Redemption - Interlude - Feels Like the First Time
Jensen climbed the stairs, butterflies fluttering in his stomach with each step he scaled. When he finally felt human after the hangover from hell, Jensen called Jared and officially - soberly - asked him out on a date. It had taken two weeks to get their schedules to coincide and tonight they were, finally, going on their first date. He couldn’t understand the sudden burst of nerves. They’d talked on the phone practically every night and texted throughout the day, but something about actually seeing the man again had Jensen absolutely giddy. It was so bad that Chris offered to finish their end of shift paperwork just to get a reprieve.
Smoothing a hand down his button-up shirt and tugging on his belt buckle to make sure it was straight, Jensen blew out a calming breath and knocked on the door. Twenty thundering heartbeats later, the door was yanked open to reveal a half-naked Chad.
“Why is it every time I come by here, you’re only half dressed?” Jensen quirked an eyebrow when a tall, handsome man sidled up behind Jared’s roommate and slipped his arms around Chad’s waist.
“Because every time I’m about to get laid, you come by,” Chad snarked back.
“Touché,” Jensen acknowledged with a tilt of his head, “Jared home? We have a date.”
“Yeah, I know. I’ve only heard about it every day for the last week. Princess is touching up his make-up,” Chad braced his arm on the doorjamb, blocking Jensen’s entrance, and leveled him with a steely gaze. It would have been intimidating if not for the man behind him licking his neck, Chad angling his head to the side to give the guy more room.
Jensen sighed, “Is this where you give me the ‘you hurt him, I’ll have your balls’ speech?”
“Listen, Jenny,” Chad crossed his arms over his exposed chest, “I’m a lover, not a fighter.” The guy wrapped around him paused in his oral assault to murmur ‘damn right’ before returning his attention to the column of flesh. Jensen shuddered, violently reminded of a mother cat cleaning a kitten. “But Jared’s my boy and I’m a devious motherfucker. Understand?”
Cat Guy pulled back and stared at Chad’s profile. “I thought I was your boy?”
Chad patted the forearms encircling his waist. “Different kind of boy,” he offered consolingly in way of explanation. Cat Guy was apparently appeased and the tongue bath resumed. “So, we on the same page, Jenny?”
“As long as you never call me Jenny again, Chaddy,” Jensen answered with a tight smile. Cat Guy was now Hoovering a mark near Chad’s pulse point and Jensen’s smile turned into a grimace. Hoover the Cat Guy.
“Chad, was that the door?”
Jensen looked past the wall of flesh and muscle barring his entry to see Jared standing in the doorway to his bedroom. He remembered that Jared was good looking - fucking hot in his work outfit - but now he seemed even more handsome. He was in a dark pair of jeans that snugged against his body in all the right places and a dark blue pullover that hugged his torso to hint at the body underneath, scuffed brown boots were worn from practicality not pretentiousness. The icing on top of this particularly decadent beefcake was the wide, dimpled smile that appeared when Jared saw him.
“Jensen!” Jared crossed to the door and shouldered Chad and Hoover the Cat Guy to the side. “Chad, what are you doing?”
“Just having a little convo with your new boytoy here, Jaybird.” Chad unfolded his arms, reaching out to pat Jensen on the chest. “Right, Jenny?”
“Sure, Chaddy,” Jensen looked down at the hand on his chest and spared a thought about where it had been, stepping out of the touch. “Jared, you ready to go?”
“Yeah, just let me get,” Jared leaned over to his right, his arm tugging on something just out of Jensen’s view, “my jacket.” He slapped a hand on Chad’s bare shoulder, on the side unoccupied by Hoover’s tongue, the resounding smack echoing in the hallway. “Y’all have fun.”
The only answer he got was a smirk, right before Chad shut the door. Chuckling, Jared stared at the door before he shook his head. “Ready?”
Nodding, Jensen motioned with his hand for Jared to lead the way. “That was mildly disturbing.”
“What’s that? Chad?” Jared slid into his jacket, his watch catching on the arm hole.
Jensen stopped him with a hand on his shoulder and helped him work his arm into the sleeve. “Yes, but I was referring more to Hoover’s licking.”
Jared blinked, “Hoover?”
“Oh, yeah,” Jensen rubbed the back of his neck and looked sheepish. He flapped his other hand in the direction of the closed door, “um, Hoover the Cat Guy?”
Jared’s head dropped back as his booming laughter rang out, loud and joyous. He clapped his hands a few times as it died away. “Oh, God. That’s awesome.”
“Well, I wasn’t formally introduced and he reminded me of a mother cat grooming a kitten,” he mumbled embarrassed, laying a hand low on Jared’s back to usher them toward the stairs.
“You should try eating while he’s doing it. I don’t think I’ve finished my breakfast all week.” Jared wiped a tear from his eye.
“I didn’t realize that Chad was into guys. I mean his ex-girlfriend was the reason we met.” They moved to the side at the second floor landing to allow a couple of co-eds to pass, exchanging a quick greeting.
“He says it would be a travesty to deny half the population his awesomeness. Usually his preferences depend on how his last relationship ended. Since Janie went crazy, he’s off girls for a while. When things go south with Hoover, he’ll be back to the fairer sex.” Jared opened the door at the main entrance to the apartment building, holding it after Jensen exited for a girl with bubble gum pink hair carrying a large blank canvas. “So, where we going?”
“The Pirate’s House okay? I thought we could walk.”
“That’s perfect. You know, I’ve lived here for three years and never been?” He bumped Jensen’s shoulder.
“Really? It’s my sister Dakota’s favorite. Every time the family comes, we go there to eat.” They paused to let a delivery man carrying boxes into a boutique pass in front of them.
“My dad is partial to Mrs. Wilkes’ so we usually end up there. I’m just glad you didn’t want to go The Lady and Sons. My last three dates have taken me there.” Jared pulled a face as they started walking again, coming up on Oglethorpe Square.
“Not a fan of Paula Deen?” Jensen gasped in mock horror. “I didn’t think they’d let you live in Savannah and not bow down to the domestic goddess.”
Jared laughed and, honestly, Jensen didn’t care what he had to do as long as that was his reward.
“Shhh,” Jared hissed, leaning over to whisper conspiratorially in Jensen’s ear, “I’m part of the resistance. If they discover who I am, they’ll try to recondition me with forced feedings of butter and mayonnaise.” He chuckled, straightening up and voice returning to its normal timbre. “Besides, my momma’s cooking is better than hers.”
“Spoken like a true momma’s boy,” Jensen nudged Jared’s ribs with his elbow.
Up ahead, Oglethorpe Square was littered with white tents, walls made up of white wire grid displays lining three sides of each tent. When Oglethorpe settled Savannah the original plans included 24 ‘squares’, dispersed at equal intervals throughout the city, to be used primarily by the people for communal activities. Over two and half centuries later, the little patches of green amidst the concrete jungle that built up around them were still used in much the same fashion. On any given weekend it wasn’t uncommon to pass a wedding, an art show and a sorority reunion, all within a 10 block stroll. Jensen squinted to try and make out what type of show had rented the area for the weekend.
“Hey,” Jared squawked, “takes one to know one. I remember a guy waxing poetic last week about his momma’s apple pie and how nobody’s can compare.”
“Never said I wasn’t,” Jensen could see frames hanging from the display walls, “What’s going on up there?”
“SCAD show,” Jared shrugged, “Students showing off their end of the year projects.”
Jensen looked down at his watch, considering. “We’ve got a few minutes before our reservation. You wanna wander through real quick? Show me what you artsy types are working on?”
“Yeah, sure.”
They walked through the narrow aisles, entering each booth to view the works on display. Jensen pointed out the pieces he liked, commenting on the style or asking questions about the medium. It was in the last booth that he stood transfixed at the artist’s offerings. Jared lagged behind, dallying at the entrance to watch Jensen’s reactions.
Long, thick fingers drifted toward the glass of a framed photograph as if wanting to touch the image inside - an alligator sunning itself on the bank of a river, its dark, leathery hide contrasting with the verdant green of the grass, sun reflecting off the reptile’s scales and the murky water. Eyes darted to another photograph, hanging above and to the right of the alligator, and Jared grinned at the sharp intake of breath. This one was a bald eagle perched majestically on the gnarled curl of a fallen limb against the backdrop of an American flag. The azure field was sharp and bright, stripes vibrant, and the eagle’s snowy hood was starkly outlined by the horizontal swatch of red. Finger pads petted over the bird’s head and back and Jensen’s face looked surprised to not feel the feathers. The last photograph of the grouping had a large red ribbon hanging from the lower right corner of the frame, gold letters embossed on the satin tail: Best In Show. Jensen was frozen in front of the picture, fingers not edging forward to touch and eyes wide and stationary. Jared stepped closer, worried at the blank look on Jensen’s face.
Jared’s eyes flicked to the object of Jensen’s unaffected gaze. The photograph was the largest of the trio, matted simply in indigo behind non-glare glass and nestled in the confines of a light oak frame. The small, white title card identified it as “Pollux Wept” and compared to the other pictures, this one was subdued. Heavily stacked thunderclouds blanketed the sky over a tumultuous sea. The ocean’s color darkened as it raced to the horizon, pale verdigris morphing into midnight blue. Sea foam, frothed from the waves breaking over hidden sandbars, floated on the water’s surface and sinister shaped shadows glided underneath.
“Wow.”
The soft word startled Jared, having lost himself in his own contemplation of the picture. “You like it?”
“It’s,” Jensen seemed to struggle for words, mouth mutely opening several times before settling on, “incredible. They all are.” He gestured to the two previous pictures.
Jared let out a quiet breath. Tension he hadn’t noticed creeping up on him, relaxed. He smiled when bright green eyes turned to him.
“Who took…” Jensen gaze dropped to the title card, stunned to see JT Padalecki as the submitting student. “God, Jared, these are fantastic. You’re…you’re awesome!”
Jared shrugged off the compliment. “Chad’s folks paid for us to take a cruise for Spring Break, I think it was their way of thanking me for not killing their only child over the years. The alligator and eagle were pit stops along the way to and from Port Canaveral. Chad’s my best friend and all but five hours in the car with him tried even my patience. Pollux was taken at one of the islands in the Caribbean.”
Jensen’s eyes volleyed from Jared to the pictures. “The lighthouse in your bedroom, you took that one too.”
“Yeah, did that one right after I moved here.” Bells from a local church tolled the hour, the resonant chimes vibrating the warm summer air and scattering birds from the surrounding trees. “What time was our reservation?”
Pulling his gaze from the pictures, Jensen glanced down at his watch. “Oh, crap. In ten minutes. If we book it, we might just make it.”
They hurried through the streets of historic Savannah, sidestepping locals on their way home from work and tourists looking for a good bar, and reached the podium right on time. The Pirate’s House was popular with vacationers and even though Jensen was sure that the restaurant had a courtesy grace period for late arrivals, he didn’t want to chance them giving his reserved table away. The hostess smiled indulgently and led them to a booth near the back. After their orders were taken, Jensen broached the subject of Jared’s photography again.
“So,” Jensen moved the card detailing the drink specials to the end of the table, “what got you into photography?”
“My grandfather, actually,” Jared smiled, peeling the paper ring from around his silverware. “He loved to take pictures, told me that pictures capture the moments we don’t want to forget. When I was six I came down with the chicken pox and he stayed with me. He brought his camera and showed me how to use it and about the lenses. It became our thing. That Christmas he bought me a cheap 35 millimeter camera and I was hooked. By the time I was ten, I knew that I wanted to be a photographer.” He smiled at the waitress when she brought their sweet teas. “Grandpa’s the reason I was able to attend SCAD.” He took a sip from his glass, “He passed away my junior year of high school.” Jared’s voice was subdued, acceptance of a painful memory not forgotten evident in the tone. “At the funeral, I was sitting in the front row turning his camera over in my hands and watching my grandmother beside his casket. Her hand was resting on the lid and she was whispering her good-byes, telling him she loved him and that she would see him soon.” Jared slicked his fingers through the condensation on his glass, tracing patterns in the beaded sweat and staring unfocused at a button on Jensen’s shirt. “It was the first time I understood what love really was and I wanted to remember that feeling so I would know when it happened to me.” He shook his head and blinked a few times, eyes meeting Jensen’s with a small smile. “On impulse, I snapped a photo of my grandma. During my senior year, my mother submitted it in a scholarship contest sponsored by Kodak. It won and here I am.”
They sat in silence for a moment, finally broken by Jared’s low chuckle. “Wow, what an uplifting conversationalist I turned out to be. I keep this up our second date will be at group therapy.” He took another sip of his tea and blew out a long breath, wiping his damp hand on his jeans. “So” Jared threw around, searching for an up-beat change of topic, “how did you end up in law enforcement? NYPD Blue make it too sexy to refuse?”
“Funny enough, it was my Papaw,” Jensen huffed a laugh, moving his drink to the side so the waitress had room to set down their appetizer, “He’s the sheriff back home and I spent my entire life wanting to be him.” He held out his hand for Jared’s plate, piling a healthy portion of calamari on it before dishing some for himself.
“Wow, he must be so proud of you,” Jared moaned at the first bite of the fried squid, the light breading perfectly accentuating the taste of the cephalopod. “ ‘S good.”
Jensen smiled at Jared’s reaction, happy he’d made a good choice, “He seems to be. He’s been talking a lot about retiring lately.” He popped a ring in his mouth and let out a little groan of his own. The kitchen staff had outdone themselves.
“Ackles?”
Jensen’s groan this time was more painful than orgasmic when a tall man stepped up to the end of their booth. Setting his fork down and wiping his mouth on his napkin, Jensen gave the newcomer a tight smile, extending his hand. “Olyphant. Good to see you again.”
“Likewise,” Timothy shook Jensen proffered hand, his eyes focused on Jared, “Who’s your stunning dinner companion?”
Jensen gritted his teeth. It had been like this since college, one always trying to steal away the others dates. Except this time, Jensen wasn’t going to let Timothy near Jared. “Timothy,” he forced the man’s first name past his lips, “this is Jared Padalecki. He’s a student at SCAD,” Jensen hand covered Jared’s resting on the table, sighing internally in relief when Jared beamed at him in return, “Jared, this is Timothy Olypant. We went to Mercer together.”
“Nice to meet you,” Jared set his fork down to shake hands with Timothy, allowing the hand in Jensen’s warm grip to remain there.
“Pleasure’s all mine, I assure you,” Timothy answered, his Georgia drawl thickening in honeyed sweetness.
Jensen saw Jared’s smile falter slightly and noticed that Timothy hadn’t released Jared’s hand. Jared tugged lightly and the other man finally relinquished his hold after one last gentle squeeze. Uncertain hazel eyes turned to him and Jensen tried to smile reassuringly.
“Olyphant,” Jensen cleared his throat to recapture the intruder’s gaze, “if you don’t mind, we’d like to finish our dinner. You and I can catch up another time, okay?”
“Of course. It was very nice to meet you, Jared,” he smiled at Jared then nodded to Jensen. “Ackles.”
“Olyphant.”
“He seemed…friendly,” Jared picked his fork up again once Timothy was out of earshot.
“Yeah, so he seemed,” Jensen frowned, suspiciously watching the other man walk to a table on the other side of the dining room. Something squeezed his hand and he looked over to find Jared eyeing him curiously.
“Everything okay?”
“Yeah,” Jensen rubbed his thumb over the back of Jared’s hand, “Everything’s perfect.”
They finished their dinner without any further interruption and walked the humid streets, Jensen telling Jared about his work and Jared recounting the many antics of living with Chad. An air conditioned breeze ghosted over their faces as they passed a well-lit storefront, the entrance held open by a line of people waiting to get in. Jared beamed when Jensen tugged them into queue at the end of the line. Thirty minutes later, they walked out of Leopold’s with double scooped ice cream cones, already dripping sticky-sweet trails of sweat around their wrists as they futilely tried to race the balmy summer air to eat the dessert before it melted.
“I might be in love with you,” Jared sighed happily, lips and tongue coated in smears of strawberry ice cream.
“Wow, who knew you were so easy? I would’ve just brought you here and skipped dinner.” Jensen watched enraptured as Jared licked a long stripe up his wrist and over his cone, catching a wayward pink rivulet of sweet milk as it trickled down.
Seeing Jensen staring at him, Jared flushed in embarrassment. “Sorry,” he mumbled, ducking his head and dabbing his chin with the napkin clutched in his other hand. “Peter Pan complex. Never really grew up. Momma and Daddy always said they couldn’t take me anywhere.”
“You’re adorable,” Jensen chuckled, uttering the first thing that came to mind, glad that Jared hadn’t noticed how heated his glance had been. Realizing what he’d said, he quickly amended, “In a totally manly sort of way.”
“Well, thank God,” Jared laughed, his eyes warm and soft as they regarded Jensen, “Hate to have my manhood called into question.”
Jensen ran an appreciative gaze over Jared’s body, “Trust me, I have no questions about your manhood.” Shaking his head at the suggestively derailed route their conversation had taken, Jensen quickly backtracked. “Sorry, that was…”
“Don’t worry about it, Jensen,” Jared tucked his napkin between the fingers holding his cone and entwined his now free, and mostly clean, hand in Jensen’s, swinging gently at his side. “Glad you noticed,” he winked before licking his ice cream again.
Noticed?! Jensen nearly said the word out loud. He didn’t think it was possible to notice anyone more than he had Jared. Just having the tiny bit of contact their threaded fingers allowed him, had his body humming. After a few moments of silence, he finally got his throat to work. “Yeah, Jared. I’ve noticed.”
They walked in silence, both concentrating on eating their dessert without wearing too much of it. They passed Oglethorpe Square, the tents flaps tied down on the booths, the art removed for safekeeping overnight. Down to the cones, they walked by the boutique that had received a new shipment earlier and stopped in front of Jared’s apartment building as they ate the last bites, tossing their napkins in the garbage can near the entrance.
Jared fumbled with his keys, the door opening on the third attempt to slot the ridged metal in the lock, and they ascended the stairs to Jared’s apartment. The first moments of awkwardness crept in as they stood before Jared’s door, Jensen’s hands tucked in his pockets to curb the impulsive desire to reach over and pull Jared into a kiss while Jared played with the keys on his ring, the gentle tickling of metal on metal the only sound in the deserted hallway.
“I had a really great time tonight, Jensen,” Jared said softly, weight shifting from foot to foot.
“Me, too,” Jensen replied just as soft.
They stood there another minute, anticipation hanging thick in the air. Jared’s sigh broke the silence as he found the correct key on the ring and slid it in the lock.
This was ridiculous. Jensen couldn’t let what could possibly be the best first date of his life end like this. “Jared.”
Jared turned, eyes round and hopeful. “Yeah?”
A loud bang on the door startled them both and was followed by a loud voice, “Just fucking kiss him already, you big pansy.”
Jensen’s nerves bubbled up his throat at Chad’s command. He smirked at Jared who was bright faced in horror. “Well, you heard the man.” Jensen’s hand reached up and cupped the back of Jared’s neck, tugging him down until their lips met. Warm flesh pressed warm flesh and Jensen’s body trilled at the feel. Large hands formed over his hips, urging him closer, further into Jared’s body. Jensen tilted his head more to the side and felt Jared instinctively mimic the motion, providing them a better angle to deepen the kiss. It was like they’d been doing this for years, no mistimed motions or odd bumping of noses. His tongue licked over Jared’s bottom lip, seeking and receiving permission, and he moaned at the lingering taste of burnt sugar and strawberry he found on Jared’s lips and tongue.
The hand on Jared’s neck slid up the smooth skin to entangle in the chestnut locks he’d been dying to get his hands on since first meeting the young man, his other palm spread possessively across Jared’s back. Jared’s hands on his hips moved to the base of his spine, skirting the hem of his jeans, then ventured further on divergent paths, the left trekking north to lay warm and gentle at the nape of his neck and the right heading south to rest on the uppermost swell of his ass, fingers releasing his keys as they scratched over denim.
The jangling thud of the keys hitting the ground roused them from their passionate embrace. They pulled apart and stared at one another, arms still surrounding each other.
“Um, wow,” Jared breathed the word out huskily.
“I agree,” Jensen smiled, pecking another, more chaste, kiss to Jared’s lips.
“Gotta do that again, soon,” Jared returned the kiss in kind.
“Tomorrow?” Jensen kissed him again, “Pizza and a movie at my place?”
“Work at The Plank tomorrow,” Jared managed past preoccupied lips.
“Come by after?” Jensen mumbled.
“Sure?”
“Mmm-hmmm.”
“Kay.”
The door opened abruptly and they jumped apart quickly like teenagers caught necking on the front porch.
“Do I need to get the hose? Someone’s gonna call the cops if y’all don’t stop. Either come inside or go home, dude,” Chad slammed the door.
Jensen stared at the door, stunned.
“Guess, that’s good night then,” Jared chuckled, finding his voice first.
“Guess, so,” Jensen pulled his gaze from the door and gave Jared one last lingering kiss. “See you tomorrow?”
“Yeah.” Jared replied, hand on the knob.
“I’ll text you my address. Good night, Jared.”
“Night, Jensen.” Jared pecked him quickly on the lips then disappeared into this apartment.
Jensen leaned back against the wall and blew out a long breath. He liked Jared. A lot. He was so totally screwed. Inside the apartment, he could hear Chad’s boisterous voice.
“I didn’t mean for him to leave, dumbass. Just that people would call the police if you started fucking in the hallway.”
There was a mumble, a deep rumble that Jensen knew belonged to Jared, but he couldn’t make out the words.
“Oh. My. God!” Chad’s voice echoed through the paneled door, “You like douche boy. Like, really like him.” There was a loud bang and then Chad’s resounding, “Ow, motherfucker, that hurt.”
Jensen smiled as he pushed off from the wall. At least it sounded like he wasn’t the only one that was screwed.
Smoothing a hand down his button-up shirt and tugging on his belt buckle to make sure it was straight, Jensen blew out a calming breath and knocked on the door. Twenty thundering heartbeats later, the door was yanked open to reveal a half-naked Chad.
“Why is it every time I come by here, you’re only half dressed?” Jensen quirked an eyebrow when a tall, handsome man sidled up behind Jared’s roommate and slipped his arms around Chad’s waist.
“Because every time I’m about to get laid, you come by,” Chad snarked back.
“Touché,” Jensen acknowledged with a tilt of his head, “Jared home? We have a date.”
“Yeah, I know. I’ve only heard about it every day for the last week. Princess is touching up his make-up,” Chad braced his arm on the doorjamb, blocking Jensen’s entrance, and leveled him with a steely gaze. It would have been intimidating if not for the man behind him licking his neck, Chad angling his head to the side to give the guy more room.
Jensen sighed, “Is this where you give me the ‘you hurt him, I’ll have your balls’ speech?”
“Listen, Jenny,” Chad crossed his arms over his exposed chest, “I’m a lover, not a fighter.” The guy wrapped around him paused in his oral assault to murmur ‘damn right’ before returning his attention to the column of flesh. Jensen shuddered, violently reminded of a mother cat cleaning a kitten. “But Jared’s my boy and I’m a devious motherfucker. Understand?”
Cat Guy pulled back and stared at Chad’s profile. “I thought I was your boy?”
Chad patted the forearms encircling his waist. “Different kind of boy,” he offered consolingly in way of explanation. Cat Guy was apparently appeased and the tongue bath resumed. “So, we on the same page, Jenny?”
“As long as you never call me Jenny again, Chaddy,” Jensen answered with a tight smile. Cat Guy was now Hoovering a mark near Chad’s pulse point and Jensen’s smile turned into a grimace. Hoover the Cat Guy.
“Chad, was that the door?”
Jensen looked past the wall of flesh and muscle barring his entry to see Jared standing in the doorway to his bedroom. He remembered that Jared was good looking - fucking hot in his work outfit - but now he seemed even more handsome. He was in a dark pair of jeans that snugged against his body in all the right places and a dark blue pullover that hugged his torso to hint at the body underneath, scuffed brown boots were worn from practicality not pretentiousness. The icing on top of this particularly decadent beefcake was the wide, dimpled smile that appeared when Jared saw him.
“Jensen!” Jared crossed to the door and shouldered Chad and Hoover the Cat Guy to the side. “Chad, what are you doing?”
“Just having a little convo with your new boytoy here, Jaybird.” Chad unfolded his arms, reaching out to pat Jensen on the chest. “Right, Jenny?”
“Sure, Chaddy,” Jensen looked down at the hand on his chest and spared a thought about where it had been, stepping out of the touch. “Jared, you ready to go?”
“Yeah, just let me get,” Jared leaned over to his right, his arm tugging on something just out of Jensen’s view, “my jacket.” He slapped a hand on Chad’s bare shoulder, on the side unoccupied by Hoover’s tongue, the resounding smack echoing in the hallway. “Y’all have fun.”
The only answer he got was a smirk, right before Chad shut the door. Chuckling, Jared stared at the door before he shook his head. “Ready?”
Nodding, Jensen motioned with his hand for Jared to lead the way. “That was mildly disturbing.”
“What’s that? Chad?” Jared slid into his jacket, his watch catching on the arm hole.
Jensen stopped him with a hand on his shoulder and helped him work his arm into the sleeve. “Yes, but I was referring more to Hoover’s licking.”
Jared blinked, “Hoover?”
“Oh, yeah,” Jensen rubbed the back of his neck and looked sheepish. He flapped his other hand in the direction of the closed door, “um, Hoover the Cat Guy?”
Jared’s head dropped back as his booming laughter rang out, loud and joyous. He clapped his hands a few times as it died away. “Oh, God. That’s awesome.”
“Well, I wasn’t formally introduced and he reminded me of a mother cat grooming a kitten,” he mumbled embarrassed, laying a hand low on Jared’s back to usher them toward the stairs.
“You should try eating while he’s doing it. I don’t think I’ve finished my breakfast all week.” Jared wiped a tear from his eye.
“I didn’t realize that Chad was into guys. I mean his ex-girlfriend was the reason we met.” They moved to the side at the second floor landing to allow a couple of co-eds to pass, exchanging a quick greeting.
“He says it would be a travesty to deny half the population his awesomeness. Usually his preferences depend on how his last relationship ended. Since Janie went crazy, he’s off girls for a while. When things go south with Hoover, he’ll be back to the fairer sex.” Jared opened the door at the main entrance to the apartment building, holding it after Jensen exited for a girl with bubble gum pink hair carrying a large blank canvas. “So, where we going?”
“The Pirate’s House okay? I thought we could walk.”
“That’s perfect. You know, I’ve lived here for three years and never been?” He bumped Jensen’s shoulder.
“Really? It’s my sister Dakota’s favorite. Every time the family comes, we go there to eat.” They paused to let a delivery man carrying boxes into a boutique pass in front of them.
“My dad is partial to Mrs. Wilkes’ so we usually end up there. I’m just glad you didn’t want to go The Lady and Sons. My last three dates have taken me there.” Jared pulled a face as they started walking again, coming up on Oglethorpe Square.
“Not a fan of Paula Deen?” Jensen gasped in mock horror. “I didn’t think they’d let you live in Savannah and not bow down to the domestic goddess.”
Jared laughed and, honestly, Jensen didn’t care what he had to do as long as that was his reward.
“Shhh,” Jared hissed, leaning over to whisper conspiratorially in Jensen’s ear, “I’m part of the resistance. If they discover who I am, they’ll try to recondition me with forced feedings of butter and mayonnaise.” He chuckled, straightening up and voice returning to its normal timbre. “Besides, my momma’s cooking is better than hers.”
“Spoken like a true momma’s boy,” Jensen nudged Jared’s ribs with his elbow.
Up ahead, Oglethorpe Square was littered with white tents, walls made up of white wire grid displays lining three sides of each tent. When Oglethorpe settled Savannah the original plans included 24 ‘squares’, dispersed at equal intervals throughout the city, to be used primarily by the people for communal activities. Over two and half centuries later, the little patches of green amidst the concrete jungle that built up around them were still used in much the same fashion. On any given weekend it wasn’t uncommon to pass a wedding, an art show and a sorority reunion, all within a 10 block stroll. Jensen squinted to try and make out what type of show had rented the area for the weekend.
“Hey,” Jared squawked, “takes one to know one. I remember a guy waxing poetic last week about his momma’s apple pie and how nobody’s can compare.”
“Never said I wasn’t,” Jensen could see frames hanging from the display walls, “What’s going on up there?”
“SCAD show,” Jared shrugged, “Students showing off their end of the year projects.”
Jensen looked down at his watch, considering. “We’ve got a few minutes before our reservation. You wanna wander through real quick? Show me what you artsy types are working on?”
“Yeah, sure.”
They walked through the narrow aisles, entering each booth to view the works on display. Jensen pointed out the pieces he liked, commenting on the style or asking questions about the medium. It was in the last booth that he stood transfixed at the artist’s offerings. Jared lagged behind, dallying at the entrance to watch Jensen’s reactions.
Long, thick fingers drifted toward the glass of a framed photograph as if wanting to touch the image inside - an alligator sunning itself on the bank of a river, its dark, leathery hide contrasting with the verdant green of the grass, sun reflecting off the reptile’s scales and the murky water. Eyes darted to another photograph, hanging above and to the right of the alligator, and Jared grinned at the sharp intake of breath. This one was a bald eagle perched majestically on the gnarled curl of a fallen limb against the backdrop of an American flag. The azure field was sharp and bright, stripes vibrant, and the eagle’s snowy hood was starkly outlined by the horizontal swatch of red. Finger pads petted over the bird’s head and back and Jensen’s face looked surprised to not feel the feathers. The last photograph of the grouping had a large red ribbon hanging from the lower right corner of the frame, gold letters embossed on the satin tail: Best In Show. Jensen was frozen in front of the picture, fingers not edging forward to touch and eyes wide and stationary. Jared stepped closer, worried at the blank look on Jensen’s face.
Jared’s eyes flicked to the object of Jensen’s unaffected gaze. The photograph was the largest of the trio, matted simply in indigo behind non-glare glass and nestled in the confines of a light oak frame. The small, white title card identified it as “Pollux Wept” and compared to the other pictures, this one was subdued. Heavily stacked thunderclouds blanketed the sky over a tumultuous sea. The ocean’s color darkened as it raced to the horizon, pale verdigris morphing into midnight blue. Sea foam, frothed from the waves breaking over hidden sandbars, floated on the water’s surface and sinister shaped shadows glided underneath.
“Wow.”
The soft word startled Jared, having lost himself in his own contemplation of the picture. “You like it?”
“It’s,” Jensen seemed to struggle for words, mouth mutely opening several times before settling on, “incredible. They all are.” He gestured to the two previous pictures.
Jared let out a quiet breath. Tension he hadn’t noticed creeping up on him, relaxed. He smiled when bright green eyes turned to him.
“Who took…” Jensen gaze dropped to the title card, stunned to see JT Padalecki as the submitting student. “God, Jared, these are fantastic. You’re…you’re awesome!”
Jared shrugged off the compliment. “Chad’s folks paid for us to take a cruise for Spring Break, I think it was their way of thanking me for not killing their only child over the years. The alligator and eagle were pit stops along the way to and from Port Canaveral. Chad’s my best friend and all but five hours in the car with him tried even my patience. Pollux was taken at one of the islands in the Caribbean.”
Jensen’s eyes volleyed from Jared to the pictures. “The lighthouse in your bedroom, you took that one too.”
“Yeah, did that one right after I moved here.” Bells from a local church tolled the hour, the resonant chimes vibrating the warm summer air and scattering birds from the surrounding trees. “What time was our reservation?”
Pulling his gaze from the pictures, Jensen glanced down at his watch. “Oh, crap. In ten minutes. If we book it, we might just make it.”
They hurried through the streets of historic Savannah, sidestepping locals on their way home from work and tourists looking for a good bar, and reached the podium right on time. The Pirate’s House was popular with vacationers and even though Jensen was sure that the restaurant had a courtesy grace period for late arrivals, he didn’t want to chance them giving his reserved table away. The hostess smiled indulgently and led them to a booth near the back. After their orders were taken, Jensen broached the subject of Jared’s photography again.
“So,” Jensen moved the card detailing the drink specials to the end of the table, “what got you into photography?”
“My grandfather, actually,” Jared smiled, peeling the paper ring from around his silverware. “He loved to take pictures, told me that pictures capture the moments we don’t want to forget. When I was six I came down with the chicken pox and he stayed with me. He brought his camera and showed me how to use it and about the lenses. It became our thing. That Christmas he bought me a cheap 35 millimeter camera and I was hooked. By the time I was ten, I knew that I wanted to be a photographer.” He smiled at the waitress when she brought their sweet teas. “Grandpa’s the reason I was able to attend SCAD.” He took a sip from his glass, “He passed away my junior year of high school.” Jared’s voice was subdued, acceptance of a painful memory not forgotten evident in the tone. “At the funeral, I was sitting in the front row turning his camera over in my hands and watching my grandmother beside his casket. Her hand was resting on the lid and she was whispering her good-byes, telling him she loved him and that she would see him soon.” Jared slicked his fingers through the condensation on his glass, tracing patterns in the beaded sweat and staring unfocused at a button on Jensen’s shirt. “It was the first time I understood what love really was and I wanted to remember that feeling so I would know when it happened to me.” He shook his head and blinked a few times, eyes meeting Jensen’s with a small smile. “On impulse, I snapped a photo of my grandma. During my senior year, my mother submitted it in a scholarship contest sponsored by Kodak. It won and here I am.”
They sat in silence for a moment, finally broken by Jared’s low chuckle. “Wow, what an uplifting conversationalist I turned out to be. I keep this up our second date will be at group therapy.” He took another sip of his tea and blew out a long breath, wiping his damp hand on his jeans. “So” Jared threw around, searching for an up-beat change of topic, “how did you end up in law enforcement? NYPD Blue make it too sexy to refuse?”
“Funny enough, it was my Papaw,” Jensen huffed a laugh, moving his drink to the side so the waitress had room to set down their appetizer, “He’s the sheriff back home and I spent my entire life wanting to be him.” He held out his hand for Jared’s plate, piling a healthy portion of calamari on it before dishing some for himself.
“Wow, he must be so proud of you,” Jared moaned at the first bite of the fried squid, the light breading perfectly accentuating the taste of the cephalopod. “ ‘S good.”
Jensen smiled at Jared’s reaction, happy he’d made a good choice, “He seems to be. He’s been talking a lot about retiring lately.” He popped a ring in his mouth and let out a little groan of his own. The kitchen staff had outdone themselves.
“Ackles?”
Jensen’s groan this time was more painful than orgasmic when a tall man stepped up to the end of their booth. Setting his fork down and wiping his mouth on his napkin, Jensen gave the newcomer a tight smile, extending his hand. “Olyphant. Good to see you again.”
“Likewise,” Timothy shook Jensen proffered hand, his eyes focused on Jared, “Who’s your stunning dinner companion?”
Jensen gritted his teeth. It had been like this since college, one always trying to steal away the others dates. Except this time, Jensen wasn’t going to let Timothy near Jared. “Timothy,” he forced the man’s first name past his lips, “this is Jared Padalecki. He’s a student at SCAD,” Jensen hand covered Jared’s resting on the table, sighing internally in relief when Jared beamed at him in return, “Jared, this is Timothy Olypant. We went to Mercer together.”
“Nice to meet you,” Jared set his fork down to shake hands with Timothy, allowing the hand in Jensen’s warm grip to remain there.
“Pleasure’s all mine, I assure you,” Timothy answered, his Georgia drawl thickening in honeyed sweetness.
Jensen saw Jared’s smile falter slightly and noticed that Timothy hadn’t released Jared’s hand. Jared tugged lightly and the other man finally relinquished his hold after one last gentle squeeze. Uncertain hazel eyes turned to him and Jensen tried to smile reassuringly.
“Olyphant,” Jensen cleared his throat to recapture the intruder’s gaze, “if you don’t mind, we’d like to finish our dinner. You and I can catch up another time, okay?”
“Of course. It was very nice to meet you, Jared,” he smiled at Jared then nodded to Jensen. “Ackles.”
“Olyphant.”
“He seemed…friendly,” Jared picked his fork up again once Timothy was out of earshot.
“Yeah, so he seemed,” Jensen frowned, suspiciously watching the other man walk to a table on the other side of the dining room. Something squeezed his hand and he looked over to find Jared eyeing him curiously.
“Everything okay?”
“Yeah,” Jensen rubbed his thumb over the back of Jared’s hand, “Everything’s perfect.”
They finished their dinner without any further interruption and walked the humid streets, Jensen telling Jared about his work and Jared recounting the many antics of living with Chad. An air conditioned breeze ghosted over their faces as they passed a well-lit storefront, the entrance held open by a line of people waiting to get in. Jared beamed when Jensen tugged them into queue at the end of the line. Thirty minutes later, they walked out of Leopold’s with double scooped ice cream cones, already dripping sticky-sweet trails of sweat around their wrists as they futilely tried to race the balmy summer air to eat the dessert before it melted.
“I might be in love with you,” Jared sighed happily, lips and tongue coated in smears of strawberry ice cream.
“Wow, who knew you were so easy? I would’ve just brought you here and skipped dinner.” Jensen watched enraptured as Jared licked a long stripe up his wrist and over his cone, catching a wayward pink rivulet of sweet milk as it trickled down.
Seeing Jensen staring at him, Jared flushed in embarrassment. “Sorry,” he mumbled, ducking his head and dabbing his chin with the napkin clutched in his other hand. “Peter Pan complex. Never really grew up. Momma and Daddy always said they couldn’t take me anywhere.”
“You’re adorable,” Jensen chuckled, uttering the first thing that came to mind, glad that Jared hadn’t noticed how heated his glance had been. Realizing what he’d said, he quickly amended, “In a totally manly sort of way.”
“Well, thank God,” Jared laughed, his eyes warm and soft as they regarded Jensen, “Hate to have my manhood called into question.”
Jensen ran an appreciative gaze over Jared’s body, “Trust me, I have no questions about your manhood.” Shaking his head at the suggestively derailed route their conversation had taken, Jensen quickly backtracked. “Sorry, that was…”
“Don’t worry about it, Jensen,” Jared tucked his napkin between the fingers holding his cone and entwined his now free, and mostly clean, hand in Jensen’s, swinging gently at his side. “Glad you noticed,” he winked before licking his ice cream again.
Noticed?! Jensen nearly said the word out loud. He didn’t think it was possible to notice anyone more than he had Jared. Just having the tiny bit of contact their threaded fingers allowed him, had his body humming. After a few moments of silence, he finally got his throat to work. “Yeah, Jared. I’ve noticed.”
They walked in silence, both concentrating on eating their dessert without wearing too much of it. They passed Oglethorpe Square, the tents flaps tied down on the booths, the art removed for safekeeping overnight. Down to the cones, they walked by the boutique that had received a new shipment earlier and stopped in front of Jared’s apartment building as they ate the last bites, tossing their napkins in the garbage can near the entrance.
Jared fumbled with his keys, the door opening on the third attempt to slot the ridged metal in the lock, and they ascended the stairs to Jared’s apartment. The first moments of awkwardness crept in as they stood before Jared’s door, Jensen’s hands tucked in his pockets to curb the impulsive desire to reach over and pull Jared into a kiss while Jared played with the keys on his ring, the gentle tickling of metal on metal the only sound in the deserted hallway.
“I had a really great time tonight, Jensen,” Jared said softly, weight shifting from foot to foot.
“Me, too,” Jensen replied just as soft.
They stood there another minute, anticipation hanging thick in the air. Jared’s sigh broke the silence as he found the correct key on the ring and slid it in the lock.
This was ridiculous. Jensen couldn’t let what could possibly be the best first date of his life end like this. “Jared.”
Jared turned, eyes round and hopeful. “Yeah?”
A loud bang on the door startled them both and was followed by a loud voice, “Just fucking kiss him already, you big pansy.”
Jensen’s nerves bubbled up his throat at Chad’s command. He smirked at Jared who was bright faced in horror. “Well, you heard the man.” Jensen’s hand reached up and cupped the back of Jared’s neck, tugging him down until their lips met. Warm flesh pressed warm flesh and Jensen’s body trilled at the feel. Large hands formed over his hips, urging him closer, further into Jared’s body. Jensen tilted his head more to the side and felt Jared instinctively mimic the motion, providing them a better angle to deepen the kiss. It was like they’d been doing this for years, no mistimed motions or odd bumping of noses. His tongue licked over Jared’s bottom lip, seeking and receiving permission, and he moaned at the lingering taste of burnt sugar and strawberry he found on Jared’s lips and tongue.
The hand on Jared’s neck slid up the smooth skin to entangle in the chestnut locks he’d been dying to get his hands on since first meeting the young man, his other palm spread possessively across Jared’s back. Jared’s hands on his hips moved to the base of his spine, skirting the hem of his jeans, then ventured further on divergent paths, the left trekking north to lay warm and gentle at the nape of his neck and the right heading south to rest on the uppermost swell of his ass, fingers releasing his keys as they scratched over denim.
The jangling thud of the keys hitting the ground roused them from their passionate embrace. They pulled apart and stared at one another, arms still surrounding each other.
“Um, wow,” Jared breathed the word out huskily.
“I agree,” Jensen smiled, pecking another, more chaste, kiss to Jared’s lips.
“Gotta do that again, soon,” Jared returned the kiss in kind.
“Tomorrow?” Jensen kissed him again, “Pizza and a movie at my place?”
“Work at The Plank tomorrow,” Jared managed past preoccupied lips.
“Come by after?” Jensen mumbled.
“Sure?”
“Mmm-hmmm.”
“Kay.”
The door opened abruptly and they jumped apart quickly like teenagers caught necking on the front porch.
“Do I need to get the hose? Someone’s gonna call the cops if y’all don’t stop. Either come inside or go home, dude,” Chad slammed the door.
Jensen stared at the door, stunned.
“Guess, that’s good night then,” Jared chuckled, finding his voice first.
“Guess, so,” Jensen pulled his gaze from the door and gave Jared one last lingering kiss. “See you tomorrow?”
“Yeah.” Jared replied, hand on the knob.
“I’ll text you my address. Good night, Jared.”
“Night, Jensen.” Jared pecked him quickly on the lips then disappeared into this apartment.
Jensen leaned back against the wall and blew out a long breath. He liked Jared. A lot. He was so totally screwed. Inside the apartment, he could hear Chad’s boisterous voice.
“I didn’t mean for him to leave, dumbass. Just that people would call the police if you started fucking in the hallway.”
There was a mumble, a deep rumble that Jensen knew belonged to Jared, but he couldn’t make out the words.
“Oh. My. God!” Chad’s voice echoed through the paneled door, “You like douche boy. Like, really like him.” There was a loud bang and then Chad’s resounding, “Ow, motherfucker, that hurt.”
Jensen smiled as he pushed off from the wall. At least it sounded like he wasn’t the only one that was screwed.