sniffed appreciatively.
"Thanks." Steve grinned. "Sit and enjoy. Wine?"
"Well, since I don't have to drive, why not?" Jackson laughed. Steve poured a sweet white wine he'd been saving in the fridge for a special occasion before he sat down.
"Mmm, this tastes even better than it smells." Jackson nodded approvingly as he dug in.
Steve smiled, pleased that Jackson liked it. "There's more, so eat as much as you like."
"Oh, don't tempt me. You know what they say, the way to a man's heart is through his stomach."
"Well, if that's true, I'll have to cook for you more often." Steve blushed and looked down at his plate.
Before Jackson could say anything more, Steve continued on. "So I've got lots of sightseeing planned for us. Christmas is tomorrow, so most everything is closed. And the twenty-sixth is sometimes just as bad as Black Friday, so we don't even want to pretend to go out then, but for the rest of your time, I was thinking about the aquarium, and the planetarium, and maybe a hockey game or something, if you'd like."
"That sounds good, but I want to see your bakery most of all. Ever since you told me you were a baker, I've been dying to see your shop."
"Really?" Steve asked, surprised.
"Yes, I'd love to see the place where you make your wonderful creations."
"Wow, no one's ever asked to see it before." Steve was too embarrassed to look up. He pushed linguine around on his plate, absurdly pleased with Jackson's words, but still too uncertain how to respond.
Jackson reached out and took Steve's hand in his own warm one from where it lay on the table. He clasped Steve's hand tight, his thumb tracing gentle circles over Steve's knuckles.
"How could anyone not want to see the place that makes you so happy? I've never seen anyone so happy when they talk about their work the way you are." Steve looked up, thrilled into speechlessness at Jackson's words.
"Besides, I need to check out my competition." Jackson gave a wicked grin and a wink.
Steve laughed. "Don't worry, there's no competition. I love food, but I'm in love with you." Steve bit his lip, mortified by what he'd said. While it was true, he'd had no intention of telling Jackson, especially not on the man's first day in his home. How embarrassing. Steve could feel the nuclear blush engulfing his face and closed his eyes, praying for the ground to open up and swallow him down.
Jackson squeezed Steve's hand, hard.
"Hey," Jackson said softly, causing Steve to glance up and then look quickly away again.
"Hey," Jackson repeated louder. When Steve glanced up again, Jackson grabbed his chin, holding him firmly so he couldn't pull away.
"The feeling is, without a doubt, mutual. I think I was in love with you the first time I saw you blush on that very first Skype. Even through the screen I could see you were someone special, someone worth getting to know. Did you know I bought new computer screens three times, just so I could see you better?"
"Really?" Steve couldn't help the happy grin that popped out.
"Really. Every time I heard about a better screen or higher resolution, I had to get it. I wanted to see you better, closer, more realistically than before. My friends thought I was nuts, but I couldn't help myself. I wanted to reach through that screen and touch you."
"That's cool," Steve replied, his voice so quiet it was almost a whisper. "The guys in the bakery could always tell when I missed our Skype. They said I was grumpy the whole week until I could talk to you again. I know we texted a lot in between, but that wasn't the same as seeing you, even if it was just through a computer screen."
Steve hesitated, embarrassed. But he wanted Jackson to know him, to understand how much Jackson meant to him.
"Did you know Sunday was my big masturbation evening?" Steve pulled away, unable to keep eye contact with such an embarrassing confession, no matter how truthful it was. "Just thinking about talking to you had me half-hard all day. By the time our Skype was
"Thanks." Steve grinned. "Sit and enjoy. Wine?"
"Well, since I don't have to drive, why not?" Jackson laughed. Steve poured a sweet white wine he'd been saving in the fridge for a special occasion before he sat down.
"Mmm, this tastes even better than it smells." Jackson nodded approvingly as he dug in.
Steve smiled, pleased that Jackson liked it. "There's more, so eat as much as you like."
"Oh, don't tempt me. You know what they say, the way to a man's heart is through his stomach."
"Well, if that's true, I'll have to cook for you more often." Steve blushed and looked down at his plate.
Before Jackson could say anything more, Steve continued on. "So I've got lots of sightseeing planned for us. Christmas is tomorrow, so most everything is closed. And the twenty-sixth is sometimes just as bad as Black Friday, so we don't even want to pretend to go out then, but for the rest of your time, I was thinking about the aquarium, and the planetarium, and maybe a hockey game or something, if you'd like."
"That sounds good, but I want to see your bakery most of all. Ever since you told me you were a baker, I've been dying to see your shop."
"Really?" Steve asked, surprised.
"Yes, I'd love to see the place where you make your wonderful creations."
"Wow, no one's ever asked to see it before." Steve was too embarrassed to look up. He pushed linguine around on his plate, absurdly pleased with Jackson's words, but still too uncertain how to respond.
Jackson reached out and took Steve's hand in his own warm one from where it lay on the table. He clasped Steve's hand tight, his thumb tracing gentle circles over Steve's knuckles.
"How could anyone not want to see the place that makes you so happy? I've never seen anyone so happy when they talk about their work the way you are." Steve looked up, thrilled into speechlessness at Jackson's words.
"Besides, I need to check out my competition." Jackson gave a wicked grin and a wink.
Steve laughed. "Don't worry, there's no competition. I love food, but I'm in love with you." Steve bit his lip, mortified by what he'd said. While it was true, he'd had no intention of telling Jackson, especially not on the man's first day in his home. How embarrassing. Steve could feel the nuclear blush engulfing his face and closed his eyes, praying for the ground to open up and swallow him down.
Jackson squeezed Steve's hand, hard.
"Hey," Jackson said softly, causing Steve to glance up and then look quickly away again.
"Hey," Jackson repeated louder. When Steve glanced up again, Jackson grabbed his chin, holding him firmly so he couldn't pull away.
"The feeling is, without a doubt, mutual. I think I was in love with you the first time I saw you blush on that very first Skype. Even through the screen I could see you were someone special, someone worth getting to know. Did you know I bought new computer screens three times, just so I could see you better?"
"Really?" Steve couldn't help the happy grin that popped out.
"Really. Every time I heard about a better screen or higher resolution, I had to get it. I wanted to see you better, closer, more realistically than before. My friends thought I was nuts, but I couldn't help myself. I wanted to reach through that screen and touch you."
"That's cool," Steve replied, his voice so quiet it was almost a whisper. "The guys in the bakery could always tell when I missed our Skype. They said I was grumpy the whole week until I could talk to you again. I know we texted a lot in between, but that wasn't the same as seeing you, even if it was just through a computer screen."
Steve hesitated, embarrassed. But he wanted Jackson to know him, to understand how much Jackson meant to him.
"Did you know Sunday was my big masturbation evening?" Steve pulled away, unable to keep eye contact with such an embarrassing confession, no matter how truthful it was. "Just thinking about talking to you had me half-hard all day. By the time our Skype was
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