. He took a beat to enjoy the moment before answering: the warmth of Jensen’s hand, the freckles tracing his cheekbones as if they’d been precisely placed by a skilled artist, the exact shade of green his eyes were as they stared into his own, and the laughter that still lingered at the corners of his mouth.
It was the easiest question to answer. “So okay.”
Jensen leaned in, Jared catching a hint of woody cologne, and kissed him lightly. Jensen’s lips were soft, and the whisky smoke on his breath felt like a promise. He rested his hands on Jensen’s back – the sweater was as soft as he’d expected, and the muscle underneath as firm as he’d hoped – as Jensen’s strong, well-manicured fingers moved from Jared’s jaw to his hair, tugging just how he liked it, titling his head however Jensen wanted him. Jared let Jensen take control, moving his tongue at the pace Jensen set, shivering when he gently sucked on Jared’s lower lip, and sighing into Jensen’s mouth as his teeth teased Jared’s lower lip. It was exactly how Jared wanted to be kissed.
Jared was glad they were sitting down; he felt weak at the knees just from this.
Jensen broke the kiss, Jared chasing his lips for a moment until he felt Jensen’s breath against his ear. “Maybe we should take this somewhere more private?”
His stomach fluttered, excitement and nerves in equal measure. Once again, however, there was only one answer he could give. “God, yes.” He paused, thinking of the chaos of papers, books, and lesson plans his entire apartment was, then added awkwardly, “Your place?”
“Yeah.” He pulled away and fumbled for his phone; Jensen caught a glimpse of the Uber logo. “Cab’s gonna come in a minute. Let’s move.”
The drive to Jensen’s place was short. It felt like an age, however, Jared’s body humming with anticipation and anxiety. He wanted this, he really did, but damn, it had been a while. He shifted awkwardly in his seat during the silent journey, the two of them exchanging heated looks instead of words. He caught Jensen biting his lower lip a few times and wondered if, despite Jensen’s assured exterior, he wasn't the only one feeling a little tense about this.
It was reassuring, somehow.
They pulled up outside a fancy apartment building and jumped out, Jared following Jensen into the building and to the elevator. He stared at the sleek, modern interior and the smooth, clean tiled floor and thought of the shabby old carpet and scuffed paint of his own building, and didn't regret his choice to avoid it for now. Once they were in the elevator, Jensen hit a button – Jared was too busy marveling at how he managed to still look good under the fluorescent lights to notice which – then took hold of Jared’s hand, rubbing his thumb over the knuckles in soothing strokes. The touch broke the tension, and Jared flashed a smile at Jensen instinctively, and the flutter in his stomach this time was more arousal than nervousness.
Once the elevator came to a smooth stop and the doors opened, Jared allowed himself to be led along a corridor as perfectly maintained as the lobby, until Jensen stopped at a door around halfway along, released Jared’s hands and pulled out a set of keys. He held the door open and Jared stepped through.
Almost instantly, Jensen was on him; he heard the door click shut at the same time as his back touched the wall. They kissed again, this time not holding anything back. Jensen was tugging at his hair again, and his other hand was pressing his hip against the wall. Jared clung to Jensen’s waist, feeling pinned to the wall in a way that made his pulse race. He felt surrounded by Jensen: his lips against his, tongue in his mouth, hand pulling at his hair, the smell of his cologne, and his body muscular and firm and pressed against every inch of Jared’s torso.
Finally, when Jared felt like he was only still upright because of the wall behind him, Jensen broke the kiss. The two of them stood, faces an inch apart, panting hard and their breath mingling between them.
“Could hardly keep my hands off you the whole way here,” Jensen said, a gravel in his voice that hadn’t been there before. “You wanna take this to the bedroom?”
Jared didn’t think he’d ever wanted anything more. “God, yes.”
Jensen led the way. And it was everything Jared had hoped for.
—
Afterwards, they lay in bed together, Jared curled into Jensen’s side with his head resting on his smooth, freckled chest. Jensen was playing with his hair again – his hand seemed drawn there as if by a magnet – and the post-sex high was still going. Jared never wanted to move.
“You still want that second date?”
Jensen kissed the top of his head. “Even more than before. Damn, that was amazing.”
Jared smiled against Jensen’s chest. “Yeah. Don’t think I’m going to tell my sister how right she was though.”
He felt Jensen’s laugh rather than heard it, deep in his chest. “God no. I might have to buy her flowers or something though. She was right.”
“Yeah, she was.”
He might have been unsure at the outset, but it looked like Jared’s luck might be picking up.