Jacob froze as he heard the front door open downstairs. His eyes snapped to Miles, who had gone still beside him.
Footsteps. Confident. Unhurried. Straight up the stairs.
Colin appeared in the doorway, pausing just briefly at the sight of both of them standing in the room.
“Hey,” he said casually, like it was any other morning. “Didn’t know you were back.”
Jacob stared. “Did you go through my stuff?”
Colin blinked, expression calm. “I did. I was looking for a pen and paper. You weren’t answering your phone.”
Jacob’s jaw tightened. “You opened every drawer. You flipped through my notebooks.”
Colin shifted, eyes darting briefly to Miles, then back to Jacob.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I didn’t mean to upset you. I’d rather not talk about this in front of him.” He nodded toward Miles without looking at him. “I think we need to talk. You never came home last night. I was worried.”
Jacob narrowed his eyes. “You were worried so you ransacked my room?”
“I didn’t ransack anything,” Colin replied, voice still calm, but tighter now. “I was concerned. I didn’t know where you were. You left without saying a word.”
Miles stepped forward, but Jacob lifted a hand, keeping his eyes locked on Colin.
“I left because I needed space,” he said. “Not surveillance.”
Colin’s gaze flicked downward, jaw tense.
“You said you wanted honesty,” Jacob added, quieter now. “But I don’t think you know what that actually means.”
The room fell quiet, the tension so thick it felt like it could snap.
And no one moved.
Colin stood in the doorway, eyes softer now. Guard lowered, but still cautious.
“Can we talk?” he asked. “Just us?”
Jacob hesitated, glancing back at Miles.
Miles’s expression said everything—protective, hesitant, unwilling to leave. But he trusted Jacob enough to let him decide.
“I’ll be okay,” Jacob said gently. “Shall we catch up later?”
Miles didn’t move for a moment. Then he gave a short nod. “Text me, yeah?”
“Yeah.”
Miles left without another word, casting one last look at Colin as he passed him in the hallway.
The house settled into silence again.
Colin stepped inside slowly, closing the door behind him. He stood there for a second, like he wasn’t sure where to begin. Then he walked over to Jacob with the weight of someone finally ready to speak.
“I’ve behaved badly,” Colin said quietly. “I just… I can’t handle things well without you. And when I panic, I do stupid shit.”
Jacob didn’t respond. He listened.
“I shouldn’t have asked you to wear those clothes,” Colin continued. “It wasn’t about style. It was about me. Feeling insecure. With the age gap. The way people look at you… I get afraid. I know you could have anyone, and I—”
He broke off, eyes falling.
“Now I’ve probably ruined it.”
Jacob stepped forward, his voice soft but steady.
“Maybe I overreacted too,” he said. “I think I was expecting this to be perfect. No mistakes, no fear. But we’re human. And I care about you. That hasn’t changed.”
Their hands found each other without planning to—Colin’s fingers brushing Jacob’s lightly.
And Jacob’s stomach flipped at the touch.
After everything, he still felt it. That heat. That pull. That ridiculous, heart-twisting magnetism that Colin had over him. It wasn’t reason. It wasn’t safe.
But it was real.
Colin’s hand slid gently to Jacob’s hip, fingers curling just enough to draw him in. The air between them shrank, thick with something unspoken finally about to break free.
“I think I’m falling for you, Jacob,” Colin said, his voice low and stripped of all its usual control.
Jacob’s breath caught.
That single line—raw, uncertain, real—cut through everything. The walls. The games. The silence. It hit deeper than Jacob expected, and for a second all he could do was stare, his heart hammering against his ribs.
Then their hands found each other again—gripping tighter this time, pulling their bodies together with urgency.
Their lips crashed, not gentle, not questioning—hungry. Months of tension released in a kiss that spoke in gasps and tangled fingers. Colin’s mouth pressed against Jacob’s like he was claiming something and asking for it all at once.
Jacob’s hands moved up Colin’s chest, tugging at his shirt, feeling the heat of him beneath the fabric. Colin’s fingers slipped under the hem of Jacob’s tee, palms against bare skin, sliding up his sides, drawing him closer until there was no space left.
Clothes tugged, stretched, half-removed in the desperate need to feel everything.
This wasn’t quiet forgiveness.
This was fire.
And finally—truth.
Their breath tangled in the space between kisses, hands roaming with need that had been simmering for too long.
Jacob fumbled at Colin’s belt, tugging at it with urgency, while Colin pulled at Jacob’s shirt, lifting it over his head and letting it fall to the floor. The heat between them was electric, every brush of skin sparking something deeper.
Jacob pushed his pants down, along with his briefs, kicking them aside without care. Colin followed suit, urgency meeting reverence in every movement.
Without thinking, without words, Colin gripped Jacob’s hips, lifting him effortlessly and setting him down on the edge of the desk. The wood was cool against Jacob’s skin, a contrast to the fire between them.
Colin’s hands gripped his thighs, pulling them up over his shoulders, his eyes dark and locked on Jacob’s. Their chests heaved with breath, faces close, tension pulsing between them.
“Still falling?” Jacob whispered, voice shaking with something more than want.
Colin nodded once, fierce and quiet. “Already there.”
And in that moment, nothing else existed.
A kiss followed the words then Colin reached down grabbing his cock, spitting down on himself then on Colin, this act made it even more dirty, he looked up and their eyes locked on, give it to me Jacob said, Colin pushed himself against Jacob's hole tight as ever but accepted it… they both gasped and Jacobs nails pulled and Colin's back…
His hips pushed deep into Jacob not all the way but soon they were traveling back working Jacobs hole hard and fast the moans echoed around the large room with the clap off skin on skin… and Colin was done filling Jacob up… they kissed and smiled at each other… wow that was the best yet baby said Colin.
The water cascaded down their bodies, steam curling around them as they stood close in the narrow shower, fingers brushing now and then, smiles soft and tired. Jacob leaned back into Colin’s chest, letting the warmth soak into his skin.
“Can you grab my shampoo from my room?” Jacob asked, eyes half-lidded, voice loose with contentment.
“Yeah, of course,” Colin said, placing a slow kiss behind Jacob’s ear before stepping out, wrapping a towel around his waist.
He padded into Jacob’s room, the scent of him still lingering in the air, sunlight spilling across the crumpled sheets.
The shampoo was on the dresser.
But so was Jacob’s phone—screen lit up, unlocked.
A new message.
Miles:
Theo can’t do 1 o’clock. Is 3 okay?
Colin’s eyes narrowed, jaw tightening. The muscles in his shoulders flexed.
Theo.
So that meeting was still happening.
That name. That history.
That threat.
His blood boiled hot beneath the skin, but he exhaled slowly, fingers curling around the bottle of shampoo with deliberate calm.
He couldn’t let Jacob see it.
Not yet.
When he returned to the bathroom, his expression was smooth, voice light.
“Here you go.”
Jacob smiled at him, eyes crinkling. “Thanks, babe.”
Colin leaned in, pressing a kiss to his lips. “I’ve just had a message from uni—they need me to cover a lesson. Short notice.”
Jacob blinked. “Oh. Now?”
“Yeah,” Colin nodded, drying his hair quickly with the towel. “Shouldn’t be long.”
Jacob nodded, still blissful, still unaware.
They kissed once more. Slow. Familiar.
And then Colin left.
But it wasn’t to go to uni.
|
*
The message delivered with a satisfying ping.
He imagined Miles rolling his eyes and laughing, maybe blushing just a little.
A moment passed before Miles replied.
Academic twink?
Excuse me, I’m a distinguished scholar in soft sweaters. Huge difference.
Also, he added,
you just admitted you have a type. Dangerous move.
Jacob’s grin deepened, tension melting from his shoulders.
Only dangerous if the type starts flirting back.
Who says I stopped? Miles wrote.
Jacob stared at the screen, a slow flutter building in his chest.
This—this was easy.
Real. Safe.
And maybe, just maybe, worth not running from.
Absolutely. Here’s the revised version of that last part with Jacob expressing a clear, more confident desire:
---
Jacob’s fingers danced over the screen, smirking as he typed:
You know you’re my type, Miles. And you know I’ve been thinking about topping a guy…
A beat later, Miles replied:
Oh? Well, well…
Is that a warning or an invitation?
Jacob bit his lip, feeling his cheeks warm.
*Depends—are you
Well… I am kinda horny tonight,
So I guess it’s a bit of both.
Jacob hit send, pulse quickening just enough to feel it.
A second passed. Then two.
Miles’s reply lit the screen:
Damn. You really know how to derail a guy’s evening lecture prep.
Now I’m just picturing you all confident and bossy… and it’s distracting as hell.
Another message followed immediately after:
Don’t play with me unless you’re planning to back it up.
Jacob smiled to himself, heart racing, caught somewhere between amusement and temptation.
Who says I’m playing?
And this time, he didn’t take his eyes off the screen.
What if I came over…
Would your housemates mind you screaming my name?
Jacob stared at the message a moment, then hit send with a wicked grin, pulse fluttering in his throat.
Miles’s reply came fast:
You little shit.
I just spat my tea out.
They already think I’m weird—might as well give them a show.
Another bubble appeared:
Seriously though… come over. If you mean it.
Door’s open.
Jacob sat up slowly, heart pounding now for entirely different reasons.
Maybe it was the timing.
Maybe it was the way Miles saw him—without all the shadows.
But maybe, just maybe… it was the first time he was choosing something without needing to feel owned to feel wanted.
