Supernatural RPS fic: This Fragile Heart (Jensen/Jared) 1/2
Title: This Fragile Heart
Author: agt_spooky
Pairing: Jensen/Jared, brief Jensen/OMC
Rating: NC-17
Word Count: 15,544 (total for both parts)
Warnings/Spoilers: None
Disclaimer: It’s RPS, people. It never happened, but I wish it would. :-)
Author’s Notes: Many thanks, as always, to my fabulous beta, charityfliint who always makes my stories better. :-)
Summary: Written for the abouttwoboys fic challenge. The movie I claimed was Return To Me. While this is not a word-for-word, scene-for-scene retelling of the film (because I just think that would be boring, you could just rent the movie!) the main plot is still the same, and so is some of the dialogue.
So without further ado, here is Return To Me, J2 style. :-)
(banner created by agt_spooky)
This Fragile Heart
By AgtSpooky
February 8, 2008
Jensen Ackles cursed the overcast sky as the first, fat raindrops started to fall over Los Angeles. Riley would absolutely kill him if he got his nice shoes and dress pants wet and spattered with mud.
“C’mon, Harley,” Jensen encouraged his large, brown, happy-go-lucky mastiff, giving a tug on the leash.
Harley turned his attention away from the tree he was currently sniffing, gave a bark and loped off down the sidewalk, pulling Jensen along behind him, toward the small house at the end of the block.
Jensen opened up the bright red front door and he and Harley tumbled inside just as the sky really opened up.
“Whew, close call, buddy,” Jensen said, grabbing a towel off the coat rack in the entryway, trying in vain to dry off his squirming dog. Shaking his head as Harley tried to get away from him, Jensen gave up and headed for the kitchen as his pet sat down in the entryway, waiting dutifully for his other master to come home.
“Harley! Come eat!” Jensen called as he set down the bowls of water and dry dog food on the kitchen floor.
Giving a long suffering sigh when Harley failed to appear, Jensen walked out of the kitchen and past the dog, patting him on the head as he went upstairs. “He’ll be home in a bit, boy.”
And sure enough, just a few minutes later as Jensen was in his closet picking out a tie, he heard the front door open and his lover’s voice call out over Harley’s excited barking.
“Jen? You home?”
“Up here, babe!” Jensen answered, selecting a tie and turning around just as a tall blonde man with soft brown eyes walked in the room, Harley behind him.
“Make him go eat,” Jensen said, pointing at their pet.
“Harley, go eat, boy,” the man said, not taking his eyes off of Jensen as the dog obeyed immediately and left the room.
Then Jensen smiled as his lover of four years, Riley Marshall, pulled him close and greeted him with a long, soft kiss.
“Mmm…missed you today,” Riley murmured as they slowly pulled back from the kiss.
“You, too,” Jensen replied, running his hands across Riley’s back, keeping the other man close. “What do you say we skip this dinner thing and just stay in instead?” he suggested with a raised eyebrow, letting his hands slip down to ghost over the curve of Riley’s ass.
“Oh, no,” Riley chuckled. “We’re celebrating tonight and I’m not missing the chance to see you in a suit and tie,” he finished with a smile.
Jensen groaned playfully and thunked his head against the closet door before giving Riley a mischievous grin. “Can I have dessert first, then?” he asked, spinning he and Riley around and dropping to his knees.
Then it was Riley’s turn to hit his head on the closet door as Jensen unzipped his pants and took him into his mouth, licking and sucking as Riley hardened and lengthened and spilled hot and wet down Jensen’s throat.
Jensen ran his tongue across his bottom lip as Riley tugged him up, a satisfied smile on his face. “God, I love you,” the blonde man grinned.
And Jensen kissed him long and deep.
~~~~~
An hour and a half later Jensen and Riley were seated in a trendy downtown L.A. restaurant, glasses of wine in their hands.
“A toast,” Riley began. “To you, Jen, for landing your first long-term role. I’m so damn happy for you. You deserve this.”
Jensen touched his glass to Riley’s before shaking his head slightly. “I’m twenty-five years old and it’s a soap opera, Ry. Not exactly anything to get excited over.”
“Yes, it is. This is gonna open doors for you, Jen. All those years of one-shot bit parts is over. You’ll be on prime-time TV before you know it,” Riley finished with a smile.
“And you’ll have your name up on a marquee before you know it, too,” Jensen replied, raising his wine glass again. “A toast to you for finishing a screenplay that studios will be fighting over, I know it. I’m damn proud of you, Ry. You’ve worked really hard on it.”
“It’s been a long road for both of us,” Riley said. “Who’d have thought that two boys from Richardson, Texas would be on their way to making it big in Hollywood?”
The two men clinked their glasses together. “To making our dreams come true,” Jensen said softly, leaning over as Riley met him halfway for a kiss.
~~~~~
Jensen sighed happily as he braked to a stop in his dark blue Mustang at a traffic light on their way home from dinner. He reached over and took Riley’s hand, thumb brushing across the skin. “Weather’s cleared up. Wanna take a ride out to the Observatory?”
“Like you have to ask,” Riley answered. “You know I love it up there.”
“Okay, it’s a date,” Jensen smiled, leaning over for a kiss just as the traffic light turned green. “Love you.”
It happened in the blink of an eye.
Jensen never saw the car run the red light as he entered the intersection, the black SUV smashing into the passenger side of the Mustang. He heard the breaking glass, the tearing metal and then…darkness.
~~~~~
Jensen felt as if he were underwater, struggling for the surface, using every ounce of strength he had to open his eyes, blinking sluggishly as consciousness finally returned.
He felt a hand on his arm and he slowly turned his head, his mother’s face coming into focus. Confused, he tried to say her name, but nothing came out of his dry throat.
“Jensen? Are you with us, honey?”
He nodded slowly and she squeezed his arm. “Oh, thank god. Oh, Jensen…” she wiped away a tear.
He tried again to speak and his mother stood quickly. “Wait, honey,” she said, and a moment later she was placing a straw against his lips. “Go slow, just a few sips.”
The cool water soothed his parched throat, reviving him a little more as he became aware that his entire body ached. His left arm felt heavy and there was a pain on the left side of his chest with each breath.
“Wha - What happened?” he rasped. “Where am I?”
“You were in a car accident, honey. You’re in the hospital,” his mother explained. “Your father and I flew up here when the doctors called. You’ve got a broken wrist and two ribs. And you’ve been in a coma for five days.”
In a flash, everything came back to Jensen - he and Riley at dinner, in the car, going to the Observatory…
“Riley. Mom…wh-where’s Riley?” Jensen asked frantically.
His mother’s pause, her silence, was the devastating answer and Jensen shook his head.
“N-no..” his breath hitched. “No…”
“Oh, baby, I’m so sorry,” his mother whispered. “Riley’s gone…”
And Jensen’s mother held him as he cried, her tears mixing with her son’s, helpless to stop his pain.
~~~~~
Four days later, Jensen made his way slowly up the sidewalk to his front door, both of his parents behind him.
“I came by this morning again and took Harley out,” his father was saying as Jensen unlocked the door and stepped inside. The big dog greeted him with a happy bark and Jensen dropped his hand on his pet’s head.
“Thanks, Dad,” Jensen said quietly, turning in the doorway to face his parents.
“Are you sure you don’t want us to stay with you tonight, honey?” his mother asked.
Jensen shook his head. “I just…need to be alone right now.”
“You call us at the hotel if you change your mind, son,” his father told him, as his mother stepped up and hugged him, mindful of Jensen’s ribs.
“We love you,” she kissed him and stepped back and then his parents were walking back to their rental car.
Jensen watched them drive off down the street before closing the door and leaning back against it. He’d lied when he said he wanted to be alone. In reality he wanted nothing more than to be surrounded and comforted by his parents the first night back in this house. But he would eventually be here alone and he needed to face it instead of putting it off, as hard as it was.
He pushed away from the door, stepping past Harley, who remained sitting in the entryway, staring at the door, and wandered into the house.
He’d had four days to come to terms with Riley’s death, and the fact that while he was in a coma, Riley’s parents had his body flown back to Texas for a funeral that Jensen was not able to attend. That had torn him up like nothing else, not being given the chance to say goodbye to the man he loved.
He’d had four days to prepare himself for this, but as the silence enveloped him he didn’t think four years would be enough time to get past Riley’s death.
Jensen moved about the house in a daze, still feeling surrounded by Riley’s presence, as if his lover would walk into the room at any moment. But he wouldn’t, not ever, and Jensen still couldn’t comprehend it. How could he be gone? It wasn’t fair. Goddamn it, it wasn’t fair.
In the kitchen he found a note on the refrigerator in Riley’s handwriting: Can you pick up my shirts at the dry cleaners on Monday? Love, Me
Jensen’s breath hitched and he felt hot tears prick behind his eyes as he touched the note. Then he swallowed deeply and blinked rapidly to keep the tears at bay. He couldn’t break down. He needed to learn to keep himself together or he’d end up curled up on the couch and never get up.
He stepped away from the refrigerator and noticed Harley’s food bowl was nearly empty. He refilled it and gave him fresh water, too.
“Harley,” Jensen called out, his voice rough. “Come eat, boy.”
When silence was his answer, Jensen walked out of the kitchen and saw Harley still sitting in the entryway, staring at the door. Waiting for Riley.
He’d told himself he wasn’t going to break down, but the image of Harley sitting there so patiently, waiting for the door to open that never would - Jensen was helpless to stop the painful clenching of his chest and the first tear that followed as he sat down next to the big dog.
It took every ounce of energy he had to voice the words out loud.
“He’s not coming home.”
And with it finally spoken, Jensen let go, giving in to his devastating grief with sobs that shook his body, mourning for a man, for love, taken away too soon.
~~~~~
TWO YEARS LATER
Jensen slapped his cell phone closed angrily, clenching his jaw and shaking his head in frustration. Another rejection of Riley’s screenplay from one of the studios. It seemed nowadays the only things being produced were horror films and animated penguins or bears. Science fiction movies just weren’t “in” at the moment. Or for the last two years.
Still, Jensen wasn’t about to give up. It had been Riley’s dream to get this movie made and come hell or high water, Jensen would make it happen for him. He’d been tweaking it on and off these last few years, based on feedback from Riley’s agent, trying to make the film more marketable, but still never losing sight of Riley’s vision of the movie.
Vision…Jensen looked around at his surroundings. Riley had been right about Jensen’s own path. After only six months on the soap opera, he’d been asked to audition for a new character that was being created for a prime-time show. And he’d nailed it.
So here he was, fourth billing on an ensemble drama about private investigators. It was on the smallest network on a really tough night, but the ratings continued to be strong. Jensen was still finding it hard to believe he’d landed this part and he wished that Riley was here to share in his happiness and success.
“Hey, man.”
A slap on his shoulder pulled him from his musings and he looked up from where he was sitting in his director’s chair to see his good friend, Tom Welling. Tom was the star of Eye Spy, and with his dark hair and blue eyes, he was every fangirl’s dream. He was also funny and laid back, with a big heart, and he and Tom had hit it off right from the start. It wasn’t easy being the new kid on the block, but Tom had immediately made him feel welcome.
“Hey,” Jensen replied unenthusiastically.
“Hmm, I’m guessing from your expression the phone call from Riley’s agent didn’t go so well.”
Jensen sighed. “Another rejection.”
Tom squeezed his shoulder. “I’m sorry, Jensen. What is with these studios? All the garbage on the big screen and they pass on Riley’s? I just don’t get it.”
“Neither do I, man.”
“Listen, come out with Mike and I after we’re all done here tonight. Have a couple beers with us, take your mind off all this. Mike found a Polish place that he’s been raving about.”
Mike Rosenbaum was the second lead of the show and was usually attached at the hip with Tom. While Jensen was closer friends with Tom, he genuinely liked Mike, too, though his twisted sense of humor and obnoxious ways took some getting used to. In a nutshell, Mike was a bit crazy.
Jensen shook his head. “Sorry, Tommy, I’m just not in the mood for the two of you pushing me at every guy in the place. You know I’m not ready for another relationship.”
Tom raised up his hands. “I swear it’ll just be good food and a couple of beers tonight. Honest.”
Jensen blew out a breath. “I’ll think about it,” he promised, just as their director, Kim Manners, called them back to set and Jensen and Tom slipped back into their characters for the rest of the day.
~~~~~
Jensen wearily pushed open his front door, having ending up begging off with Tom and Mike at the end of the day, to be immediately greeted by an enthusiastic Harley. Jensen crouched down and let Harley lick his face as he scratched behind the big dog’s ears.
“Miss me, boy?” Jensen asked as he stood and dumped his things amongst the piles of empty Chinese food containers, old newspapers, clothes and dirty dishes that were littered around the living room. Riley had always been the housekeeper of the two of them and Jensen just couldn’t muster up the energy to keep the place spotless anymore.
Nor could he muster up the energy to cook for one, not that he’d ever been much of a cook anyway, so when the doorbell rang a short time later, Jensen was ready with his wallet.
A thin, African-American teenage boy stood on the other side of the door, a bag of Chinese food in his hand and a smile on his face.
“Hey, Mr. Ackles!”
“Calvin, my man!” He greeted the youth. “How ya doin’?”
“Good, thanks. Got me an A- on that Creative Writing paper you looked over for me,” the boy answered, handing over the food. “Yo, Harley! How’s it goin’, boy?” He greeted the dog with several pats on the head and a playful tug on one of the dog’s ears.
“Good for you, Cal.” Jensen tapped the boy on the chest. “There’s a budding author in there, I know it.”
Calvin smiled, stuffing Jensen’s money in his pocket. “I dunno. I’m kinda likin’ my drama class. You’re my inspiration, Mr. TV Star!” he finished with a cheeky grin.
Jensen laughed. “Get outta here, you!”
“Yeah, yeah, us hardworking teenagers gotta make a buck somehow,” Calvin joked. “See ya tomorrow, Mr. Ackles!”
Jensen closed the door with a grin, picking up Harley’s empty food bowl, which found a place by the front door two years ago, and headed into the kitchen.
“C’mon in the kitchen, Harley, I got you some beef and rice,” he told the dog, opening up the containers on the kitchen counter.
When Harley failed to come into the room, Jensen snagged a piece of beef and stuck his head around the doorway, holding out the meat.
“C’mon, boy, you’re gonna eat in here today.”
But Harley refused to budge from his familiar position at the front door - still waiting for Riley to come through it after all this time.
Jensen sighed in frustration. “I’m not doin’ this anymore. We’re going back to eating in the kitchen,” he told the dog, who simply turned his head to look at Jensen, then back at the door.
“Goddammit, Harley! Come over here and eat in the kitchen like a normal person!”
Jensen knew it was unreasonable to be yelling at his pet, but every single time he saw Harley sitting there at the door it was like a knife to his heart, a painful reminder that Riley was gone and it brought his grief to the surface yet again.
Harley turned his head sharply at Jensen’s yell and stood, taking one step toward Jensen.
“Yeah! Good boy, good boy!” Jensen again held out the piece of beef, taking a couple steps toward the dog. “C’mon, let’s go to the kitchen. Follow me,” he said, backing up.
Harley took several more steps then sat down and Jensen conceded, going over and sitting down next to him, giving him the piece of beef, then rubbing his fur. “Good boy, you made it halfway.” He looked Harley in his big brown eyes, then gave him a quick kiss on the head. “You gotta snap out of it, buddy,” he told the dog gently. And Harley looked back at him, head cocked as if to say, Why don’t you take your own advice?
“You’re right. It’s time for both of us,” Jensen stated, then fished in his pocket for his cell phone, dialing a familiar number.
“Tom? It’s Jensen. Is it too late to join you and Mike tonight?”
~~~~~
Fifteen minutes later Jensen pulled up in front of a small restaurant called Padalecki’s, parked the red Jeep that used to be Riley’s at the curb and went inside.
It was nearly 9:00 pm, but the place was jumping. Music was playing and the small bar area was full, mainly with older men in their 60’s, laughing and joking with the short, white-haired man of the same age serving up the drinks.
The atmosphere was fun and lively and Jensen couldn’t help but grin as he walked into the restaurant area, looking around for Tom and Mike. A wave caught his attention and he saw his two friends sitting at a table off to his left.
He dodged waiters and waitresses with trays of food and drinks as he made his way over to the table, stopping to shrug out of his outer shirt and hang it on the coat rack next to the table before sitting down.
“Hey, man!” Mike clapped him on the shoulder. “Glad you decided to show.”
Jensen looked at the empty table. “You guys already done eating?”
“Hell, no,” Tom answered. “We just got here ourselves. You called when we were driving over. It took Mikey forever to get ready. As usual.”
“You have no hair,” Jensen laughed at Mike. “Why does it always take you so long to get yourself together to go out?”
Mike rubbed a hand over his bald pate. “You people have no idea the effort it takes to keep this shiny.”
Jensen laughed again. “I do not want to know what you put on it to keep it that way!”
“God, neither do I!” Tom chimed in, then turned to Jensen. “Waiter took our drink orders a couple minutes ago.” He pointed at the menus on the table, stuck between the napkin dispenser and the salt and pepper shakers. “Mike says everything’s really good.”
Jensen nodded and took a menu, scanning the wide variety of Polish foods when someone stepped up to the table. He looked up to see the waiter setting beers down in front of Tom and Mike.
“Here you go, guys,” the young man said, then turned to look at Jensen. “What can I get - “
The rest of the young man’s sentence was lost as Jensen took in the handsome man standing before him. He was younger than Jensen by three or four years, but taller than him by at least three inches. His face was smooth, with a mole on his cheek, near his nose, and his brown hair just brushed the collar of the white dress shirt he was wearing, that hid what Jensen figured was an impressive looking body. And his eyes - friendly and warm, hazel flecked with gold.
Jensen swallowed deeply as he was hit with a feeling of attraction he hadn’t felt in over six years, since meeting Riley for the first time, making his stomach flip just like it did back then.
But more than that was the overwhelming sensation that he knew this young man. It was so intense, but he just couldn’t place where he’d seen him before.
And the feeling seemed to be mutual, with the way the other man, his nametag said Jared, was staring back at him, a curious expression on his face as well.
“This is gonna sound cheesy,” Jared said. “But do we know each other? Have you been in here before?”
Jensen shook his head, found his voice. “No. First time.”
Jared smiled, showing off his dimples. “Well I hope it’s not your last.”
Jensen felt himself turning red, and he heard Tom chuckle quietly next to him.
“So,” Jared continued. “Can I get you something to drink?”
“Um, yeah, I’ll have a beer, too, thanks,” Jensen mumbled.
“Gotcha. You guys need a few more minutes with the menus?”
“I think we’re set,” Tom said. “I’ll have the hunter’s stew.”
“Stuffed cabbage rolls for me, thanks,” Mike told Jared.
“The potato and cheese perogis for me,” Jensen answered.
“Good choice,” Jared replied, again smiling at Jensen. “I’ll bring your beer in a minute and your food should be ready shortly.” And with a last look at Jensen, Jared walked back toward the kitchen.
Jensen blew out a long breath as Mike let out a whoop and smacked Jensen on the arm. “Damn, man, what the hell was that? With the way you two were staring at each other I thought maybe Tom and I should leave, give you a little alone time,” he snickered.
“Oh, shut up,” Jensen replied, feeling his face start to warm again.
Tom laughed. “No, really, Jensen. In the two years we’ve known each other, all the bars and restaurants we’ve been to, I’ve never seen you look at another guy like that.”
“There’s just…something about him…” Jensen trailed off, and Tom smiled warmly at him.
~~~~~
Jared brought Jensen’s beer and then the food and proceeded to check back at the table every so often as the three men ate, all the while cautiously flirting with Jensen - and Jensen didn’t dissuade him from doing so.
Their meals finished, each man ponied up their share of the check, which Jared came to collect just as they were standing up. Jensen’s phone rang then, right as Jared was about to say something to him, so Jensen quickly held up a finger and answered the phone.
“Hi, Mom,” he smiled, rolling his eyes, and Jared grinned.
“I’m out with friends right now, Mom. Can I call you back in the morning?” Jensen asked. “Okay, love you, too.”
Jensen ended the call and laid his phone on the table as he reached for his outer shirt and slipped back into it.
“Sorry about that,” he apologized to Jared.
“No, man, that’s cool,” Jared smiled. “So, umm, did you enjoy your meal?”
Tom and Mike moved past the table then, behind Jared, winking and smirking at Jensen as they walked toward the door.
Jensen fought not to turn red for the third time that night as he answered the young man. “Yeah, it was great, actually. I tried some of Mike and Tom’s and they were delicious, too.”
“All the credit goes to my granddad,” Jared answered, hooking a thumb over his shoulder to the bar, at the white-haired man standing behind it, still chatting with the customers. “He owns the place and these are all his family recipes.”
“I’ll be sure to spread the word around work that you’ve got great food,” Jensen told him.
“I hope that means I’ll see you again here, too,” Jared smiled, picking up the check and money and walking away.
Jensen stood there and watched as Jared walked behind the bar to the cash register, his stomach giving that little flip again. He blew out a breath and ran a hand through his short, spiky hair before making his way to the front door of the restaurant.
“Hey, wait!”
Jensen turned at Jared’s voice as the waiter walked down to the end of the bar and picked up a to-go container that was sitting there with a receipt on top, waiting for a customer pick-up. Jared looked at the receipt as he held out the container to Jensen.
“Here you go, Mr. Watanabe,” Jared grinned. “Dessert. On the house.”
Jensen laughed and took the container as Jared winked and walked back down the bar.
Jensen opened the door and went outside, a smile on his face, to see Mike and Tom leaning up against the side of the red Jeep. Both started clapping as Jensen approached.
“Oh knock it off, you clowns,” Jensen said as Mike stepped forward.
“Well, what do we have here, Jensen?” Mike grinned as he flipped open the lid of the container in Jensen’s hands to reveal a dozen or so raspberry filled kolachki. “This kid’s got it right - the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach!”
Tom threw an arm around Jensen’s shoulders. “Now aren’t you glad you came out with us tonight?” he asked.
And Jensen couldn’t deny it.
~~~~~
Jensen had a fairly early call the next morning, but there was somewhere he felt the need to go before heading home, and he found himself driving out to Griffith Park, to the Observatory.
He hadn’t been out here since Riley’s death, the memories of the two of them here too painful to deal with, so he’d stayed away. But tonight felt like the right time. He felt the need to be close to Riley, to sort some things through in his head.
Jensen walked up the path, past the Observatory to the wall, where he stopped and rested his arms on the cement, looking down at the twinkling lights of Los Angeles. He felt Riley so keenly here. This was one of the first places they visited when they arrived in California all those years ago. They wanted to be as close to the Hollywood sign as possible, looking down on the town and imagining all of the possibilities waiting for them.
Jensen swallowed hard as his emotions at the memory rose up inside him. “I miss you,” he whispered into the night. “But I don’t think you’d want me living the way I’ve been. I know if things were reversed I wouldn’t want you to be unhappy, lonely.” He paused and smiled slightly. “I met someone tonight. I haven’t felt this way around someone since I met you. Maybe that’s a sign, huh? That it’s time?”
The breeze blew softly then, caressing Jensen’s skin as if in reply, and he closed his eyes, whispering to the man he lost, “Thank you.”
~~~~~
Jensen arrived home with a lighter heart than he’d had in two years, to find the message light on his answering machine blinking.
“Um, hi…this is Jared from Padalecki’s,” the voice said. “I found your phone on the table after you left. Um, I’ll be working tomorrow night if you wanted to pick it up then. I mean, you don’t have to. Pick it up then. But if you wanted to, that’d be great. Okay, um…bye.”
Jensen chuckled at Jared’s nervous rambling, glad for the chance to see the young man again so soon.
~~~~~
Jensen was seriously going to kill Mike Rosenbaum. Mike had been hopped up on energy drinks for most of the day, and all that caffeine made him more crazy than usual. He was a nut on set all day, goofing up his lines, making the guest stars crack up, you name it. So because of him filming went way later than it should’ve and now Jensen was racing home to shower and change clothes before heading over to Padalecki’s to pick up his phone.
He flew through his shower and pulled on a pair of khaki pants and a pink and white striped shirt, then turned to Harley, who was sitting on the bedroom floor.
“What do you think, boy?”
Harley stared at him for a moment before shaking his head, his ears flopping around.
Great. If the dog thought he looked bad… Jensen pulled off the shirt and pulled out two others from the closet.
“What about this one?” He held up a green one and this time Harley hung his head.
“Oh for god’s sake…” Jensen tossed the shirt on the bed with a sigh and held up a pale blue button down. “This one, then?”
Harley barked happily at this choice and Jensen laughed. “Thanks for the seal of approval.”
~~~~~
Jensen pulled the Jeep up to a quick stop in front of Padalecki’s and jumped out, making it to the door just as Jared’s grandfather was putting the “Closed” sign up. But when the older man saw Jensen, he opened the door.
“Ah, it’s you,” the man said, smiling. “Come in, come in,” he gestured and Jensen stepped inside.
“I’ve uh, come for my phone,” Jensen explained.
The other man nodded. “Yes, my grandson said you’d probably be stopping by.” He stuck out his hand. “I’m Dominik Padalecki.”
Jensen shook Dominik’s hand. “Nice to meet you. I’m Jensen Ackles,” he replied, trying to hide his disappointment that Jared was apparently already gone for the night, as there was no one else in the restaurant. Damn Rosenbaum and his antics…
“Now let me just see where my grandson put your phone,” Dominik said, moving behind the bar.
Jensen turned when he heard footsteps on the stairs behind the door to his left that led to the apartments upstairs. The door opened and out came a dog on a leash…followed by Jared.
His hair was damp from a recent shower and he was barefoot, wearing a thin black hoodie that was zipped halfway up, no shirt beneath it, and a pair of what used to be gray sweatpants that were now cut down to shorts. Jensen thought he looked amazing.
“Granddad, I’m taking Sadie out - “ Jared quickly cut himself off as he spied Jensen, his hand immediately flying to the zipper on his hoodie, pulling it all the way up.
The two men stared at each other for several heartbeats before Jensen stammered out, “I’ve uh - I came to get my phone.”
“Oh, yeah, yeah,” Jared nodded. “I put it behind the bar.” He started forward but Dominik piped up.
“I’ll find it, Jared. Go on and take Sadie out back.”
Jared looked torn. “Um, okay, Granddad,” he replied, then walked with the dog toward the back door of the restaurant, glancing back over his shoulder at Jensen.
Jensen watched him go and wondered if he should follow him, when Dominik cleared his throat. Jensen looked over at the older man to see him wink and indicate with his head toward the back door. Jensen smiled and nodded, then walked quickly out the door.
“Wow,” he breathed as he stepped outside. He was in a large, fenced in patio area behind the restaurant, filled with flowers and a couple of trees and a table and chairs. He spied Jared over by one of the trees with his dog, who he’d taken off her leash, and walked over.
The friendly, beige colored Sadie immediately started sniffing Jensen’s crotch and he laughed, squatting down next to her, rubbing behind her ears.
“Oh god, I’m so sorry!” Jared said quickly, embarrassed by his pet’s actions.
“Nah, it’s no problem. I’m a dog person myself,” Jensen replied, standing back up, holding out his hand. “I didn’t even introduce myself last night. I’m Jensen.”
Jared smiled softly and enveloped Jensen’s hand with his own. “Nice to meet you, Jen.”
Jensen started. “What - what did you call me?”
Jared looked bewildered. “Um, Jen. I’m sorry, I don’t know why I shortened your name like that. It just…came out.”
“No, no, it’s okay. It’s just that no one’s called me that in a long time,” Jensen explained. “But I don’t mind,” he continued, liking the sound of Riley’s nickname for him falling from Jared’s lips. “So, um, it’s good to see you again.”
Jared shuffled his feet and fiddled with the zipper on his hoodie. “Sorry I’m a bit underdressed this time.”
Jensen shook his head. “No…you look good.”
Jared’s mouth twitched and he ducked his head and Jensen saw something over his shoulder.
“Wow, that’s a beautiful painting,” Jensen said, moving around Jared to the canvas set up on an easel in the corner of the patio. It was a snow-capped mountain landscape with a lake in the foreground.
“Thanks,” Jared replied, coming to stand next to Jensen.
“You painted it? It’s fantastic. Where is it?”
“Vancouver, I’m hoping.”
“You’ve never been?”
Jared shook his head. “I’ve never been anywhere but here. But Granddad gave me a plane ticket for my birthday last week. I’m hoping to do some auditions while I’m up there, in between looking at the mountains and hopefully seeing snow for the first time,” Jared finished with a grin.
Jensen cocked his head. “You’re an actor, too?”
Jared laughed. “Trying to be! Just a couple bit parts so far. But I didn’t decide to get into acting until two years ago.”
“Well hang in there,” Jensen told him. “It took me years to land the steady, full time gig I’ve got now. It’ll happen for you.”
Jared smiled. “Thanks for the encouragement.”
“Would you like to go out with me?” The words were out of Jensen’s mouth before his brain could process he was going to say them, and his jaw dropped at his sudden forwardness.
Jared laughed, his dimples flashing. “I thought you’d never ask.”
Jensen blew out a breath. “I take it that’s a yes, then?” he grinned.
Jared’s eyes were as soft and warm as his reply. “Definitely.”
~~~~~
Back at home a short time later, Jensen lay in bed, Harley curled up next to him, rubbing the big dog’s head.
“I feel…some kind of connection to him,” he told his pet. “All those guys Tom and Mike tried to set me up with I didn’t feel a thing. So this...it’s gotta mean something, right?”
And Harley licked his face in reply.
~~~~~
Jensen hadn’t enjoyed himself this much in a long time.
It was two days later, Saturday night, and he and Jared were on their first date together. After the initial awkwardness of first-date jitters, they settled into easy conversation together over dinner, enjoying their meals and each other’s company.
The more time Jensen spent with Jared the harder he fell for the younger man. Jared was just so bright and alive, a ray of light into Jensen’s life that had been so dark for so long.
Jared talked with those large hands of his and his laugh was infectious and Jensen wondered what it would feel like to have Jared’s hand cupping the side of his face, Jared’s lips pressed softly against his own. And Jensen again marveled at the fact that he was able to feel any of this again after Riley’s death. There really was something special about Jared, to bring out these feelings in him again, and he hoped Jared was sensing the same connection.
Their dinner finished, they decided to take a walk through the park near the restaurant, enjoying the beautiful evening, eating ice cream.
“So,” Jared was saying between licks of his chocolate cone. “Are you originally from L.A., Jen? I’m thinking I detect a slight accent under your polished Hollywood speak,” he smiled.
Jensen nodded. “You’re good. I still fight to keep the Texas drawl out of my voice.”
“Well you shouldn’t,” Jared said, leaning in closer to Jensen, his voice low in Jensen’s ear. “Cowboys are sexy.”
Jensen turned his head to see a slow smile slide across Jared’s face, then he winked and moved back, leaving Jensen with a stomach that was again doing flip-flops and a flushed face at Jared’s suggestive tone.
Jared chuckled at Jensen’s expression and bumped him with his shoulder. “Where in Texas are you from?”
Jensen swallowed, finding his voice. “Um…Richardson. Near Dallas. My parents and brother and sister still live there, so I fly down there a couple times a year to see them.”
“Man,” Jared sighed. “I can’t wait to finally get on a plane.”
Jensen cocked his head. “Wait. You mean you’ve never flown before?”
Jared shook his head, taking another lick of his ice cream cone. “I couldn’t because of my h-“ Jared cut himself off, his fingers fiddling with the button on his shirt. “Because of my granddad,” he said quickly. “He’s always needed help with the restaurant, so there’s never really been any time for me to travel.”
Jensen took a bite of his strawberry cone. “You’ve never mentioned your parents. Are they gone?”
Jared nodded, glancing down at the ground. “My mom died when I was five. Heart disease.”
“God, I’m sorry.”
“My dad took off soon after that. Couldn’t handle raising a kid by himself. I’ve never seen him again. Thank god for my granddad. He took me in, raised me.”
“I’m glad you have him,” Jensen told him. “Family’s important.”
Jared grinned. “He likes you, you know.”
“I like him, too. He did say something to me the night I came to pick up my phone that kind of confused me, though.”
“Oh? What did he say?”
“Well, when he opened the door for me he said ‘Ah, it’s you’ like he knew who I was, but I hadn’t even said a word, that I was there to pick up my phone or anything.”
This time it was Jared’s turn to turn a shade of pink to match Jensen’s ice cream.
“Um, well…I may have talked about you a little bit after you left that night,” Jared confessed.
Jensen laughed at Jared’s little embarrassed smile. “That’s okay, I talked about you, too,” Jensen told him. “Granted, it was to my dog, but…” he trailed off with a grin and this time it was Jared’s turn to laugh.
They came to a stop at the entrance to the park, having walked all the way around it while they were talking, and Jared looked over at Jensen.
“I’m not really ready for the night to be over,” he told Jensen.
“Neither am I,” Jensen replied, glad that the younger man had said exactly what he’d been thinking. “Any place in particular you wanna go?”
“Actually…it’s a really clear night out. Wanna go out to the Observatory?” he asked, and Jensen started, his jaw dropping open slightly.
Jared furrowed his brow. “Everything okay?”
Jensen shook his head, blinking. “Um, yeah,” he said slowly. “It’s just that I really like it up there, too.”
Jared smiled brightly. “Well let’s go then!”
~~~~~
It was a beautiful night up in Griffith Park with a gentle breeze blowing and not a cloud in the sky to obscure the stars. Jensen and Jared made their way past the tourists and took their place at the wall with several other couples, all gazing down at Los Angeles. They stood there in silence for a few minutes, Jared a warm presence next to Jensen, their arms just barely touching.
“I love it up here,” Jared said quietly. “Looking down at the city like this reminds me there’s a world of possibilities out there for me.”
“I said the exact same thing first time I came up here,” Jensen replied, then cleared his throat nervously. “This is gonna sound really juvenile, but it’s been a long time since I’ve done the dating thing.” He paused as Jared looked over at him. “Can I hold your hand?”
Jared’s warm smile went straight to Jensen’s heart as the young man slipped his hand into Jensen’s, lacing their fingers together.
~~~~~
Jensen dropped Jared off at the back of the restaurant about an hour later, hopping out of the Jeep and walking with Jared to the patio gate.
“I had a really nice time tonight,” Jared said, reaching out to take Jensen’s hand, thumb rubbing his skin.
“So did I,” Jensen replied, stepping closer to the younger man, his heart starting to beat a bit faster.
“Being with you…it just feels so right,” Jared breathed, head dipping down, eyes sliding closed.
Their first kiss was abruptly aborted when Sadie jumped up on the gate, barking excitedly, startling Jared so badly that he jumped, smacking his forehead against Jensen’s.
“Ouch!” Jensen stumbled back, his foot slipping off the curb and he fell against the Jeep, catching himself on the side mirror.
“Oh god!” Jared jumped forward, grabbing Jensen’s shoulders, then both men couldn’t help but laugh as they made eye contact.
“Okay, wow, that didn’t go exactly like I’d hoped,” Jared chuckled as Jensen rubbed his forehead.
“Wanna give it another shot?”
“God, yes,” Jared smiled, cupping the side of Jensen’s face, leaning in.
Jensen let his eyes slide closed at the first touch of Jared’s lips against his, and then they were kissing - soft and slow and so damned perfect. Jensen just let himself go, let himself be swept away, arms sliding around Jared, holding him close, drowning in the feeling of Jared’s body pressed so tightly against him.
It was long moments later when they finally pulled apart to catch their breath. Jared’s face was flushed, his eyes bright, smiling softly. He stroked a thumb across Jensen’s cheek.
“I’d, um…I’d better go.”
Jensen cleared his throat, trying to focus. “Yeah…” he drawled, still a little dazed.
Jared chuckled, kissed him again. “Night, Jen,” he whispered against Jensen’s mouth, then moved back, turning for the patio gate.
“Night, Jared,” Jensen smiled, watching the other man go, and he didn’t stop smiling the entire way home.
~~~~~
Jensen’s good mood followed him into Sunday, inspiring him to clean the house from top to bottom and then sit at the computer to work on Riley’s screenplay. Happy with the changes he’d made, he printed it off and called a courier company to pick it up first thing Monday morning to be delivered to Riley’s agent.
Then he and Harley spent the rest of the afternoon playing in the park and relaxing on the couch with pizza and a couple of movies.
Still smiling Monday morning, greeting everyone on set with a cheerful ‘hello’, Mike and Tom cornered him in the makeup trailer as Jeannie was messing with his hair.
“Well, aren’t you Mr. Sunshine this morning,” Tom greeted him, flopping down in the other chair as Mike leaned against the counter. “What’s up with you?” he smiled.
Jensen shrugged, grinning. “Nothin’. Just feelin’ good.”
“Oh my god! You got laid!” Mike yelled, and Jeannie giggled.
“Jesus Christ, Mike! Could you be any more crude?” Tom laughed, then turned to Jensen. “Did you?”
Jensen slugged his friend in the shoulder. “No! Geez, guys get your mind outta the gutter! I just…took Jared out Saturday night.”
“And I take it things went well from the permanent smile on your face,” Tom commented with a grin.
“Yeah, it did,” Jensen answered. “God, Tom, I’m really falling for this guy. I haven’t felt like this in a long time. And it feels great.”
Mike pushed off from the counter, reaching out to squeeze Jensen’s shoulder. “We’re happy for you, man. It’s great to see you like this.”
“I guess I owe you one for finding that restaurant in the first place,” Jensen admitted.
Mike laughed. “Oh, you do, my man. And believe me, I’ll collect,” he winked and Jensen groaned as everyone else laughed.
~~~~~
PART TWO
Author: agt_spooky
Pairing: Jensen/Jared, brief Jensen/OMC
Rating: NC-17
Word Count: 15,544 (total for both parts)
Warnings/Spoilers: None
Disclaimer: It’s RPS, people. It never happened, but I wish it would. :-)
Author’s Notes: Many thanks, as always, to my fabulous beta, charityfliint who always makes my stories better. :-)
Summary: Written for the abouttwoboys fic challenge. The movie I claimed was Return To Me. While this is not a word-for-word, scene-for-scene retelling of the film (because I just think that would be boring, you could just rent the movie!) the main plot is still the same, and so is some of the dialogue.
So without further ado, here is Return To Me, J2 style. :-)
(banner created by agt_spooky)
This Fragile Heart
By AgtSpooky
February 8, 2008
Jensen Ackles cursed the overcast sky as the first, fat raindrops started to fall over Los Angeles. Riley would absolutely kill him if he got his nice shoes and dress pants wet and spattered with mud.
“C’mon, Harley,” Jensen encouraged his large, brown, happy-go-lucky mastiff, giving a tug on the leash.
Harley turned his attention away from the tree he was currently sniffing, gave a bark and loped off down the sidewalk, pulling Jensen along behind him, toward the small house at the end of the block.
Jensen opened up the bright red front door and he and Harley tumbled inside just as the sky really opened up.
“Whew, close call, buddy,” Jensen said, grabbing a towel off the coat rack in the entryway, trying in vain to dry off his squirming dog. Shaking his head as Harley tried to get away from him, Jensen gave up and headed for the kitchen as his pet sat down in the entryway, waiting dutifully for his other master to come home.
“Harley! Come eat!” Jensen called as he set down the bowls of water and dry dog food on the kitchen floor.
Giving a long suffering sigh when Harley failed to appear, Jensen walked out of the kitchen and past the dog, patting him on the head as he went upstairs. “He’ll be home in a bit, boy.”
And sure enough, just a few minutes later as Jensen was in his closet picking out a tie, he heard the front door open and his lover’s voice call out over Harley’s excited barking.
“Jen? You home?”
“Up here, babe!” Jensen answered, selecting a tie and turning around just as a tall blonde man with soft brown eyes walked in the room, Harley behind him.
“Make him go eat,” Jensen said, pointing at their pet.
“Harley, go eat, boy,” the man said, not taking his eyes off of Jensen as the dog obeyed immediately and left the room.
Then Jensen smiled as his lover of four years, Riley Marshall, pulled him close and greeted him with a long, soft kiss.
“Mmm…missed you today,” Riley murmured as they slowly pulled back from the kiss.
“You, too,” Jensen replied, running his hands across Riley’s back, keeping the other man close. “What do you say we skip this dinner thing and just stay in instead?” he suggested with a raised eyebrow, letting his hands slip down to ghost over the curve of Riley’s ass.
“Oh, no,” Riley chuckled. “We’re celebrating tonight and I’m not missing the chance to see you in a suit and tie,” he finished with a smile.
Jensen groaned playfully and thunked his head against the closet door before giving Riley a mischievous grin. “Can I have dessert first, then?” he asked, spinning he and Riley around and dropping to his knees.
Then it was Riley’s turn to hit his head on the closet door as Jensen unzipped his pants and took him into his mouth, licking and sucking as Riley hardened and lengthened and spilled hot and wet down Jensen’s throat.
Jensen ran his tongue across his bottom lip as Riley tugged him up, a satisfied smile on his face. “God, I love you,” the blonde man grinned.
And Jensen kissed him long and deep.
~~~~~
An hour and a half later Jensen and Riley were seated in a trendy downtown L.A. restaurant, glasses of wine in their hands.
“A toast,” Riley began. “To you, Jen, for landing your first long-term role. I’m so damn happy for you. You deserve this.”
Jensen touched his glass to Riley’s before shaking his head slightly. “I’m twenty-five years old and it’s a soap opera, Ry. Not exactly anything to get excited over.”
“Yes, it is. This is gonna open doors for you, Jen. All those years of one-shot bit parts is over. You’ll be on prime-time TV before you know it,” Riley finished with a smile.
“And you’ll have your name up on a marquee before you know it, too,” Jensen replied, raising his wine glass again. “A toast to you for finishing a screenplay that studios will be fighting over, I know it. I’m damn proud of you, Ry. You’ve worked really hard on it.”
“It’s been a long road for both of us,” Riley said. “Who’d have thought that two boys from Richardson, Texas would be on their way to making it big in Hollywood?”
The two men clinked their glasses together. “To making our dreams come true,” Jensen said softly, leaning over as Riley met him halfway for a kiss.
~~~~~
Jensen sighed happily as he braked to a stop in his dark blue Mustang at a traffic light on their way home from dinner. He reached over and took Riley’s hand, thumb brushing across the skin. “Weather’s cleared up. Wanna take a ride out to the Observatory?”
“Like you have to ask,” Riley answered. “You know I love it up there.”
“Okay, it’s a date,” Jensen smiled, leaning over for a kiss just as the traffic light turned green. “Love you.”
It happened in the blink of an eye.
Jensen never saw the car run the red light as he entered the intersection, the black SUV smashing into the passenger side of the Mustang. He heard the breaking glass, the tearing metal and then…darkness.
~~~~~
Jensen felt as if he were underwater, struggling for the surface, using every ounce of strength he had to open his eyes, blinking sluggishly as consciousness finally returned.
He felt a hand on his arm and he slowly turned his head, his mother’s face coming into focus. Confused, he tried to say her name, but nothing came out of his dry throat.
“Jensen? Are you with us, honey?”
He nodded slowly and she squeezed his arm. “Oh, thank god. Oh, Jensen…” she wiped away a tear.
He tried again to speak and his mother stood quickly. “Wait, honey,” she said, and a moment later she was placing a straw against his lips. “Go slow, just a few sips.”
The cool water soothed his parched throat, reviving him a little more as he became aware that his entire body ached. His left arm felt heavy and there was a pain on the left side of his chest with each breath.
“Wha - What happened?” he rasped. “Where am I?”
“You were in a car accident, honey. You’re in the hospital,” his mother explained. “Your father and I flew up here when the doctors called. You’ve got a broken wrist and two ribs. And you’ve been in a coma for five days.”
In a flash, everything came back to Jensen - he and Riley at dinner, in the car, going to the Observatory…
“Riley. Mom…wh-where’s Riley?” Jensen asked frantically.
His mother’s pause, her silence, was the devastating answer and Jensen shook his head.
“N-no..” his breath hitched. “No…”
“Oh, baby, I’m so sorry,” his mother whispered. “Riley’s gone…”
And Jensen’s mother held him as he cried, her tears mixing with her son’s, helpless to stop his pain.
~~~~~
Four days later, Jensen made his way slowly up the sidewalk to his front door, both of his parents behind him.
“I came by this morning again and took Harley out,” his father was saying as Jensen unlocked the door and stepped inside. The big dog greeted him with a happy bark and Jensen dropped his hand on his pet’s head.
“Thanks, Dad,” Jensen said quietly, turning in the doorway to face his parents.
“Are you sure you don’t want us to stay with you tonight, honey?” his mother asked.
Jensen shook his head. “I just…need to be alone right now.”
“You call us at the hotel if you change your mind, son,” his father told him, as his mother stepped up and hugged him, mindful of Jensen’s ribs.
“We love you,” she kissed him and stepped back and then his parents were walking back to their rental car.
Jensen watched them drive off down the street before closing the door and leaning back against it. He’d lied when he said he wanted to be alone. In reality he wanted nothing more than to be surrounded and comforted by his parents the first night back in this house. But he would eventually be here alone and he needed to face it instead of putting it off, as hard as it was.
He pushed away from the door, stepping past Harley, who remained sitting in the entryway, staring at the door, and wandered into the house.
He’d had four days to come to terms with Riley’s death, and the fact that while he was in a coma, Riley’s parents had his body flown back to Texas for a funeral that Jensen was not able to attend. That had torn him up like nothing else, not being given the chance to say goodbye to the man he loved.
He’d had four days to prepare himself for this, but as the silence enveloped him he didn’t think four years would be enough time to get past Riley’s death.
Jensen moved about the house in a daze, still feeling surrounded by Riley’s presence, as if his lover would walk into the room at any moment. But he wouldn’t, not ever, and Jensen still couldn’t comprehend it. How could he be gone? It wasn’t fair. Goddamn it, it wasn’t fair.
In the kitchen he found a note on the refrigerator in Riley’s handwriting: Can you pick up my shirts at the dry cleaners on Monday? Love, Me
Jensen’s breath hitched and he felt hot tears prick behind his eyes as he touched the note. Then he swallowed deeply and blinked rapidly to keep the tears at bay. He couldn’t break down. He needed to learn to keep himself together or he’d end up curled up on the couch and never get up.
He stepped away from the refrigerator and noticed Harley’s food bowl was nearly empty. He refilled it and gave him fresh water, too.
“Harley,” Jensen called out, his voice rough. “Come eat, boy.”
When silence was his answer, Jensen walked out of the kitchen and saw Harley still sitting in the entryway, staring at the door. Waiting for Riley.
He’d told himself he wasn’t going to break down, but the image of Harley sitting there so patiently, waiting for the door to open that never would - Jensen was helpless to stop the painful clenching of his chest and the first tear that followed as he sat down next to the big dog.
It took every ounce of energy he had to voice the words out loud.
“He’s not coming home.”
And with it finally spoken, Jensen let go, giving in to his devastating grief with sobs that shook his body, mourning for a man, for love, taken away too soon.
~~~~~
TWO YEARS LATER
Jensen slapped his cell phone closed angrily, clenching his jaw and shaking his head in frustration. Another rejection of Riley’s screenplay from one of the studios. It seemed nowadays the only things being produced were horror films and animated penguins or bears. Science fiction movies just weren’t “in” at the moment. Or for the last two years.
Still, Jensen wasn’t about to give up. It had been Riley’s dream to get this movie made and come hell or high water, Jensen would make it happen for him. He’d been tweaking it on and off these last few years, based on feedback from Riley’s agent, trying to make the film more marketable, but still never losing sight of Riley’s vision of the movie.
Vision…Jensen looked around at his surroundings. Riley had been right about Jensen’s own path. After only six months on the soap opera, he’d been asked to audition for a new character that was being created for a prime-time show. And he’d nailed it.
So here he was, fourth billing on an ensemble drama about private investigators. It was on the smallest network on a really tough night, but the ratings continued to be strong. Jensen was still finding it hard to believe he’d landed this part and he wished that Riley was here to share in his happiness and success.
“Hey, man.”
A slap on his shoulder pulled him from his musings and he looked up from where he was sitting in his director’s chair to see his good friend, Tom Welling. Tom was the star of Eye Spy, and with his dark hair and blue eyes, he was every fangirl’s dream. He was also funny and laid back, with a big heart, and he and Tom had hit it off right from the start. It wasn’t easy being the new kid on the block, but Tom had immediately made him feel welcome.
“Hey,” Jensen replied unenthusiastically.
“Hmm, I’m guessing from your expression the phone call from Riley’s agent didn’t go so well.”
Jensen sighed. “Another rejection.”
Tom squeezed his shoulder. “I’m sorry, Jensen. What is with these studios? All the garbage on the big screen and they pass on Riley’s? I just don’t get it.”
“Neither do I, man.”
“Listen, come out with Mike and I after we’re all done here tonight. Have a couple beers with us, take your mind off all this. Mike found a Polish place that he’s been raving about.”
Mike Rosenbaum was the second lead of the show and was usually attached at the hip with Tom. While Jensen was closer friends with Tom, he genuinely liked Mike, too, though his twisted sense of humor and obnoxious ways took some getting used to. In a nutshell, Mike was a bit crazy.
Jensen shook his head. “Sorry, Tommy, I’m just not in the mood for the two of you pushing me at every guy in the place. You know I’m not ready for another relationship.”
Tom raised up his hands. “I swear it’ll just be good food and a couple of beers tonight. Honest.”
Jensen blew out a breath. “I’ll think about it,” he promised, just as their director, Kim Manners, called them back to set and Jensen and Tom slipped back into their characters for the rest of the day.
~~~~~
Jensen wearily pushed open his front door, having ending up begging off with Tom and Mike at the end of the day, to be immediately greeted by an enthusiastic Harley. Jensen crouched down and let Harley lick his face as he scratched behind the big dog’s ears.
“Miss me, boy?” Jensen asked as he stood and dumped his things amongst the piles of empty Chinese food containers, old newspapers, clothes and dirty dishes that were littered around the living room. Riley had always been the housekeeper of the two of them and Jensen just couldn’t muster up the energy to keep the place spotless anymore.
Nor could he muster up the energy to cook for one, not that he’d ever been much of a cook anyway, so when the doorbell rang a short time later, Jensen was ready with his wallet.
A thin, African-American teenage boy stood on the other side of the door, a bag of Chinese food in his hand and a smile on his face.
“Hey, Mr. Ackles!”
“Calvin, my man!” He greeted the youth. “How ya doin’?”
“Good, thanks. Got me an A- on that Creative Writing paper you looked over for me,” the boy answered, handing over the food. “Yo, Harley! How’s it goin’, boy?” He greeted the dog with several pats on the head and a playful tug on one of the dog’s ears.
“Good for you, Cal.” Jensen tapped the boy on the chest. “There’s a budding author in there, I know it.”
Calvin smiled, stuffing Jensen’s money in his pocket. “I dunno. I’m kinda likin’ my drama class. You’re my inspiration, Mr. TV Star!” he finished with a cheeky grin.
Jensen laughed. “Get outta here, you!”
“Yeah, yeah, us hardworking teenagers gotta make a buck somehow,” Calvin joked. “See ya tomorrow, Mr. Ackles!”
Jensen closed the door with a grin, picking up Harley’s empty food bowl, which found a place by the front door two years ago, and headed into the kitchen.
“C’mon in the kitchen, Harley, I got you some beef and rice,” he told the dog, opening up the containers on the kitchen counter.
When Harley failed to come into the room, Jensen snagged a piece of beef and stuck his head around the doorway, holding out the meat.
“C’mon, boy, you’re gonna eat in here today.”
But Harley refused to budge from his familiar position at the front door - still waiting for Riley to come through it after all this time.
Jensen sighed in frustration. “I’m not doin’ this anymore. We’re going back to eating in the kitchen,” he told the dog, who simply turned his head to look at Jensen, then back at the door.
“Goddammit, Harley! Come over here and eat in the kitchen like a normal person!”
Jensen knew it was unreasonable to be yelling at his pet, but every single time he saw Harley sitting there at the door it was like a knife to his heart, a painful reminder that Riley was gone and it brought his grief to the surface yet again.
Harley turned his head sharply at Jensen’s yell and stood, taking one step toward Jensen.
“Yeah! Good boy, good boy!” Jensen again held out the piece of beef, taking a couple steps toward the dog. “C’mon, let’s go to the kitchen. Follow me,” he said, backing up.
Harley took several more steps then sat down and Jensen conceded, going over and sitting down next to him, giving him the piece of beef, then rubbing his fur. “Good boy, you made it halfway.” He looked Harley in his big brown eyes, then gave him a quick kiss on the head. “You gotta snap out of it, buddy,” he told the dog gently. And Harley looked back at him, head cocked as if to say, Why don’t you take your own advice?
“You’re right. It’s time for both of us,” Jensen stated, then fished in his pocket for his cell phone, dialing a familiar number.
“Tom? It’s Jensen. Is it too late to join you and Mike tonight?”
~~~~~
Fifteen minutes later Jensen pulled up in front of a small restaurant called Padalecki’s, parked the red Jeep that used to be Riley’s at the curb and went inside.
It was nearly 9:00 pm, but the place was jumping. Music was playing and the small bar area was full, mainly with older men in their 60’s, laughing and joking with the short, white-haired man of the same age serving up the drinks.
The atmosphere was fun and lively and Jensen couldn’t help but grin as he walked into the restaurant area, looking around for Tom and Mike. A wave caught his attention and he saw his two friends sitting at a table off to his left.
He dodged waiters and waitresses with trays of food and drinks as he made his way over to the table, stopping to shrug out of his outer shirt and hang it on the coat rack next to the table before sitting down.
“Hey, man!” Mike clapped him on the shoulder. “Glad you decided to show.”
Jensen looked at the empty table. “You guys already done eating?”
“Hell, no,” Tom answered. “We just got here ourselves. You called when we were driving over. It took Mikey forever to get ready. As usual.”
“You have no hair,” Jensen laughed at Mike. “Why does it always take you so long to get yourself together to go out?”
Mike rubbed a hand over his bald pate. “You people have no idea the effort it takes to keep this shiny.”
Jensen laughed again. “I do not want to know what you put on it to keep it that way!”
“God, neither do I!” Tom chimed in, then turned to Jensen. “Waiter took our drink orders a couple minutes ago.” He pointed at the menus on the table, stuck between the napkin dispenser and the salt and pepper shakers. “Mike says everything’s really good.”
Jensen nodded and took a menu, scanning the wide variety of Polish foods when someone stepped up to the table. He looked up to see the waiter setting beers down in front of Tom and Mike.
“Here you go, guys,” the young man said, then turned to look at Jensen. “What can I get - “
The rest of the young man’s sentence was lost as Jensen took in the handsome man standing before him. He was younger than Jensen by three or four years, but taller than him by at least three inches. His face was smooth, with a mole on his cheek, near his nose, and his brown hair just brushed the collar of the white dress shirt he was wearing, that hid what Jensen figured was an impressive looking body. And his eyes - friendly and warm, hazel flecked with gold.
Jensen swallowed deeply as he was hit with a feeling of attraction he hadn’t felt in over six years, since meeting Riley for the first time, making his stomach flip just like it did back then.
But more than that was the overwhelming sensation that he knew this young man. It was so intense, but he just couldn’t place where he’d seen him before.
And the feeling seemed to be mutual, with the way the other man, his nametag said Jared, was staring back at him, a curious expression on his face as well.
“This is gonna sound cheesy,” Jared said. “But do we know each other? Have you been in here before?”
Jensen shook his head, found his voice. “No. First time.”
Jared smiled, showing off his dimples. “Well I hope it’s not your last.”
Jensen felt himself turning red, and he heard Tom chuckle quietly next to him.
“So,” Jared continued. “Can I get you something to drink?”
“Um, yeah, I’ll have a beer, too, thanks,” Jensen mumbled.
“Gotcha. You guys need a few more minutes with the menus?”
“I think we’re set,” Tom said. “I’ll have the hunter’s stew.”
“Stuffed cabbage rolls for me, thanks,” Mike told Jared.
“The potato and cheese perogis for me,” Jensen answered.
“Good choice,” Jared replied, again smiling at Jensen. “I’ll bring your beer in a minute and your food should be ready shortly.” And with a last look at Jensen, Jared walked back toward the kitchen.
Jensen blew out a long breath as Mike let out a whoop and smacked Jensen on the arm. “Damn, man, what the hell was that? With the way you two were staring at each other I thought maybe Tom and I should leave, give you a little alone time,” he snickered.
“Oh, shut up,” Jensen replied, feeling his face start to warm again.
Tom laughed. “No, really, Jensen. In the two years we’ve known each other, all the bars and restaurants we’ve been to, I’ve never seen you look at another guy like that.”
“There’s just…something about him…” Jensen trailed off, and Tom smiled warmly at him.
~~~~~
Jared brought Jensen’s beer and then the food and proceeded to check back at the table every so often as the three men ate, all the while cautiously flirting with Jensen - and Jensen didn’t dissuade him from doing so.
Their meals finished, each man ponied up their share of the check, which Jared came to collect just as they were standing up. Jensen’s phone rang then, right as Jared was about to say something to him, so Jensen quickly held up a finger and answered the phone.
“Hi, Mom,” he smiled, rolling his eyes, and Jared grinned.
“I’m out with friends right now, Mom. Can I call you back in the morning?” Jensen asked. “Okay, love you, too.”
Jensen ended the call and laid his phone on the table as he reached for his outer shirt and slipped back into it.
“Sorry about that,” he apologized to Jared.
“No, man, that’s cool,” Jared smiled. “So, umm, did you enjoy your meal?”
Tom and Mike moved past the table then, behind Jared, winking and smirking at Jensen as they walked toward the door.
Jensen fought not to turn red for the third time that night as he answered the young man. “Yeah, it was great, actually. I tried some of Mike and Tom’s and they were delicious, too.”
“All the credit goes to my granddad,” Jared answered, hooking a thumb over his shoulder to the bar, at the white-haired man standing behind it, still chatting with the customers. “He owns the place and these are all his family recipes.”
“I’ll be sure to spread the word around work that you’ve got great food,” Jensen told him.
“I hope that means I’ll see you again here, too,” Jared smiled, picking up the check and money and walking away.
Jensen stood there and watched as Jared walked behind the bar to the cash register, his stomach giving that little flip again. He blew out a breath and ran a hand through his short, spiky hair before making his way to the front door of the restaurant.
“Hey, wait!”
Jensen turned at Jared’s voice as the waiter walked down to the end of the bar and picked up a to-go container that was sitting there with a receipt on top, waiting for a customer pick-up. Jared looked at the receipt as he held out the container to Jensen.
“Here you go, Mr. Watanabe,” Jared grinned. “Dessert. On the house.”
Jensen laughed and took the container as Jared winked and walked back down the bar.
Jensen opened the door and went outside, a smile on his face, to see Mike and Tom leaning up against the side of the red Jeep. Both started clapping as Jensen approached.
“Oh knock it off, you clowns,” Jensen said as Mike stepped forward.
“Well, what do we have here, Jensen?” Mike grinned as he flipped open the lid of the container in Jensen’s hands to reveal a dozen or so raspberry filled kolachki. “This kid’s got it right - the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach!”
Tom threw an arm around Jensen’s shoulders. “Now aren’t you glad you came out with us tonight?” he asked.
And Jensen couldn’t deny it.
~~~~~
Jensen had a fairly early call the next morning, but there was somewhere he felt the need to go before heading home, and he found himself driving out to Griffith Park, to the Observatory.
He hadn’t been out here since Riley’s death, the memories of the two of them here too painful to deal with, so he’d stayed away. But tonight felt like the right time. He felt the need to be close to Riley, to sort some things through in his head.
Jensen walked up the path, past the Observatory to the wall, where he stopped and rested his arms on the cement, looking down at the twinkling lights of Los Angeles. He felt Riley so keenly here. This was one of the first places they visited when they arrived in California all those years ago. They wanted to be as close to the Hollywood sign as possible, looking down on the town and imagining all of the possibilities waiting for them.
Jensen swallowed hard as his emotions at the memory rose up inside him. “I miss you,” he whispered into the night. “But I don’t think you’d want me living the way I’ve been. I know if things were reversed I wouldn’t want you to be unhappy, lonely.” He paused and smiled slightly. “I met someone tonight. I haven’t felt this way around someone since I met you. Maybe that’s a sign, huh? That it’s time?”
The breeze blew softly then, caressing Jensen’s skin as if in reply, and he closed his eyes, whispering to the man he lost, “Thank you.”
~~~~~
Jensen arrived home with a lighter heart than he’d had in two years, to find the message light on his answering machine blinking.
“Um, hi…this is Jared from Padalecki’s,” the voice said. “I found your phone on the table after you left. Um, I’ll be working tomorrow night if you wanted to pick it up then. I mean, you don’t have to. Pick it up then. But if you wanted to, that’d be great. Okay, um…bye.”
Jensen chuckled at Jared’s nervous rambling, glad for the chance to see the young man again so soon.
~~~~~
Jensen was seriously going to kill Mike Rosenbaum. Mike had been hopped up on energy drinks for most of the day, and all that caffeine made him more crazy than usual. He was a nut on set all day, goofing up his lines, making the guest stars crack up, you name it. So because of him filming went way later than it should’ve and now Jensen was racing home to shower and change clothes before heading over to Padalecki’s to pick up his phone.
He flew through his shower and pulled on a pair of khaki pants and a pink and white striped shirt, then turned to Harley, who was sitting on the bedroom floor.
“What do you think, boy?”
Harley stared at him for a moment before shaking his head, his ears flopping around.
Great. If the dog thought he looked bad… Jensen pulled off the shirt and pulled out two others from the closet.
“What about this one?” He held up a green one and this time Harley hung his head.
“Oh for god’s sake…” Jensen tossed the shirt on the bed with a sigh and held up a pale blue button down. “This one, then?”
Harley barked happily at this choice and Jensen laughed. “Thanks for the seal of approval.”
~~~~~
Jensen pulled the Jeep up to a quick stop in front of Padalecki’s and jumped out, making it to the door just as Jared’s grandfather was putting the “Closed” sign up. But when the older man saw Jensen, he opened the door.
“Ah, it’s you,” the man said, smiling. “Come in, come in,” he gestured and Jensen stepped inside.
“I’ve uh, come for my phone,” Jensen explained.
The other man nodded. “Yes, my grandson said you’d probably be stopping by.” He stuck out his hand. “I’m Dominik Padalecki.”
Jensen shook Dominik’s hand. “Nice to meet you. I’m Jensen Ackles,” he replied, trying to hide his disappointment that Jared was apparently already gone for the night, as there was no one else in the restaurant. Damn Rosenbaum and his antics…
“Now let me just see where my grandson put your phone,” Dominik said, moving behind the bar.
Jensen turned when he heard footsteps on the stairs behind the door to his left that led to the apartments upstairs. The door opened and out came a dog on a leash…followed by Jared.
His hair was damp from a recent shower and he was barefoot, wearing a thin black hoodie that was zipped halfway up, no shirt beneath it, and a pair of what used to be gray sweatpants that were now cut down to shorts. Jensen thought he looked amazing.
“Granddad, I’m taking Sadie out - “ Jared quickly cut himself off as he spied Jensen, his hand immediately flying to the zipper on his hoodie, pulling it all the way up.
The two men stared at each other for several heartbeats before Jensen stammered out, “I’ve uh - I came to get my phone.”
“Oh, yeah, yeah,” Jared nodded. “I put it behind the bar.” He started forward but Dominik piped up.
“I’ll find it, Jared. Go on and take Sadie out back.”
Jared looked torn. “Um, okay, Granddad,” he replied, then walked with the dog toward the back door of the restaurant, glancing back over his shoulder at Jensen.
Jensen watched him go and wondered if he should follow him, when Dominik cleared his throat. Jensen looked over at the older man to see him wink and indicate with his head toward the back door. Jensen smiled and nodded, then walked quickly out the door.
“Wow,” he breathed as he stepped outside. He was in a large, fenced in patio area behind the restaurant, filled with flowers and a couple of trees and a table and chairs. He spied Jared over by one of the trees with his dog, who he’d taken off her leash, and walked over.
The friendly, beige colored Sadie immediately started sniffing Jensen’s crotch and he laughed, squatting down next to her, rubbing behind her ears.
“Oh god, I’m so sorry!” Jared said quickly, embarrassed by his pet’s actions.
“Nah, it’s no problem. I’m a dog person myself,” Jensen replied, standing back up, holding out his hand. “I didn’t even introduce myself last night. I’m Jensen.”
Jared smiled softly and enveloped Jensen’s hand with his own. “Nice to meet you, Jen.”
Jensen started. “What - what did you call me?”
Jared looked bewildered. “Um, Jen. I’m sorry, I don’t know why I shortened your name like that. It just…came out.”
“No, no, it’s okay. It’s just that no one’s called me that in a long time,” Jensen explained. “But I don’t mind,” he continued, liking the sound of Riley’s nickname for him falling from Jared’s lips. “So, um, it’s good to see you again.”
Jared shuffled his feet and fiddled with the zipper on his hoodie. “Sorry I’m a bit underdressed this time.”
Jensen shook his head. “No…you look good.”
Jared’s mouth twitched and he ducked his head and Jensen saw something over his shoulder.
“Wow, that’s a beautiful painting,” Jensen said, moving around Jared to the canvas set up on an easel in the corner of the patio. It was a snow-capped mountain landscape with a lake in the foreground.
“Thanks,” Jared replied, coming to stand next to Jensen.
“You painted it? It’s fantastic. Where is it?”
“Vancouver, I’m hoping.”
“You’ve never been?”
Jared shook his head. “I’ve never been anywhere but here. But Granddad gave me a plane ticket for my birthday last week. I’m hoping to do some auditions while I’m up there, in between looking at the mountains and hopefully seeing snow for the first time,” Jared finished with a grin.
Jensen cocked his head. “You’re an actor, too?”
Jared laughed. “Trying to be! Just a couple bit parts so far. But I didn’t decide to get into acting until two years ago.”
“Well hang in there,” Jensen told him. “It took me years to land the steady, full time gig I’ve got now. It’ll happen for you.”
Jared smiled. “Thanks for the encouragement.”
“Would you like to go out with me?” The words were out of Jensen’s mouth before his brain could process he was going to say them, and his jaw dropped at his sudden forwardness.
Jared laughed, his dimples flashing. “I thought you’d never ask.”
Jensen blew out a breath. “I take it that’s a yes, then?” he grinned.
Jared’s eyes were as soft and warm as his reply. “Definitely.”
~~~~~
Back at home a short time later, Jensen lay in bed, Harley curled up next to him, rubbing the big dog’s head.
“I feel…some kind of connection to him,” he told his pet. “All those guys Tom and Mike tried to set me up with I didn’t feel a thing. So this...it’s gotta mean something, right?”
And Harley licked his face in reply.
~~~~~
Jensen hadn’t enjoyed himself this much in a long time.
It was two days later, Saturday night, and he and Jared were on their first date together. After the initial awkwardness of first-date jitters, they settled into easy conversation together over dinner, enjoying their meals and each other’s company.
The more time Jensen spent with Jared the harder he fell for the younger man. Jared was just so bright and alive, a ray of light into Jensen’s life that had been so dark for so long.
Jared talked with those large hands of his and his laugh was infectious and Jensen wondered what it would feel like to have Jared’s hand cupping the side of his face, Jared’s lips pressed softly against his own. And Jensen again marveled at the fact that he was able to feel any of this again after Riley’s death. There really was something special about Jared, to bring out these feelings in him again, and he hoped Jared was sensing the same connection.
Their dinner finished, they decided to take a walk through the park near the restaurant, enjoying the beautiful evening, eating ice cream.
“So,” Jared was saying between licks of his chocolate cone. “Are you originally from L.A., Jen? I’m thinking I detect a slight accent under your polished Hollywood speak,” he smiled.
Jensen nodded. “You’re good. I still fight to keep the Texas drawl out of my voice.”
“Well you shouldn’t,” Jared said, leaning in closer to Jensen, his voice low in Jensen’s ear. “Cowboys are sexy.”
Jensen turned his head to see a slow smile slide across Jared’s face, then he winked and moved back, leaving Jensen with a stomach that was again doing flip-flops and a flushed face at Jared’s suggestive tone.
Jared chuckled at Jensen’s expression and bumped him with his shoulder. “Where in Texas are you from?”
Jensen swallowed, finding his voice. “Um…Richardson. Near Dallas. My parents and brother and sister still live there, so I fly down there a couple times a year to see them.”
“Man,” Jared sighed. “I can’t wait to finally get on a plane.”
Jensen cocked his head. “Wait. You mean you’ve never flown before?”
Jared shook his head, taking another lick of his ice cream cone. “I couldn’t because of my h-“ Jared cut himself off, his fingers fiddling with the button on his shirt. “Because of my granddad,” he said quickly. “He’s always needed help with the restaurant, so there’s never really been any time for me to travel.”
Jensen took a bite of his strawberry cone. “You’ve never mentioned your parents. Are they gone?”
Jared nodded, glancing down at the ground. “My mom died when I was five. Heart disease.”
“God, I’m sorry.”
“My dad took off soon after that. Couldn’t handle raising a kid by himself. I’ve never seen him again. Thank god for my granddad. He took me in, raised me.”
“I’m glad you have him,” Jensen told him. “Family’s important.”
Jared grinned. “He likes you, you know.”
“I like him, too. He did say something to me the night I came to pick up my phone that kind of confused me, though.”
“Oh? What did he say?”
“Well, when he opened the door for me he said ‘Ah, it’s you’ like he knew who I was, but I hadn’t even said a word, that I was there to pick up my phone or anything.”
This time it was Jared’s turn to turn a shade of pink to match Jensen’s ice cream.
“Um, well…I may have talked about you a little bit after you left that night,” Jared confessed.
Jensen laughed at Jared’s little embarrassed smile. “That’s okay, I talked about you, too,” Jensen told him. “Granted, it was to my dog, but…” he trailed off with a grin and this time it was Jared’s turn to laugh.
They came to a stop at the entrance to the park, having walked all the way around it while they were talking, and Jared looked over at Jensen.
“I’m not really ready for the night to be over,” he told Jensen.
“Neither am I,” Jensen replied, glad that the younger man had said exactly what he’d been thinking. “Any place in particular you wanna go?”
“Actually…it’s a really clear night out. Wanna go out to the Observatory?” he asked, and Jensen started, his jaw dropping open slightly.
Jared furrowed his brow. “Everything okay?”
Jensen shook his head, blinking. “Um, yeah,” he said slowly. “It’s just that I really like it up there, too.”
Jared smiled brightly. “Well let’s go then!”
~~~~~
It was a beautiful night up in Griffith Park with a gentle breeze blowing and not a cloud in the sky to obscure the stars. Jensen and Jared made their way past the tourists and took their place at the wall with several other couples, all gazing down at Los Angeles. They stood there in silence for a few minutes, Jared a warm presence next to Jensen, their arms just barely touching.
“I love it up here,” Jared said quietly. “Looking down at the city like this reminds me there’s a world of possibilities out there for me.”
“I said the exact same thing first time I came up here,” Jensen replied, then cleared his throat nervously. “This is gonna sound really juvenile, but it’s been a long time since I’ve done the dating thing.” He paused as Jared looked over at him. “Can I hold your hand?”
Jared’s warm smile went straight to Jensen’s heart as the young man slipped his hand into Jensen’s, lacing their fingers together.
~~~~~
Jensen dropped Jared off at the back of the restaurant about an hour later, hopping out of the Jeep and walking with Jared to the patio gate.
“I had a really nice time tonight,” Jared said, reaching out to take Jensen’s hand, thumb rubbing his skin.
“So did I,” Jensen replied, stepping closer to the younger man, his heart starting to beat a bit faster.
“Being with you…it just feels so right,” Jared breathed, head dipping down, eyes sliding closed.
Their first kiss was abruptly aborted when Sadie jumped up on the gate, barking excitedly, startling Jared so badly that he jumped, smacking his forehead against Jensen’s.
“Ouch!” Jensen stumbled back, his foot slipping off the curb and he fell against the Jeep, catching himself on the side mirror.
“Oh god!” Jared jumped forward, grabbing Jensen’s shoulders, then both men couldn’t help but laugh as they made eye contact.
“Okay, wow, that didn’t go exactly like I’d hoped,” Jared chuckled as Jensen rubbed his forehead.
“Wanna give it another shot?”
“God, yes,” Jared smiled, cupping the side of Jensen’s face, leaning in.
Jensen let his eyes slide closed at the first touch of Jared’s lips against his, and then they were kissing - soft and slow and so damned perfect. Jensen just let himself go, let himself be swept away, arms sliding around Jared, holding him close, drowning in the feeling of Jared’s body pressed so tightly against him.
It was long moments later when they finally pulled apart to catch their breath. Jared’s face was flushed, his eyes bright, smiling softly. He stroked a thumb across Jensen’s cheek.
“I’d, um…I’d better go.”
Jensen cleared his throat, trying to focus. “Yeah…” he drawled, still a little dazed.
Jared chuckled, kissed him again. “Night, Jen,” he whispered against Jensen’s mouth, then moved back, turning for the patio gate.
“Night, Jared,” Jensen smiled, watching the other man go, and he didn’t stop smiling the entire way home.
~~~~~
Jensen’s good mood followed him into Sunday, inspiring him to clean the house from top to bottom and then sit at the computer to work on Riley’s screenplay. Happy with the changes he’d made, he printed it off and called a courier company to pick it up first thing Monday morning to be delivered to Riley’s agent.
Then he and Harley spent the rest of the afternoon playing in the park and relaxing on the couch with pizza and a couple of movies.
Still smiling Monday morning, greeting everyone on set with a cheerful ‘hello’, Mike and Tom cornered him in the makeup trailer as Jeannie was messing with his hair.
“Well, aren’t you Mr. Sunshine this morning,” Tom greeted him, flopping down in the other chair as Mike leaned against the counter. “What’s up with you?” he smiled.
Jensen shrugged, grinning. “Nothin’. Just feelin’ good.”
“Oh my god! You got laid!” Mike yelled, and Jeannie giggled.
“Jesus Christ, Mike! Could you be any more crude?” Tom laughed, then turned to Jensen. “Did you?”
Jensen slugged his friend in the shoulder. “No! Geez, guys get your mind outta the gutter! I just…took Jared out Saturday night.”
“And I take it things went well from the permanent smile on your face,” Tom commented with a grin.
“Yeah, it did,” Jensen answered. “God, Tom, I’m really falling for this guy. I haven’t felt like this in a long time. And it feels great.”
Mike pushed off from the counter, reaching out to squeeze Jensen’s shoulder. “We’re happy for you, man. It’s great to see you like this.”
“I guess I owe you one for finding that restaurant in the first place,” Jensen admitted.
Mike laughed. “Oh, you do, my man. And believe me, I’ll collect,” he winked and Jensen groaned as everyone else laughed.
~~~~~
PART TWO