Kept Man: Firsts and Forever Stories

“I’m the one who’s sorry,” I said, as I brushed his hair back from his face. “I shouldn’t have run off like that. My insecurity kicked in when you didn’t respond, and I assumed the worst.”

Just then, we heard, “Hey, isn’t that the dude from Fallen?”

I grabbed Micah’s hand and said, “Come with me.”

We ran into the street, looking both ways this time, and hurried to my apartment building. Someone was leaving just as we reached the security gate, so we ducked inside. Micah followed me to the third floor, and I discovered I’d left my door open.

He wandered into the living room and looked around curiously as I asked, “How long do you suppose we have until Boseman or the police show up?”

“I really don’t know, but this might go better for me if I tell my PO exactly where to find me.”

We went into my bedroom, and he plugged in his phone. After he sent Boseman a text with my address, he sat beside me on the bed and kissed me. Then Micah rested his forehead against mine and said, “I don’t think this’ll extend my sentence, but I assume I’ll be finishing out the next few months in jail. I’m sorry I’ll miss Christmas with you, but maybe we can celebrate it after I get released in January.”

“I still can’t believe you put so much on the line, just so you could come talk to me.”

“It was important. As soon as I realized I’d messed up and hurt you, I had to make it right.”

I traced the curve of his jaw and said, “I was so scared you didn’t feel the same way I did.”

“Same here.” His phone beeped, and he looked at the screen. “Boseman’s on his way. He told me to stay put, as if I might go on the lam and make him chase me down.”

I climbed onto his lap, and he wrapped his arms around me as I whispered, “I’m going to miss you so much these next few months.”

“I’m going to miss you too, baby.”

“Do you think I’ll be able to come see you?”

“Probably.”

“Then I’ll be there every visiting day.”

He caressed my cheek and said softly, “I love you so much. Wasn’t it obvious?”

“Sometimes. But then you talked about leaving San Francisco while encouraging me to anchor myself here with art school, so I didn’t know what to think.”

“As soon as I fell in love with you, leaving here became the furthest thing from my mind. I’m not going anywhere without you, Jasper. There’s no way.”

“We should have talked about this sooner. But then, I guess both of us thought we were waiting for the other person to catch up.”

“Exactly.” He cupped my cheek and murmured, “I’m sorry I won’t be here to take care of you these next few months. It breaks my heart.” Just then, the buzzer sounded and my heart lodged in my throat. Micah took a deep breath and said, “Come on baby, it’s time to pay the piper.”

He carried me to the front door, and I pressed the intercom and asked, “Boseman?”

A deep, familiar voice snarled, “Let me in.”

I buzzed him in and opened the front door. Micah was still holding me, and I wrapped my arms and legs around him more securely and buried my face in his shoulder.

As soon as the probation officer reached us, he demanded, “Explain yourself.”

“I hurt Jasper’s feelings, so I had to come find him and apologize in person. I know that’ll mean jail time, and I fully accept the consequences of my actions,” Micah told him. “The thing is, I love this man more than life itself, and I needed to make things right between us, no matter the cost.”

“It’s about time you admitted your feelings,” Boseman said.

“Wait, you knew?”

“That you two are a couple? Of course. I have no idea why you felt you had to lie to me and tell me he was your assistant.”

“I’ve never loved anyone the way I love Jasper,” Micah said. “That felt like something I needed to protect and keep private while it was still so new and fragile.”

Boseman asked me, “Do you have anything to say about this?”

I raised my head and met his gaze. “Please don’t put Micah in jail. He only broke the rules because he loves me and cares about our relationship.”

Micah said, “It’s okay, baby. I knew what the consequences would be when I made the choice to leave the house. Now Boseman has a job to do, and I’ll serve out my time in jail without complaint. It’s just a few months, and then we’ll have the rest of our lives together.”

“It’s about time you took responsibility for your actions,” Boseman muttered.

“You’re right, and I’m sorry about the way I’ve acted the last few months,” Micah said. “You’ve had to put up with a lot of bullshit and excuses from me, but no more. Jasper deserves a better man than that, so it’s time for me to get my shit together.”