Page 8 of Jack Frosting

It should’ve been a question, but there was no inflection at the end. I hadn’t expected much from gaining a roommate, but it seemed like I might have a new friend. A foreign concept to me. When I was married, Jill was the social butterfly. Eli and Gareth just happened because of our sons’ friendship. All of my other ‘friends’ were closer with Jill, and now, nowhere to be seen.

“Sure, but I don’t know if he’ll be up for it. He has homework.”

As if on cue, Henry thundered down the stairs, dressed for…I surmised…a run.

“Somebody’s ready!” Jack mused.

Henry nodded. “If I’m going to stay on first string and get a hockey scholarship, I need all the help I can get.”

I thought about going downstairs and having some fun in my playroom, but I still wasn’t in the mood…yet. I was hoping my libido would return at some point, but for now I was resigned to the fact that my erection had become an endangered species.

After that one drunk night in March, I had been celibate ever since, though every day with Jack around was wearing away my resolve. Instead, I laid on the couch and watched repeats of American Dad until Jack and Henry came home.

“How was the run?”

“Little man is faster than me!”

“You let me win,” Henry replied with a smirk.

A smirk?!

“Shower up and meet us down here. I’m taking you and your dad to your favorite restaurant.”

How does he know his favorite restaurant?

Henry launched himself up the stairs in a flash. I pushed myself off the couch and followed Jack into the kitchen.

“I don’t know what you’re doing, but keep doing it. Henry’s a different person around you.”

Jack smiled and grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge, taking a long swig. “I don’t know, Clayton. My parents split when I was his age. I might’ve said something about that a few days ago.”

“Makes sense.” I nodded, impressed, then watched as he lifted his shirt up to wipe his brow. An entire set of perfectly sculpted abdominals was revealed in the process and my dead-to-the-world sex drive released the emergency brake and revved the accelerator. I knew he was a personal trainer, and he was obviously tall, but holy fuck!

I had a goddamn Abercrombie model living in my house.

He said something and it took him walking over to me before I realized I hadn’t responded. “Wh-what?”

“I just said I’d be right back. Going to take a shower myself.” He lifted his arm and inhaled. “I stink,” he added with a laugh.

I just smiled and gave my best mime impression while he made his way around me and down the stairs through the door behind me.

At dinner, I marveled at how Jack was able to bring Henry out of his shell. It helped that we were at Il Camino, Henry’s favorite restaurant and the best Italian place within a fifty mile radius, which was saying something since that included Boston. It’s not like we had been to them all, but we certainly had been to Il Camino the most for a reason.

I laughed when Henry challenged Jack to an arm wrestle for the last breadstick, and this time, Jack didn’t let Henry win. Instead, he put the entire breadstick in his mouth, which did not make me think of something else, and ate the whole thing. Of course, when the server came near, Jack asked for more breadsticks and Henry’s frown turned upside down.

I’d have to text Gareth later and thank him for hooking us up with Jack. I hadn’t realized how much having another adult around would help not only me but Henry too.

At seven sharp, the hockey game started on the TV in the restaurant corner and we lost Henry to that, so it was only me and Jack who heard the unmistakable Grindr blip. It practically echoed off the walls. If I had any reservations that Jack wasn’t into men, they just shriveled up and died. If he wasn’t gay, then he was bi like me.

I hadn’t thought about it much honestly, but ever since the ab show, I had spent considerable brain power attempting to deduce his sexuality. Not my greatest moment, but I was still virile. And now that my manhood had reawakened, it was highly concerned with finding a hole to plunder.

Jack grabbed his phone quickly, fiddling with something, before apologizing.

“It’s…okay,” I said, which felt weird to acknowledge it because then he knew that I knew what it meant. “Hot date?”

Why did I say that?! I don’t want to know.

Except I did.