Simple Things(21)

When Jeremy turned to Carter to say he was going to get the truck and  then took off down the sidewalk, Sarah's look was almost incredulous.  Carter looked back toward Jeremy, whose long legs, encased in dark  denim, ate up the sidewalk. Carter would have to thank Jeremy for  wearing those jeans later tonight.

"I thought you said this was going to be some sort of challenge," Chris said.

Carter snorted and pulled his attention away from Jeremy's tight ass,  knowing his cheeks were probably bright pink from being so obvious. He  wondered if part of Jeremy's being so off his game tonight hadn't been  because of how double date-like the whole evening had been. Carter knew  Sarah had to be suspicious of their "boy's nights" for all the weight  she put on the words when she said them, but he didn't think she would  purposefully have set them up like that. Not knowing her brother like  she did.

Of course, Jeremy had been off all day, really, if Carter thought about it.

"Yeah. What's up with him?" Sarah asked.

Carter blinked at her. "I don't know why I'd know any better than you."  Really. Even if they were fucking around, even if they talked a lot more  now, Jeremy was surprisingly deeper than Carter-shamefully-would have  thought. Sometimes he felt like he knew the guy better than he ever had  before, while other moments made him wonder if he knew the man at all.

Chris looked between them for a moment. "Anyway." He held out a hand.  "It's been great seeing you again, Carter. Thanks for letting me talk  about the gym so much."

Sarah rolled her eyes. "For half a second, I'd thought maybe Jeremy and I should leave you two alone."

"Hey," Carter said, laughing. "You were the one who was all ‘you guys will have plenty to talk about.'"

Chris wrapped his arm around Sarah's waist and pulled her close. "And we haven't seen each other in-what-six years?"

Sarah opened her mouth to speak, but the horn of Jeremy's truck caught  Carter's attention. "Guess my chariot awaits. It was good seeing you,  Chris."

"You too, man. You'll have to come visit once I've got the place up and running for good."

After Carter got in the truck and waved at Chris and Sarah again, Jeremy  started down the road. Carter turned to study Jeremy's face. His  expression was mild, but he had the crinkle just at the corner of his  eye that Carter knew intimately enough now meant he was smiling, even if  not much.                       
       
           



       

Jeremy looked at Carter from the side of his eye. "What, Darling?"

"Oh, how sweet," Carter swooned, batting his eyes dramatically.

Jeremy sighed, disgruntled. "I can't help that your last name is dumb."

Carter punched Jeremy in the shoulder. "Your face is dumb."

Jeremy reached over and popped Carter in the shoulder. "Don't hit the  driver, asshole." Jeremy made to hit Carter again, but Carter put his  hands up in surrender, laughing.

"Sorry! Truce!"

"Fucker," Jeremy grumbled, but he had on his real smile now. Carter's  chest constricted at the easy, happy expression on the man's face. That  he had put the smile there made Carter just a little too pleased.

"God, you can't just go punching people. Your fists are like lead."

"Sorry," Carter said, his tone saying not really.

Carter studied Jeremy for another moment. It had been harder than he  thought, keeping his hands off the man all night. He was dressed in his  typical plaids and rolled up jeans, hair slicked back, showing off his  shaved side-part. But these were a step above his usual going out  clothes, a finer cotton button down, expensive, dark-denim jeans. He had  dolled up, and Carter had to remind himself it had been for Sarah, not  for him.

Even if Carter had thought more of Jeremy when he picked out his outfit, no one had to know but him.

"Were you okay tonight?" Carter asked.

Jeremy seemed surprised by the question, then shrugged. "Yeah. Why?"

"Oh," Carter settled back in his seat. "No reason. You were just quiet. You gave Chris minimal shit. I'm impressed."

"Well, even I am capable of growing up," Jeremy said drily. Carter  glanced back at him, but the rolled eyes told him Jeremy was teasing.  They rode in silence for a while through town, then onto the highway  that lead home.

Home.

Carter frowned, thinking how much he had grown to think of the place as  home again. He didn't dread going back to New York as much as he thought  he would, but his chest got tighter at the thought of giving up Jeremy.

Carter rubbed his knee. Rarely did it hurt these days, especially after  having learned his limitations. It had started building to a steady ache  the last couple hours, though.

"Hey," Jeremy said quietly. "That okay?"

"Oh. Yes. Just sore. It happens. Not often, but hey, that's why I'm home in the first place."

"I'm sorry, I never really thought to ask you much about it. It's not  that I didn't notice the surgery scarring. I guess you just function  well enough … "

Carter shrugged. "It's not all that dramatic. I wasn't even injured in action, you know?"

Jeremy was quiet for a beat. "That didn't matter. It scared the shit out of all of us. I almost went to see you."

"Oh?"

"I still figured you were pissed about that last summer. And my parents were on the phone with your parents twenty-four-seven."

Carter snorted. "That's the first time I'd ever seen my parents freak  out like …  parents. Well, my dad was. My mom tends to be dramatic about  things, but my dad was definitely freaked out. Over a biking accident."  [discuss accident]

"You don't talk about your dad much."

Carter lifted a brow, mostly to keep himself from saying coming from  you. "Not much to talk about. We get along as well as we always have.  You know my folks. Typical boarding school parents. I don't doubt they  love me, and I, them. They actually do better now, me being an adult,  than they did before. But we've never been close. Me with either of  them."

Jeremy huffed. "Makes me feel kind of shitty for not being closer with mine."

Carter looked at Jeremy, the hint of regret furrowing the man's brow  made him want to reach for him, make it better somehow. Carter didn't  know what to say, so he went back to rubbing his knee. Until Jeremy  reached over and used his firm thumb and forefinger to rub it for him.  Carter sighed, the ache easing. "You're good at that."

Jeremy gave a noncommittal grunt, but kept doing what he did.

The rest of the drive was quiet, save for the soft sound of music on the  radio. Carter hadn't even realized he had dozed off until the slowing  of the truck turning onto the back roads that lead to the farm woke him.  Or maybe it was that his knee suddenly felt cool. Had Jeremy's hand  been there the entire drive? He had taken it back to use both hands on  the wheel for the several turns he would have to make in a short  distance to get back home.

"I'll drop you off at yours so you can go to bed," Jeremy said softly.  Carter wanted to disagree, wanted to go spend more time with Jeremy, but  between the long day and his fully belly, he was too done in to do more  than sleep. And Jeremy, while not seeming particularly upset, seemed  like maybe he needed time to himself, a good night's rest, or most  likely both.                       
       
           



       

"Thank you," he replied, trying to convey his understanding.

Before opening his door to get out, Carter was stalled by Jeremy's hand  on his shoulder. When he turned, Jeremy's lips were on his. Soft and  sweet. The kiss took his breath away, he'd never expected another one  with such feeling from Jeremy.

Jeremy pulled back with a smile. "It was a good night." Carter tilted  his head. "They're happy. To answer your question." Carter thought back  to what he had asked earlier. "I didn't give him a hard time because for  once, I didn't want to be difficult."

"Jeremy, don't be that hard on yourself. No one would have thought you  were being anything other than  …  you. Not difficult. You not teasing  almost made us worry." Carter grinned and winked.

Jeremy smiled back, which was nice, and rubbed his brow where his tattoo was.

"One day, I'll ask about all your tattoos."

Jeremy laughed. "And you'll think I'm ridiculous when I tell you how  many were just because. Yes, some have meaning, but …  it's just an art.  It's an expression for me. Images and words that make up certain times  in my life, even not-so-sober ones."

Carter doubted it was as simple as that. Nothing with Jeremy was as  shallow as he would lead you to believe with his easy manner and  confident swagger. No one who wrote lyrics like the man did wasn't made  of deeper waters than that.