Chapter 4
"Are you ready to go, Jarrod?" Drew asked as he approached the catering table.
Jarrod nodded, his face tightening into miserable lines. The actor felt sorry for him as he picked up a bag sitting next to the table. "I've packed everything up for the night. I have to drive the catering truck back to work first, though. Is that okay?"
"Sure. I'll follow you there, and we can go to your apartment to pick up your stuff afterward."
Jarrod nodded and carried the bag over to the catering truck sitting parked nearby. Drew watched him climb in behind the wheel, and when he started the engine Drew hurried off to the parking lot to get into his car so that he could follow Jarrod to work. He waited by the gate until Jarrod drove off the set, the caterer waving to him. Drew lifted his own hand, then pulled into traffic behind Jarrod. He followed Jarrod to the catering company, seeing him pulling into the parking lot and parking the truck at the front of the building.
Jarrod jumped out of the cab of the truck and turned toward the street. Drew had pulled up to the curb. He lightly touched his horn, and Jarrod lifted his hand to wave. He hurried into the building, while Drew waited patiently for him. He listened to his radio, singing along half under his breath. Finally Jarrod emerged, and walked toward his car with the bag slung over his shoulder.
He got into the passenger's side of Drew's car. "All finished," he said. "We can go now."
"Okay. Where to?" Drew asked.
Jarrod told him his address, and Drew pulled away from the curb. He glanced sideways at Jarrod, who was sitting silently in the passenger's seat. "Are you all right, Jarrod?" he asked softly.
"Yeah...I guess," Jarrod replied, his fingers twining together in his lap in front of him.
"We'll collect your stuff, then I'll buy us some dinner," Drew said, feeling a flash of pity. "My treat."
"No, you don't have to do that," Jarrod began hurriedly.
"I don't have to, but I want to. I don't think you should have to cook anymore today. And since my cooking skills are marginal at best...it'll be easier for us to go to a restaurant. Do you have any preferences?"
"Oh, not really. I like most kinds of food. We can go wherever you want," Jarrod told him earnestly.
"Hmm. I'm in the mood for seafood, actually. How about some lobster and scallops? Sound good?"
"It does, yes," Jarrod replied. "But I'll pay for my half..."
"You can if you want to, but I'd really like to treat you," Drew told him. "I'll tell you what - I'll pay this time, you pay next time. Okay?"
"All right," Jarrod said, sounding happier.
Drew felt happy too. With this arrangement, he and Jarrod would get to go out to dinner together more than once. Like on a date. Maybe it wouldn't be a real date, but he'd take anything that he could get at this point...
He pulled into the parking lot of Jarrod's apartment building. Jarrod pointed out an empty parking spot to him, right in front of the stairs that led to his second floor apartment. He swallowed heavily, looking at those stairs while he blinked away tears. "You okay? Can you do this?" Drew asked him in concern.
"Yes. Yes, I can do this," Jarrod said hoarsely. His chin firmed, and he lifted his head.
Drew smiled a little to himself at this show of strength. "I'll come up with you," he said.
"Oh, you don't have to do that," Jarrod began, shaking his head.
"Yes, I do," Drew replied firmly. "Your boyfriend might be waiting for you, to try to have another go at you. I'll be going along as your bodyguard. You can't talk me out of this," he added firmly.
Jarrod swallowed again. "Okay," he said. He got out of Drew's car, straightening his shoulders as he walked toward the stairs. Drew couldn't help but admire his spirit. This couldn't be easy for him - only last night, his life must have seemed pretty good. But now, he was sporting a nasty bruise on one cheek and he had to leave a cheating, abusive boyfriend. Poor Jarrod was having a hard day. Made him want to hug and cuddle the caterer, to try to make him feel better. Of course, that was bound to make DREW feel better, too...
He shook his head at himself as he followed Jarrod to his front door. He was NOT going to take advantage of this situation and a vulnerable, unhappy Jarrod. He knew with utter certainty that if he did that, he'd pay for it in the long run. And he didn't want to trade long-term happiness for short-term pleasure, not with this guy. Jarrod meant too much to him to do that.
Jarrod unlocked the front door of the apartment with shaking fingers. He led the way inside, turning to look at Drew over his shoulder. "I'll just go in the bedroom and pack my stuff," he said in a voice that trembled slightly.
"Do you need any help?" he asked.
Jarrod shook his head. "I can do it. Could you wait out here? In case Steve comes?"
"Of course. I'll be right here when you're done."
Jarrod nodded and went into the bedroom, leaving Drew in the small living room. Hew looked around at the cluttered but clean space, suspecting that it was only through Jarrod's efforts that it was this neat. He couldn't see that little rat Steve being a neat freak. He noticed a picture sitting on a table against the wall, and wandered over to pick it up. It was a framed photo of Jarrod with Steve, their arms around each others' waists. Jarrod was smiling for the camera, that lovely smile that made the whole world seem brighter to those who saw it. Steve was distinctly sneering at the camera in what he clearly thought was a smile. Drew wished that he could step into the photo and punch that sneering mug as hard as he could.
He set the picture back down on the table. He sort of wished that Steve would show up, so that he could beat the living crap out of the cheating bastard. But the bigger part of him didn't want that to happen, because it was bound to upset poor Jarrod even more than he already was. Let it be a clean break, so that he could walk away and forget that worm. He deserved so much better than Steve...
Sure, Drew was hoping to be that 'so much better'. Why wouldn't he? And of course he'd felt a little niggling of hope that now he could get Jarrod's attention, since he was breaking up with his boyfriend. He also felt guilty about feeling that way, but he couldn't help it. Not that he'd wanted Jarrod to be hit or cheated on, but now that it had happened...
He snorted a little to himself. God help him. He was going to have to live with the object of his unrequited affection, and the worst part of all was that he couldn't make a move on that object anytime soon. He didn't just want to be Jarrod's rebound lover, the person he turned to for comfort and later drifted away from when his heart was mended. Taking advantage of Jarrod at this point was the worst thing he could do, if he wanted any kind of long-term, lasting relationship with him. So this was going to be torture for him. But he was willing to go through that torture, if it meant that he could help Jarrod recover and get over the horrible Steve.
Jarrod appeared in the doorway to the bedroom, toting a suitcase and a duffel bag. Drew went over to help him, taking the duffel bag. "Is there anything else you want to take with you?" he asked.
Jarrod glanced around. "No, I guess not. Steve can have the pots and pans and things. Oh, I want this picture..." he walked over and picked up the picture that Drew had just been looking at. "I'll cut Steve out of it," he added as he opened the frame to retrieve the photo.
Drew laughed a little at how dry his voice was. Jarrod grimaced, folding the photo up and sticking it in his pocket. "Let's get out of here," he said, glancing around one more time at his home of over a year.
"No sooner said than done," Drew replied, leading the way out the door.
"Thanks again for letting me stay at your place, Drew," Jarrod said gratefully as they walked down the stairs.
"It's no problem. I didn't want you to end up at a hotel or a homeless shelter or someplace like that, not when I have a perfectly good couch you can sleep on. Hell, I'm happy to have you. It'll be nice to have someone who can cook around the house. I get tired of eating out."
"I'd love to cook for you," Jarrod remarked, sounding relieved and happier.
"Great. We'll stop and buy some groceries on our way home. You have free rein to buy anything you want," he added over his shoulder as he opened his trunk. "I don't really know the first thing about cooking, except for the most basic stuff. So buy whatever you want."
"What about my car?" Jarrod asked uncertainly as he stowed his suitcase in the trunk. "I left it at work..."
"We'll swing by and pick it up after we go to the store," Drew told him. "You can follow me home."
"All right," Jarrod said with a small smile. It did bad things to certain portions of Drew's anatomy.
They climbed into his car, and drove to the seafood restaurant that Drew had decided on. Getting a small table in a corner, they settled in with menus. "I’ve never been here," Jarrod commented, looking around. "The food is good?"
"It's great. You'll love it," Drew assured him. "Get whatever you want. I feel like splurging. This is the last week of the shoot; the first ever movie starring yours truly will soon be in the can, and then it's on to the big screen everywhere...well, maybe that's an exaggeration, but it's still cool..."
"It's very cool," Jarrod agreed. "You're going to be a big time movie star, Drew!"
He smiled. "Here's hoping," he agreed. "Here’s hoping."
Later, he drove into the parking lot of his apartment building with Jarrod's vehicle right behind him. He was pleasantly full of delicious seafood, and he'd thoroughly enjoyed just talking to Jarrod over dinner. Afterward, they'd gone to the grocery store, and he'd wandered around after Jarrod in bemusement. His only task had been to push the cart down the aisles, as the caterer had picked out fresh vegetables, pored over the meat and fish displays, and trolled the dairy aisle for fresh cream, organic milk, and real butter. Apparently Drew was going to be eating A LOT better than he usually did from now on.
He felt anticipation as he parked his car, then watched Jarrod do the same right next to him. No matter how difficult this might be, he was going to be living with the gorgeous creature that he'd fallen in love with on sight only a month ago! Talk about Heaven and Hell all rolled up in one...
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"Are you ready to go, Jarrod?" Drew asked as he approached the catering table.
Jarrod nodded, his face tightening into miserable lines. The actor felt sorry for him as he picked up a bag sitting next to the table. "I've packed everything up for the night. I have to drive the catering truck back to work first, though. Is that okay?"
"Sure. I'll follow you there, and we can go to your apartment to pick up your stuff afterward."
Jarrod nodded and carried the bag over to the catering truck sitting parked nearby. Drew watched him climb in behind the wheel, and when he started the engine Drew hurried off to the parking lot to get into his car so that he could follow Jarrod to work. He waited by the gate until Jarrod drove off the set, the caterer waving to him. Drew lifted his own hand, then pulled into traffic behind Jarrod. He followed Jarrod to the catering company, seeing him pulling into the parking lot and parking the truck at the front of the building.
Jarrod jumped out of the cab of the truck and turned toward the street. Drew had pulled up to the curb. He lightly touched his horn, and Jarrod lifted his hand to wave. He hurried into the building, while Drew waited patiently for him. He listened to his radio, singing along half under his breath. Finally Jarrod emerged, and walked toward his car with the bag slung over his shoulder.
He got into the passenger's side of Drew's car. "All finished," he said. "We can go now."
"Okay. Where to?" Drew asked.
Jarrod told him his address, and Drew pulled away from the curb. He glanced sideways at Jarrod, who was sitting silently in the passenger's seat. "Are you all right, Jarrod?" he asked softly.
"Yeah...I guess," Jarrod replied, his fingers twining together in his lap in front of him.
"We'll collect your stuff, then I'll buy us some dinner," Drew said, feeling a flash of pity. "My treat."
"No, you don't have to do that," Jarrod began hurriedly.
"I don't have to, but I want to. I don't think you should have to cook anymore today. And since my cooking skills are marginal at best...it'll be easier for us to go to a restaurant. Do you have any preferences?"
"Oh, not really. I like most kinds of food. We can go wherever you want," Jarrod told him earnestly.
"Hmm. I'm in the mood for seafood, actually. How about some lobster and scallops? Sound good?"
"It does, yes," Jarrod replied. "But I'll pay for my half..."
"You can if you want to, but I'd really like to treat you," Drew told him. "I'll tell you what - I'll pay this time, you pay next time. Okay?"
"All right," Jarrod said, sounding happier.
Drew felt happy too. With this arrangement, he and Jarrod would get to go out to dinner together more than once. Like on a date. Maybe it wouldn't be a real date, but he'd take anything that he could get at this point...
He pulled into the parking lot of Jarrod's apartment building. Jarrod pointed out an empty parking spot to him, right in front of the stairs that led to his second floor apartment. He swallowed heavily, looking at those stairs while he blinked away tears. "You okay? Can you do this?" Drew asked him in concern.
"Yes. Yes, I can do this," Jarrod said hoarsely. His chin firmed, and he lifted his head.
Drew smiled a little to himself at this show of strength. "I'll come up with you," he said.
"Oh, you don't have to do that," Jarrod began, shaking his head.
"Yes, I do," Drew replied firmly. "Your boyfriend might be waiting for you, to try to have another go at you. I'll be going along as your bodyguard. You can't talk me out of this," he added firmly.
Jarrod swallowed again. "Okay," he said. He got out of Drew's car, straightening his shoulders as he walked toward the stairs. Drew couldn't help but admire his spirit. This couldn't be easy for him - only last night, his life must have seemed pretty good. But now, he was sporting a nasty bruise on one cheek and he had to leave a cheating, abusive boyfriend. Poor Jarrod was having a hard day. Made him want to hug and cuddle the caterer, to try to make him feel better. Of course, that was bound to make DREW feel better, too...
He shook his head at himself as he followed Jarrod to his front door. He was NOT going to take advantage of this situation and a vulnerable, unhappy Jarrod. He knew with utter certainty that if he did that, he'd pay for it in the long run. And he didn't want to trade long-term happiness for short-term pleasure, not with this guy. Jarrod meant too much to him to do that.
Jarrod unlocked the front door of the apartment with shaking fingers. He led the way inside, turning to look at Drew over his shoulder. "I'll just go in the bedroom and pack my stuff," he said in a voice that trembled slightly.
"Do you need any help?" he asked.
Jarrod shook his head. "I can do it. Could you wait out here? In case Steve comes?"
"Of course. I'll be right here when you're done."
Jarrod nodded and went into the bedroom, leaving Drew in the small living room. Hew looked around at the cluttered but clean space, suspecting that it was only through Jarrod's efforts that it was this neat. He couldn't see that little rat Steve being a neat freak. He noticed a picture sitting on a table against the wall, and wandered over to pick it up. It was a framed photo of Jarrod with Steve, their arms around each others' waists. Jarrod was smiling for the camera, that lovely smile that made the whole world seem brighter to those who saw it. Steve was distinctly sneering at the camera in what he clearly thought was a smile. Drew wished that he could step into the photo and punch that sneering mug as hard as he could.
He set the picture back down on the table. He sort of wished that Steve would show up, so that he could beat the living crap out of the cheating bastard. But the bigger part of him didn't want that to happen, because it was bound to upset poor Jarrod even more than he already was. Let it be a clean break, so that he could walk away and forget that worm. He deserved so much better than Steve...
Sure, Drew was hoping to be that 'so much better'. Why wouldn't he? And of course he'd felt a little niggling of hope that now he could get Jarrod's attention, since he was breaking up with his boyfriend. He also felt guilty about feeling that way, but he couldn't help it. Not that he'd wanted Jarrod to be hit or cheated on, but now that it had happened...
He snorted a little to himself. God help him. He was going to have to live with the object of his unrequited affection, and the worst part of all was that he couldn't make a move on that object anytime soon. He didn't just want to be Jarrod's rebound lover, the person he turned to for comfort and later drifted away from when his heart was mended. Taking advantage of Jarrod at this point was the worst thing he could do, if he wanted any kind of long-term, lasting relationship with him. So this was going to be torture for him. But he was willing to go through that torture, if it meant that he could help Jarrod recover and get over the horrible Steve.
Jarrod appeared in the doorway to the bedroom, toting a suitcase and a duffel bag. Drew went over to help him, taking the duffel bag. "Is there anything else you want to take with you?" he asked.
Jarrod glanced around. "No, I guess not. Steve can have the pots and pans and things. Oh, I want this picture..." he walked over and picked up the picture that Drew had just been looking at. "I'll cut Steve out of it," he added as he opened the frame to retrieve the photo.
Drew laughed a little at how dry his voice was. Jarrod grimaced, folding the photo up and sticking it in his pocket. "Let's get out of here," he said, glancing around one more time at his home of over a year.
"No sooner said than done," Drew replied, leading the way out the door.
"Thanks again for letting me stay at your place, Drew," Jarrod said gratefully as they walked down the stairs.
"It's no problem. I didn't want you to end up at a hotel or a homeless shelter or someplace like that, not when I have a perfectly good couch you can sleep on. Hell, I'm happy to have you. It'll be nice to have someone who can cook around the house. I get tired of eating out."
"I'd love to cook for you," Jarrod remarked, sounding relieved and happier.
"Great. We'll stop and buy some groceries on our way home. You have free rein to buy anything you want," he added over his shoulder as he opened his trunk. "I don't really know the first thing about cooking, except for the most basic stuff. So buy whatever you want."
"What about my car?" Jarrod asked uncertainly as he stowed his suitcase in the trunk. "I left it at work..."
"We'll swing by and pick it up after we go to the store," Drew told him. "You can follow me home."
"All right," Jarrod said with a small smile. It did bad things to certain portions of Drew's anatomy.
They climbed into his car, and drove to the seafood restaurant that Drew had decided on. Getting a small table in a corner, they settled in with menus. "I’ve never been here," Jarrod commented, looking around. "The food is good?"
"It's great. You'll love it," Drew assured him. "Get whatever you want. I feel like splurging. This is the last week of the shoot; the first ever movie starring yours truly will soon be in the can, and then it's on to the big screen everywhere...well, maybe that's an exaggeration, but it's still cool..."
"It's very cool," Jarrod agreed. "You're going to be a big time movie star, Drew!"
He smiled. "Here's hoping," he agreed. "Here’s hoping."
Later, he drove into the parking lot of his apartment building with Jarrod's vehicle right behind him. He was pleasantly full of delicious seafood, and he'd thoroughly enjoyed just talking to Jarrod over dinner. Afterward, they'd gone to the grocery store, and he'd wandered around after Jarrod in bemusement. His only task had been to push the cart down the aisles, as the caterer had picked out fresh vegetables, pored over the meat and fish displays, and trolled the dairy aisle for fresh cream, organic milk, and real butter. Apparently Drew was going to be eating A LOT better than he usually did from now on.
He felt anticipation as he parked his car, then watched Jarrod do the same right next to him. No matter how difficult this might be, he was going to be living with the gorgeous creature that he'd fallen in love with on sight only a month ago! Talk about Heaven and Hell all rolled up in one...
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