Catalyst (Connectivity Book 2) Page 8

  Jersey opened the door to the house and replied over his shoulder. “Yeah, it’s Wednesday and she’s usually only out until noon Wednesday mornings. She volunteers at the library, the food bank, and she walks dogs for a local dog shelter, but she has a pretty regular schedule of hours that she’s needed at those places. She’s probably in the green room right now, though. You want a tour?” Jersey asked as they stopped in the large foyer since that was the only word Travis could think of to call the space. There was a large staircase that started off against the left side of the room and swept up toward the right, ending on what looked to be large landing at the top.

  “Is there a map available or a friendly tour guide?” he asked only half teasing.

  Jersey smirked. “Yes. I will be your tour guide and I’ll have to think of the appropriate payment later. Why don’t I point things out as we go find my mom? Her name is Susan, by the way.”

  Travis nodded again and followed along as Jersey led them out of the foyer. “This is the front sitting room and where my grandparents would entertain if they were having people over. Did you know I can play the piano?” Jersey asked, looking over his shoulder at Travis as he followed along.

  “Really?”

  “Yup. Growing up, my dad was always pushing us to be the best, do more, be smarter. You had to be the best at whatever you to chose to do, because the world is cutthroat, you know? That kind of thing. My sister took the violin, and I chose the piano. Got pretty good at it, and I enjoyed it, so I kept up my own lessons when we moved here. My grandparents have asked me to play for their guests sometimes. It’s fun. Sometimes I’ll take requests, and if I know the song, I’ll play it for the party. My grandparents' friends eat it up and sometimes they even leave tips.” He chuckled as they left the room and entered a hallway.

  “That’s cool. Do you know mostly classical music or do you know current stuff as well?” Travis asked as Jersey pointed to a bathroom. He shook his head and they continued on, passing what looked like a media room.

  “I can play a lot of different stuff. When you first start learning, they always teach you the classical stuff, but when I was eight or nine, I discovered show tunes and musicals. I don’t really love that kind of music, but it’s easy and fun to play, so it kind of bridged my music playing. I started with classical, transitioned to musicals, and then discovered I could play current stuff as well. I’m by no means an expert, but I can get by and improv if I need to.” Jersey stopped next to a white door as he finished his speech and looked back at Travis. “This is our library, which is not really a library so much as it’s filled with books, but it’s more of a place we can come to study or just sit in the quiet and read or whatever. It’s really peaceful and attached is the green room. My mom’s probably in there.”

  He pushed the door open and Travis followed in wonder at the fact that some people really did have their own personal libraries in their homes.

  The room was large with white walls and floor to ceiling windows. There was a light colored stone fireplace that looked to burn real wood and tan sofas and oversized chairs were arranged throughout. Along the opposite wall from the fireplace was a large built-in bookcase with hundreds of books, ranging from classically old bindings to newer more modern-looking novels. A desk sat in one corner and next to that was a shelf stand that housed a large succulent collection. Jersey pointed out to an enormous looking blob on the floor.

  “Have you ever tried one of these?”

  “What is it?”

  “It’s a beanbag chair. It’s so comfy. I love that thing. Anytime I come in here, I sit in that.”

  “I didn’t know they made bean bag chairs that big. It looks comfy, though.”

  “It is. We’ll try it sometime,” Jersey said as he waggled his eyebrows at Travis. He laughed and followed Jersey to a frosted glass door in the far corner of the room. Jersey pushed it open and the sound of tinkling wind chimes filled the air.

  What Travis had suspected was simply going to be a room painted green, since Jersey kept calling it the green room, was in actuality, a greenhouse. The large room looked to have been added to the back of the house but was completely made of glass. It was humid and warm and full of plants of dozens of varieties; some hanging with tendrils of moss cascading down, and others in pots, while others still, were planted in the exposed ground. There was a humming sound coming from overhead and when Travis looked up, he noticed large fans running, but couldn’t guess what purpose they served.

  “Mom?” Jersey called out as they walked farther into the space along a compacted gravel path.

  “Michael? Is that you?” Jersey rolled his eyes as he looked back at Travis, but answered his mother in a pleasant tone.

  “Yeah, Mom. Where are you?”

  “By the lemon tree, sweetie,” came the reply.

  “I have someone with me I’d like you to meet. Can you come out for a minute?” Jersey requested, looking off, most likely, toward the lemon tree.

  Travis heard some rustling coming from the end of the space and a petite woman with long, dark brown hair pulled back into a braid stepped out onto the path at the end of the room. She smiled as she came toward them while removing her gloves and even from a distance Travis could tell where Jersey got his gorgeous smile and lips. The woman was quite striking, almost exotic looking even in her dirt-smudged jeans and loose denim top.

  “Hi, hun. It’s good to see you. Who’s this?” she asked in her sweetly flowing voice, as she greeted her son with a side hug.

  “Mom, this is Travis. Travis, this my mother, Susan.”

  Susan smiled warmly at him and before she could speak, he closed the few feet of distance separating them and hugged the woman.

  “Oh,” came a little gasp of surprise, and even though Susan only came up to his chin, she hugged him back with a reassuring hold.

  “Thank you for finding Jersey and for being there for him when he needed you.” Travis let her go and when she looked up at him in question, he explained. “Jersey told me about his father and what happened when he was thirteen. I just wanted to meet you so I could say thank you in person.”

  “Oh, darling. He’s my son. I’ll always be there for him.” She looked back at Jersey and smiled. “I’m surprised you told someone at all. I thought Josh was the only one who knew about that.”

  “He was. But Travis and I are kinda seeing each other now, so I thought he deserved to know.”

  She gave him an assessing look but still held a smile on her face, then turned toward Travis and hugged him again. Travis returned her hug, just as she had for him.

  “You must be pretty special, Travis. He hasn’t trusted anyone with that story aside from Josh and it took Michael a couple years to work up to it. I’m really pleased to meet you, and I’m even more pleased that Michael trusts you so much. He’s had a few boyfriends over the years, but never anybody worth bringing home, and certainly nobody he trusted enough to let into his heart. I’ll look forward to getting to know you better, Travis,” she finished as she patted him on his shoulder.

  Turning back to Jersey she asked, “ Are you boys going to hang around the house for a while? You could give Travis a tour or hang out in the game room. The weather is nice enough you could swim if you wanted. Grandpa said they heated the pool a couple of days ago now that the weather has turned toward summer, and I think there are some snacks in the pool house.”

  Jersey looked at Travis and he couldn’t tell what his own face must have looked like, but Jersey must have found it funny because he chuckled and nudged him with his shoulder. “You see why I never really brought people over? It’s nice but a little over the top for most. Why don’t we just head up to my room and decide from there, okay?”

  Travis nodded. “Sure, sounds good. It was really nice to meet you, Ma’am. I’m glad Jersey has a mother like you in his corner, and thank you again for finding him. We’ve only known each other for a little while, but I can’t imagine him not being here.”

  Both J
ersey and his mother were smiling at him, and Jersey leaned over and wrapped his arm around Travis’s waist, squeezing him with affection. Travis returned the squeeze and they said their goodbyes to Jersey’s mother.

  When they made it out into the hallway, Jersey stopped Travis with a hand on his forearm and wrapped his arms around Travis’s waist. They stood there for a quiet moment and when Jersey pulled back he smiled up at Travis. “Thank you. My mom means a lot to me, and just, thank you for acknowledging that.”

  “Of course. She saved you and accepted you, just like a mother should. She’ll always have my respect.”

  Jersey beamed and took Travis’s hand. “Come on, I want to show you around a little then we can hang out in my room and go swimming later if you want. Or we can watch a movie or play Xbox or go play tennis or—”

  Travis chuckled and nudged him with his shoulder. “Show off.”

  Jersey actually giggled and Travis could tell how happy and relaxed the other boy was just from hearing that sound. Jersey nudged him back, though it did little to move him and that made Jersey giggle even more as he made a game out of trying to bump Travis off course while they walked down the hall. Travis found himself quite content with their little game, as Jersey’s hands and body on his own made him feel things he hadn’t yet experienced in life, and that, more than anything, drew him in more than tennis courts or swimming pools ever would.

  When they made it up to Jersey’s room, Travis had had a tour of most of the lower part of the house. The house was almost completely divided into two equal wings, with the exception of there being only one kitchen and formal dining room that was located at the back of the house, opposite the foyer. Jersey and his mother lived in one side of the house, while his grandparents lived in the other. There were eight bedrooms in total and two master suites in each wing. The other bedrooms shared a common bathroom and there were two separate powder rooms on the lower level for visitors.

  All of the bedrooms were upstairs, and Susan’s room was the one with the balcony doors Travis had seen from the front drive. Jersey had the other master suite in their wing, and his room had its own balcony that looked out over the backyard.

  As Travis stood out on the balcony, looking down over the top of the green room and the pool beyond, he floundered a bit at where the day had taken him.

  He was standing in the biggest, most posh house he’d ever seen, with a boy he might soon call his boyfriend, looking out over a million dollar view of tennis courts, swimming pools, and lush green gardens with water features and a koi pond. It seemed Jersey could most definitely afford the fish tacos Travis had ordered earlier.

  Jersey came over and stopped opposite him as he leaned his hip against the railing. “You still with me big guy? Or are you ready to run for the hills yet?”

  Travis could tell, even though Jersey was trying to be playful, there was real concern in his eyes. He’d already told Travis he hadn’t had many people over because he was afraid of their reactions to his home life, and Travis could definitely say he understood. It was pretty intimidating to compare what he had, to what Jersey had. While Travis’s life was full of love and family, a diverse cast of people always around, Jersey’s life was filled with solitude and objects that he almost seemed to resent for keeping people away. They were quite the contrast of extremes.

  He looked over at Jersey, with his sophisticated outfit, gorgeous complexion and hair, and resigned countenance and opened his arm for the other man to take his place in Travis’s embrace and in his life. “I’m doing better now,” he murmured into the top of Jersey’s head and the smaller man burrowed himself even closer, wrapping Travis tightly in his hold.

  “I’ll admit all this is really intimidating,” Jersey nodded, “but it’s you I’m attracted to. If you happen to come with a little extra baggage and tennis courts and green rooms and libraries—” Jersey poked him in the side, startling a laugh out of him. “Then I guess I’ll have to learn how to play tennis, and sit in a gigantic bean bag chair, and maybe I’ll even learn how to play the piano. So as long as you’re okay with a jock, hardware store working, family man, who’s only going to JC this fall—” Jersey poked him again and Travis smiled, pulling back just enough to see his face. “Then I guess I’m still with you.”

  Jersey wore a tender look on his face as he slowly rose up and pressed a soft kiss to his lips.

  It seemed they might be boyfriends after all.

  ~

  The game room in Jersey’s house was like every person’s dream. Surround sound speakers were installed in the ceiling but were discrete enough not to be noticed unless you were looking for them. Jersey had his phone wirelessly connected to the system as music filled the space.

  There was an Xbox and a PS4, along with a state-of-the-art 4K TV and Blu-Ray player. But, games didn’t only mean video games. There were several dart boards, a foosball table, and the game they’d been playing for almost an hour, billiards.

  Travis could only think of a couple of times in his life that he’d ever played pool, and even then he’d only been messing around since he really didn’t know how to play, but Jersey had given a brief rundown and guided him as needed.

  They were on their third game of eight ball, and Jersey had broken the rack.

  “Did you want to stay for dinner?” Jersey asked, looking over at Travis.

  They’d spent all afternoon together and as evening approached, Travis hadn’t been sure if he’d worn out his welcome.

  “Are you sure you want me to stick around? You’re not bored of me yet?” he teased as he rested his butt against the edge of the table. Jersey came over and stood between Travis’s legs.

  “I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t want you to stay,” he said and at their new proximity, Travis noticed they were almost the same height.

  Travis wasn’t sure how close they were yet. Yes, Jersey was standing physically close to him, but how much touching were they allowed to do and how soon? Should he be touching him when he was standing so close like that? Jersey would probably get annoyed with him always questioning everything and overthinking every scenario, but he’d never been physical with another person before and it wasn’t that he didn’t want to be near Jersey, he just felt like they barely knew each other and—

  “Whatever you’re thinking right now, can you share it with the class? Just a few hours ago you were asking that we speak plainly and say what we meant. You look like you’re thinking awfully hard about something, and if I know what it is, maybe I can help you sort it out,” Jersey said, drawing Travis out of his daze.

  He blushed a little and smiled a guilty smile at Jersey. “Sorry, you’re right. I’m being weird. You just came to stand here and I wasn’t sure what I should do; if I should touch you or not.”

  Jersey studied him for a moment. “What did you want to do? Did you want to touch me, or would you be more comfortable if I moved back?”

  “I’ve never really touched anyone before,” he said, looking down at the space between them.

  “Would you like to?” Jersey asked, taking both their pool cues and setting them on the table. He took both of Travis’s hands and held them in his own, looking at Travis for his response.

  The moment was virtually harmless, but Travis had never been in such intimately close proximity with anyone before. Even the little kiss Jersey had given him earlier hadn’t left him feeling quite so exposed. Earlier, Jersey had taken control and Travis hadn’t had to make the decision, but at that moment, he was in charge. The weight of Travis’s answer would determine where things went.

  He swallowed and nodded slightly, looking at Jersey to see what he would do.

  Jersey held his gaze, took Travis’s hands, and placed them on his chest, then moved his own hands down to Travis’s forearms, maintaining contact, as Travis got his first feel of another man’s body. The fact that he wanted to feel Travis touching him somehow made the moment more intense. By keeping that little bit of contact, it let Travis know Jersey was
into it as well.

  Jersey’s chest was firmer than he’d expected it to be for some reason. It seemed odd to think it wouldn’t be because his own chest was firm, and he’d been changing in locker rooms with other guys for years and they all seemed to have firm muscles. Maybe because of Jersey’s size, Travis had thought the man would be more delicate. But his chest was solid under his checked shirt.

  He ran his hands up and down a few times and the friction of the move must have been enough because Jersey’s nipples hardened under his touch, and he shuddered slightly as he closed his eyes. Somehow that action made Travis feel less nervous or exposed and he moved his palms up over the little buds and onto the tops of Jersey’s shoulders, feeling the subtle strength in Jersey’s hands as he held onto Travis’s arms. He squeezed Jersey’s shoulders and as the position became uncomfortable for Jersey to keep holding Travis’s arms, he let his hands fall to his sides as Travis moved his hands down along the length of Jersey’s arms, fiddling with his fingers a little bit. He ran the pads of his fingers back up along Jersey’s soft skin, feeling the texture of Jersey’s body hair as it rasped against his fingers, and he noticed a trail of goosebumps follow in his wake.

  Moving back up to Jersey’s shoulders, Travis ran his hands along their tops and over to the column of Jersey’s neck, feeling his soft hair brush against the backs of his fingers. Carefully, he explored the area with a delicate touch and when he was satisfied, moved down to Jersey’s collarbone. The action made the other boy suck in a breath and when Travis looked up, Jersey was staring at him.

  Neither man said anything, though Jersey's eyes seemed to burn into him. He kept his body still, but Travis noticed his chest rising and falling a little faster, and he could feel the little puffs of air that escaped every breath he took. Travis could feel the question in Jersey’s eyes as they stared at each other. The other boy never moved, but Travis smoothed his palms up to the tops of his shoulders and around to the back of his neck, then leaned in slowly and drew Jersey toward him until their lips were almost touching.