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Jack Hunter prided himself on being a calm, collected guy. Rational. Practical. Logical.
Except, apparently, when it came to Eric Matthews.
Because right now, as Eric paced their shared living room excitedly describing his upcoming blind date, Jack’s calm, rational brain had been replaced by white hot, irrational jealousy.
“She’s apparently really funny,” Eric was saying, waving his arms like an excited golden retriever. “Cory says she’s, like, ‘quirky but grounded,’ which I’m assuming means she owns at least one plant but also knows how to pay bills on time. Total green flag, right?”
Jack forced a tight smile. “Sounds great.”
Eric beamed. “I know, right? It’s been forever since I’ve been on an actual date-date.”
Jack took a long drink of his coffee to hide the way his jaw clenched. “So when’s this happening?”
“Tomorrow night. Cory’s setting it up. Double date with him and Topanga.”
“Of course,” Jack muttered. “A family affair.”
Eric plopped down on the couch beside him, bumping his shoulder playfully. “Come on, man, you should try it too! You’ve been weirdly quiet lately. Let me ask around, find you a date, you know.”
Jack nearly choked. “No! I mean I’m fine. Actually, um, Shawn’s beat you to it.”
Eric blinked. “Seriously?”
Jack nodded, maybe a little too smugly. “Yeah. He set me up with someone.”
“Oh.” Eric’s smile faltered. “Cool. When?”
“Tomorrow night,” Jack said.
Eric froze, expression flickering through confusion, surprise, and something that looked suspiciously like…jealousy.
“Same night as me,” he said slightly angry. “Wow, what are the odds?”
Jack shrugged, pretending nonchalance. “Guess it’s a big night for love.”
“Yeah,” Eric said softly, glancing down. “Guess so.”
(¬‿¬)
That night, Jack lay awake staring at the ceiling, replaying the conversation over and over.
Why did it bug you so much that Eric has a date?
Because it wasn’t fair, that’s why. Eric was funny, sweet, infuriatingly lovable, of course someone would want to date him. But hearing about it made something ugly twist in Jack’s stomach.
He turned over, burying his face in his pillow.
It had taken him months to even admit to himself that he might be into guys. Longer still to realize that it wasn’t guys in general, it was Eric this time.
And now Eric was going on a date with some random girl Cory picked out.
Jack groaned quietly. “Perfect. Just perfect.”
(¬‿¬)
In his room, Eric was having an equally sleepless night.
He kept replaying the look on Jack’s face when he mentioned his own date, half smug, half unreadable. He’d known Jack for a while, long enough to recognize when the guy was hiding something.
Eric sighed, flopping onto his back.
It wasn’t like he hadn’t noticed how attractive Jack was. Anyone with eyes could see it. But lately, things had felt different. Every stupid inside joke, every shared breakfast, every time Jack smiled, it just hit harder now.
And now Jack had a date. With someone else.
“God,” Eric muttered into the dark, “what have you done?”
(¬‿¬)
“Okay, I’m not saying you look bad,” Shawn said from his perch on the counter. “I’m saying you look like a guy trying way too hard to look casual.”
Jack glared at him. “You said she was into chill, laid back types.”
“I said she seems like she’s into chill, laid back types. That doesn’t mean dress like a substitute teacher on casual Friday.”
Jack threw on his jacket, ignoring him. “You sure this girl’s legit?”
“Absolutely,” Shawn said. “Met her through a friend. You’ll like her. She’s sweet, funny, little awkward maybe, but in, like, a charming way.”
Jack sighed. “Fine. Just wish me luck.”
Shawn smirked. “Break a leg, Romeo.”
(¬‿¬)
Meanwhile, Eric was standing in front of the mirror in his room, talking to himself.
“Okay, Eric Matthews. You can do this. Be cool. Be confident. Don’t talk about Jack. Or your brother. Or that one time you got your foot stuck in the vending machine hole.”
Cory leaned in through the door, grinning. “You look great, man. Seriously. You’re gonna thank me for this setup.”
“Cory,” Eric said suspiciously, “who is she again?”
“You’ll see.” Cory’s grin widened. “Just trust me.”
Eric frowned slightly. “Your smile feels ominous.”
“Have fun!” Cory said quickly, retreating down the hall before Eric could press further.
(¬‿¬)
By the time Eric reached the restaurant, his nerves had mellowed into a weird mix of dread and curiosity. The host led him to a small corner booth, half lit by string lights, the kind of spot meant for cozy romance.
He took a deep breath, adjusted his jacket, and glanced at his watch.
7:00 p.m. on the dot.
The host returned with a polite smile. “Your date just arrived.”
Eric looked up and froze.
Jack Hunter stood there, holding a single rose, looking just as stunned.
For a long, excruciating moment, neither of them spoke.
Then, in perfect unison, like some sort of sick joke, they both said, “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
(¬‿¬)
Jack blinked. Once. Twice.
Nope. Still Eric. Standing there, looking unfairly good in that navy blue jacket, mouth slightly open in shock.
“This.” Jack said slowly, “Is some kind of cosmic mistake, right?”
Eric groaned, running a hand through his hair. “I knew Cory’s grin was suspicious.”
“I knew Shawn was too eager about this!” Jack said at the same time.
They both just stood there, staring.
Finally, Eric laughed, quiet, incredulous. “I guess you’re my blind date.”
“Must be,” Jack said. “And you’re mine.”
“Wow.” Eric gestured at the table. “I mean, we could just leave?”
Jack hesitated. His stomach twisted, half panic, half excitement. “Or,” he said slowly, “we could stay.”
Eric’s eyebrows shot up. “Stay?”
“Yeah,” Jack said with a shrug that was more confident than he felt. “We’re already here. Table’s paid for. Might as well eat.”
Eric studied him for a moment, then smiled. “Okay. Let’s stay.”
(¬‿¬)
Once they sat down, the weirdness began to fade, mostly because being with Eric always felt easy, even when it shouldn’t.
They ordered food, made awkward jokes about being “each other’s type,” and laughed through most of the tension.
“So,” Eric said halfway through dinner, swirling his drink, “I gotta ask, did Shawn tell you anything about your date?”
Jack smirked. “He said she was funny, kind of awkward, and had a big heart.”
Eric laughed. “Wow. Cory said mine was thoughtful, gorgeous, and ‘the kind of girl who’ll make you rethink everything you thought you knew about yourself.’”
Jack’s fork froze halfway to his mouth. “That’s way oddly specific.”
“Right?” Eric said, but there was something gentle in his smile now, something that made Jack’s chest tighten.
For a few seconds, neither of them said anything. Just quiet, comfortable silence.
Finally, Eric leaned forward a little. “Okay, real talk are you mad?”
Jack blinked. “Mad?”
“About this,” Eric said, motioning between them. “The setup. The, whatever this is.”
Jack thought about it. “Honestly? I’m not mad. I’m surprised.”
“Same.” Eric smiled. “Though, I have to admit, it’s kinda flattering. I mean, if I had to be tricked into a date with someone, I could do worse.”
Jack chuckled, his ears burning. “You’re ridiculous.”
“You love that about me,” Eric said lightly.
Jack looked down, a small smile tugging at his lips. “Yeah,” he said quietly. “I guess I must really.”
The words hung there, the boys unguarded, honest, terrifying.
Eric’s grin softened. “You know…for the record, I didn’t really want to go on the date Cory set up. I just wanted to stop thinking about you all the time.”
Jack’s eyebrows raised up. “You? What?”
Eric laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. “Yeah. You’re kind of impossible to get over when we live together. Turns out the heart doesn’t care about roommate boundaries.”
Jack stared at him, stunned. Then, slowly, a smile broke across his face. “That’s funny.”
Eric blinked. “What’s funny?”
“Because I agreed to the date for the exact same reason.”
For a second, the world seemed to freeze.
Then Eric laughed, a full, bright sound that filled the whole restaurant. “So we’re both idiots.”
“Apparently,” Jack said, grinning.
They sat there grinning like fools, warmth spreading between them, the air electric and giddy.
“Okay,” Eric said finally, leaning in. “So what happens now?”
Jack met his eyes. “Now? We finish dinner.”
“And after dinner?”
Jack’s smile turned playful. “You’ll see.”
(¬‿¬)
The walk home was quiet, easy. The air was cool, the city humming around them. Eric’s shoulder brushed Jack’s every few steps, and neither of them pulled away.
By the time they reached the apartment, the quiet had turned thick with something heavier, anticipation, maybe.
Eric unlocked the door, glancing over his shoulder. “So, weirdest date ever?”
Jack stepped inside behind him, smiling. “Weirdest. But also kind of perfect.”
Eric laughed softly. “You think?”
“Yeah,” Jack said, closing the door behind them. “Because I finally got what I wanted.”
Eric turned. “What’s that?”
Jack hesitated just a heartbeat too long. “You.”
Eric froze, surprise flashing across his face before it melted into something softer, hopeful, almost shy if Eric ever could be shy. “Yeah?”
Jack nodded.
Eric’s voice dropped to a whisper. “Good.”
He stepped forward, slow and careful, until there was barely an inch between them. Jack could feel the warmth of his breath, the soft tremor of laughter still hiding behind his lips.
And then Eric kissed him.
It wasn’t dramatic, no romantic music, no fireworks. Just a warm, clumsy, perfect kiss that made Jack forget every reason he’d ever had not to.
Eric laughed against his mouth. “You realize we just proved our brothers are way too good at matchmaking.”
Jack chuckled, kissing him again. “We can thank them later.”
“Or never,” Eric murmured, grinning. “Never works too.”
They stumbled toward the couch, still laughing, still kissing between bursts of breathless giggles.
Jack sank onto the cushions, pulling Eric down with him.
(¬‿¬)
For the first time in a long time, everything felt right, simple, inevitable.
Eric rested his forehead against Jack’s, smiling lazily. “You know,” he said, “we really should’ve figured this out before they had to trick us into it.”
Jack smirked. “Yeah. But where’s the fun in that?”
Eric’s eyes crinkled as he laughed. “You’re lucky you’re cute, Hunter.”
“Yeah,” Jack murmured, brushing his thumb along Eric’s jaw. “I know.”
Then he kissed him again, deeper this time, no more hesitation, no more pretending.
When they finally pulled apart, the world had gone quiet except for the sound of their breathing and the faint hum of the refrigerator.
Eric smiled sleepily, curling against him. “Sooo, roommate slash boyfriend?”
Jack grinned. “Yeah. I think that fits.”
Eric laughed softly, eyes fluttering closed. “Good. Because I’m not moving out now.”
Jack chuckled, pressing a kiss to his hair. “Wouldn’t let you.”
And somewhere between laughter and the quiet thrum of contentment, they both realized:
Sometimes, love just needed a little push, even if it came from meddling family and one accidentally totally perfect not-so-blind date.