Catalyst (Connectivity Book 2) Read online

  It wasn’t until several songs in that Jersey came over and grabbed Travis’s hand, nodding in invitation toward the dance floor.

  “Since we’re at a wedding and all, I figured we might as well dance, huh? Unless you have a problem dancing with another guy?” Jersey questioned, trying to look like the answer didn’t matter either way. Travis suspected whatever answer he gave then might make or break the easy vibe he’d established with the other man. But, yet again, Travis couldn’t be sure of the other man’s meaning. Was he fishing for a green light, or was he simply unsure of the reception he’d receive?

  “You know I don’t have a problem with men dancing together, Jersey. Why would you ask that? We’re at a gay wedding.”

  Jersey gave him a look and Travis found himself confounded by its meaning. More often than not it seemed, unless the other man was speaking plainly, Travis didn’t know him well enough to get the meaning of the things that went unsaid.

  “What was that look for?” he asked, just so he could clarify.

  “I asked if you were okay dancing with a man. I know you think two men dancing together is fine, considering where we are, yes. But, ugh. I wanna dance with you. Do you wanna dance with me?” he asked, sounding slightly exasperated.

  One corner of Travis’s mouth quirked up. Seeing the tiny man agitated was pretty cute. He looked like a tiny chihuahua who wasn’t getting what he wanted.

  “Sure. I wanna dance with you,” he replied, mimicking Jersey’s words.

  That little comment earned him an eye roll, but as he turned away, he caught a glimpse of the smile the other man tried to hide. Cute.

  They joined the other couples, including Josh and Cory, out on the dance floor. Josh’s dad’s Complement, Monica, had a friend who was playing DJ and as Travis and Jersey found a spot next to Dylan and his girl, Nicole, he got more than one inquiring look from his buddies. He just shrugged. He wasn’t sure what dancing with another guy made others think of him, or really what it made him think of himself, but Jersey was cute and Travis had definitely given him more than one lingering look for sure.

  Jersey had his hair styled similarly to the previous night, but he’d changed into a gorgeous gray tailored suit paired with a slim-fitting white button down shirt and shiny black shoes. The look was a cross between business chic and sexy geek. Travis rarely found himself attracted to anyone, but the fact that he’d had to discreetly adjust himself more than once already that evening, only helped to steer his brain in Jersey’s direction. If he got to ruffle the other man’s feathers while doing it, then that was just an added bonus.

  Jersey turned out to be a pretty good dancer, with his slim lines and delicate appearance. Travis, however, was a contrast in size and ability. His job and hobbies lent him more toward muscular jock than graceful dancer, not to mention his lack of experience. But Jersey either didn’t notice or didn’t care, and Travis found himself feeling grateful not to be called out on his lack of ability.

  They maintained a fairly respectable distance from each other, but once in a while, Jersey would turn his back toward Travis and move his hips in mesmerizing circles with his hands over his head, gradually diminishing the space between them. When he would get close enough that Travis could smell his cologne and feel the fabric of his pants brush his own, he would look over his shoulder at Travis, silently gauging his reaction, then he would flip back around and resume his previous distance, sneaking glances at Travis from under his lashes.

  While those moments served to amp Travis up physically, he was supremely glad when Jersey flipped around. Travis felt himself teetering on the edge of a precarious state. He was definitely attracted to the man tempting him with his lithe figure and seductive looks, but he also didn’t want to do anything that might be construed as leading the other man on. He needed time to figure out what was going on in his own mind before things went anywhere even remotely close to somewhere.

  When the music died down, the grooms moved off to the side announcing that they would be cutting the cake, and everyone followed, gathering around to watch.

  The caterers had already filled glasses for the toast before the cake cutting and half of them had sparkling cider and half had champagne. Jersey grabbed a glass for each of them.

  As the grooms cut the cake and lovingly fed each other their first bite, Travis watched Jersey, who stood closer to Travis than he ever had before; the spell of their dancing lingering in the air.

  They moved back to their table with Cory and Josh, while the caterers cut and served the remaining cake.

  When most of the guests had their cake and toasting glasses, Jersey tapped the side of his glass to get everyone’s attention and stood up, facing the guests.

  Travis smirked to himself. Of course he was going to have to follow whatever deeply emotional and moving speech the man was going to give.

  “Hello, everyone. My name is Michael, but aside from Josh and my mother, if you call me that, I won’t answer.” Rounds of chuckling murmured throughout the yard. “Everyone calls me Jersey, for reasons you can’t possibly guess, and I’m Josh’s best friend and best man. On behalf of the grooms tonight, I’d like to take a quick moment to thank you all for coming to celebrate the marriage of these two amazing men that I have the privilege to call friends.”

  “I’ve known Josh for four years since I relocated and became the new kid in a private prep school thousands of miles from home while dealing with my parents’ divorce, and coming to terms with who I am as a person.” He paused. “I’ve known Cory for six weeks.” Another round of chuckles ensued.

  “As I’ve insinuated, Josh has been like a brother to me over the years, and we’ve grown pretty close. I’ve never seen him as happy, or as in love, as he has been since finding Cory. In the past six weeks, not only has Cory made him the happiest he’s ever been, but he’s become someone I would consider a part of my own family. And Josh? As much as I would love for this toast to be about you and how much I love you—this toast is for Cory.

  “When you woke up in that hospital room, and Josh was there, call it fate or destiny or whatever you want to call it, but something happened to bring the two of you together. You two were meant for each other, without a doubt. Most people might not understand why you’ve chosen to get married so quickly or how you can be sure the other person is the one. But having watched you over the last several weeks, there’s no question in my mind that you are it for each other. Fate has brought you together, love will keep you there.

  “Cory, thank you for making my brother so happy. I know that you will be an amazing husband to him, just like he will be an amazing husband to you. You two will create a life together that most people can only dream of. And from the bottom of my heart, I wish you both every happiness, every dream, every success, and the endless love and amazing Connection you both share. Cheers.” Jersey raised his glass and everyone else followed suit, echoing the sentiment joyously.

  Without even thinking, both grooms set down their glasses and enveloped Jersey in an enormous hug. When they pulled apart, Travis got up and hugged the man as well. Jersey fit nicely against him, just coming to Travis’s chin, but the hug was over almost before it began, and the other men sat down, leaving Travis to fill the silence.

  Turning to face the watching crowd, Travis grabbed up his glass. “Well, damn… I knew I should have gone first.” Everyone laughed and Travis smiled, throwing a wink to Jersey.

  “To the guests: My name is Travis and I’m friends with both of these men next to me. I may have known Cory longer, but the three of us share a bond that will tie us together for the rest of our lives.” He turned and glanced at the couple. Josh had his arm wrapped around his husband as they both gave him nods and Josh placed a kiss to Cory’s hair.

  “I’ve had the pleasure of getting to watch these two over the last six weeks, and at first, just like some of you, I wondered at their sudden relationship. But even just days later, it was obvious to anyone within a thirty-yard radius how much the
y loved each other. That love has only grown in these last few weeks. From my perspective, if you find someone to love like these two love each other, why not embrace it? Why not cherish that Connection and hold on to it, with everything in you? I was honored to stand up for Cory as his best man, and to support the love and commitment these amazing young men made today. Not everyone has the courage to accept who they are, let alone who they love, but these men could teach us all a thing or two about acceptance, living life on your own terms, and standing up for those we love.”

  “To my guys.” Travis raised his glass in their direction. “I’d like to start by offering you a gift. Ten of us from the baseball team pitched in together and we’d like to send you on a mini-honeymoon.” Murmurs ran throughout the guests and Cory looked about ready to cry. He clutched onto Josh, turning to look at his husband, then back at Travis. “We bought you both tickets to a Giants baseball game in San Francisco and loaded the rest of the money onto a prepaid debit card you can use for gas money. One of the guys has some family there who runs an Airbnb and have arranged for your lodging. I know it’s always been a dream of Cory’s to visit every MLB park in the states, so we figured, what better way to kick off your new lives together than to start working on your dreams right away.” Cory turned abruptly and buried his face in Josh’s neck, clutching him tightly. Josh had tears in his own eyes and hugged his husband close, but he nodded a watery thanks to Travis. Travis nodded in return then finished his speech.

  “I know what today means to you. You have a Connection that goes beyond the norm. A love so strong, not many compare. You are both self-less in your pursuit of making your partner happy. You’ve embraced the gift you’ve been given and not without its difficulties, but you’ve committed to your future and that future looks incredible. I couldn’t be happier for you. To my brothers. Congratulations. Cheers!”

  -IV-

  Walking back into work Monday morning felt like a bit of a drag. He’d had the last week off and after all the excitement and the lead up to Cory and Josh’s wedding, getting back to work left Travis feeling tired and empty.

  The bachelor party evening had been totally fun and where Travis had met Jersey. Spending time with Jersey before the wedding, and the wedding itself had all been amazing and so full of special moments that Travis almost felt let down that the revelry was over—like a kid the day after Christmas once the tree was down and all the gifts were unwrapped.

  Of course, Cory and Josh were still right in the thick of their celebration and no one had heard from either of them since they’d departed on their wedding night. But, what more did you expect from newly married teenagers? Their hormones and marriage were probably going to be steering that ship for a while.

  So, Monday found Travis helping customers at work and daydreaming about things he probably shouldn’t be daydreaming about. With all the love talk and his and Jersey’s candid discussion about Connectivity, he could hardly stop himself from wondering about whether he’d ever have a Complement of his own to love.

  And what was possibly worse, was that Travis had been thinking about all the dancing he’d done with Jersey. The man had some moves that had only served to pique Travis’s interest even more. He kept thinking about the way Jersey had looked at him as he’d swiveled his hips toward him. The other man had seemed to know exactly how to use his body to his advantage, and Travis wasn’t sure if he liked that or not. Sure, his body liked the moves Jersey pulled out and had responded accordingly, but what did that say about Jersey? Had he been trying to rev Travis up? Had he even been flirting? Had he been interested in doing more, or had he just been using moves he typically used on other guys?

  Those were the thoughts Travis lingered on: possibly doing more with Jersey and Jersey doing more with other guys. Both were things worth examining.

  But, before he let himself overthink things too much, he would probably need to get to know the guy first. Quite possibly, the lovey-dovey atmosphere of the week had addled both their brains into perceiving more than was actually there. What would they even look like together if they tried to be anything more? A six-foot-tall, half-black man with finger curls and a short white dude with layered hair and delicate features.

  Travis blinked and shook his head. He’d definitely been getting ahead of himself. There was no way of knowing if the other man even wanted more, and Travis was already trying to picture the two of them together. He stumbled and turned back to his task. He needed to pay closer attention to what he was doing. He’d nearly tripped over a rolled-up section of linoleum as he made his way through the intake room.

  When the longest shift in history was almost over, his boss, Steve, called him into his office.

  “Hey, Travis. I’ve been looking over the schedule, and I think the best I can offer you is maybe one more four-hour shift, or you could take one of your four-hour shifts and turn it into an eight-hour day. There’s not much wiggle room right now with several of you out for the summer and all looking for more hours.” Steve gestured to the pile of papers on his desk. “Sorry I couldn’t get you more. You’ve been a really good employee and not everyone is even getting the extra four hours.”

  Travis nodded. “That’s alright. I understand. Thanks for working on it, though. The extra four will help anyway. I told my parents I wanted to pay my own way for JC this fall, so every little bit helps. Thanks, Steve.”

  “You’re welcome. If more hours become available, I’ll let you know, okay?” Steve said.

  “Cool. Thanks.” He nodded his departure and clocked out for the day. Heading out to his truck, he wondered if it might be a good idea to start looking around for a second part-time job. He certainly did enjoy his freedom, but having the extra cash was always something on his mind.

  The short drive home passed quickly and when he walked in, both of his parents were waiting for him in the kitchen.

  “Hey, baby. How was work?” his mother asked as he greeted her with a kiss on her cheek.

  “Boring. And Steve said he could only give me four more hours. I guess with everyone out of school, they’re all asking for more time. I was lucky I got any.”

  “Well, that’s okay. You know we’ve told you you don’t need to do all by yourself, Trav,” his mother replied.

  “I know, but now that I’ve graduated and don't have baseball anymore, I need something to fill my time and working earns money for school or books or whatever.”

  “Well don’t stress yourself out about it. Maybe the time off will be good for you. You’ve always been a busy guy with sports and school and then jugglin’ your job. Just take a few weeks and enjoy the summer. Hang out with the guys.” His mom patted him on the cheek in her loving, maternal way. “And speakin’ of the guys, we’re having Jim and Diane over for dinner along with Josh’s dad and his Complement. I called Diane earlier and asked if they’d like to stop by. I think they have a hint of why we’ve invited them, so she made the arrangements. Did you want to hang around and eat with us? I don’t think the boys will be comin’, but you might enjoy listenin’ into the conversation. Jasmine is going to sit in. She’s all excited to hear about whatever they might share, but I know it’s sometimes hard for you to talk about.”

  Sitting in on a conversation with two Connective couples and an unattached Catalyst, wasn’t high on Travis’s list of things he’d prefer to do with his time. But, he was curious to hear Brian’s story. Talking about Connectivity was alright on the surface, but when anyone found out he was the second born child, they tended to look at him with pity in their eyes. There weren’t that many people he or his parents knew that shared their trait, but reluctantly, he agreed to the dinner, figuring he probably shouldn’t miss out on an opportunity to “talk shop.”

  “It’s fine, Mama. I’d like to hear Brian’s story, and it can’t hurt to listen in at least. Do you need help cooking?”

  “We’re keeping it simple and barbecuing,” his dad chimed in. “They’ll be here around six-thirty, so the kids will be gone a
nd we can prepare. Jasmine is in the nursery now. We have what we need to make hamburgers, but would you mind running out to grab some stuff for a salad and maybe some chips or something easy for some sides?”

  “That’s fine. Let me poke my head in the nursery to say hi really quick, then I’ll head out.”

  “Thanks, Travy,” his dad teased, calling him by one of his childhood nicknames.

  He nodded and headed off, needing a little boost of giggle medicine before subjecting himself to a night of love speak, that would undoubtedly leave him longing.

  ~

  When their guests arrived, Travis did his part in greeting everyone and getting drinks out to the patio. His dad had the barbecue going and everyone was chatting away, getting to know each other better. Everyone had pitched in to help carry the dinner items to the back, so no one would need to run back and forth to the kitchen.

  Even though Travis’s family and Cory’s family had known each other for years through baseball and school, they’d never really spent much time together. It was always hard for Connective families to go out and spend time with other families, or to attend gatherings in unfamiliar settings. Other people often thought his parents were either adorable because they needed to do everything together, or overbearing, or overprotective, controlling almost, since his parents were never seen apart. Over the years, the challenges had been ever present and his parents didn’t have many friends they spent any regular time with.

  Seeing his parents have a chance to socialize with others who completely understood and knew exactly what they were going through, made Travis happy in a way he hadn’t really thought about before. He knew his parents didn’t mind being alone because their Connection was just as strong as the day they’d met, but he also noticed how happy they looked being able to talk freely with others in their own home.