Say You'll Be Nine

When we parted ways outside the restaurant with plans to touch base again after the audition, I tried to be optimistic. It was nice hearing the vlog had made a positive impact on my chances of getting hired. I hoped it made a similar impact on getting Nine the kind of sponsors who would continue to supply him materials and camera equipment since that was pretty much all he wanted besides a place of his own to fix up.

Next, I headed to Jarrod’s apartment where he and his boyfriend were just finishing up Chinese takeout. “Hey, stranger,” he said with a big smile when he answered the door. We hugged and moved inside. Geoff gave me a smile and wave from the kitchen table where he was clearing off space for us.

“How’ve you been? We’ve been watching the show,” Geoff said, drying his hands on a kitchen towel. “Your new boyfriend is hot as fuck. Where the hell did you find him?”

I felt strangely proud. “He’s my college roommate’s baby brother.”

“Oooh, robbing the cradle, hm?” Geoff teased with a wink.

Jarrod frowned. “Eli’s brother? I thought you didn’t like that guy.”

“I didn’t. He was a total pain in the ass.”

Geoff barked out a laugh. “And now he’s also a total pain in the ass, just a much better kind, am I right?”

Jarrod rolled his eyes, and Geoff swatted him with the towel. “Anyway,” Jarrod said. “It’s cute. I mean you guys look like the real deal together. Congrats, man.”

My heart gave another lurch. It had been doing that more and more lately when the subjects of Isaac and the future came up. “Thanks. He’s… yeah.”

Geoff’s eyes got wide. “Oh. Ohhhh. It’s like that, huh?”

I sighed and grinned. “Yeah. It’s definitely like that.”

Jarrod gave me the big smile that earned him all the best tips at the bar. “That’s amazing. Congrats. Now, let’s run these lines and get you the part so the two of you can move back here and get out of the godforsaken woods.”

“Right on,” Geoff said with a nod. “Cooper, you want a beer or something?”

“An ice water would be great if you don’t mind.”

“Sure thing, sweetie.”

When Geoff returned with the water, Jarrod leaned in to take the printed sides from me. “You look really good, Coop. I have to admit you seemed pretty unhappy when you left. Good to see the mountain air and a little dick put everything to rights.”

I almost choked on my water. “Big dick, you asshole. Big dick.”

Geoff laughed. “Told you so, Jerr. Mountain men like that one do not disappoint.”

Now my face was on fire. “I don’t want to know how you know that. So we’re shutting up now. Work. We’re changing the subject. Sides. Let’s read.”

Jarrod laughed while he found his place in the sides, and we finally got down to business running lines. After about an hour, we called it a night and I invited the two of them out for drinks with Evie and me. The three of us made our way to the Low Bar and found Evie and Van right away.

“There he is,” Evie shouted from a table they’d managed to save for us. She got up and came in for a huge hug. Bits of her curly red hair escaped from the ponytail it was pulled back in, and her face was scrubbed clean of the makeup she normally caked on for her job at a nearby circus-themed restaurant popular with tourists. The freckles on her nose stood out, and her bright green eyes were a beloved, familiar sight. I sank into the hug.

“Aww, missed you,” I said, inhaling her drugstore body lotion scent. “Thanks for coming out.”

She pulled back and gestured for me to take the seat next to hers. “Wouldn’t miss it. When are you moving back?”

I walked over and kissed Van on the cheek. “Hey, cutie. Where’s the bf?”

Van rolled his eyes behind big clear-framed glasses. “Ditched me for some ho. It’s fine. He drove a fucking Kia Picanto with undercarriage lighting and lifts. What did I expect?”

Geoff snorted. “Hey, they don’t sell those here. That’s quite a score.”

Van flapped his hand in Geoff’s direction. “Believe me, I know all about how rare and exciting his sub-compact piece of shit is. Moving on.”

I gave him a quick hug before taking my seat. “Sorry about that, but I gotta say, the first time he asked me to spot him a fiver for condoms and beef jerky at the corner market, I had to wonder if he was marriage material. Everyone knows five bucks only buys the shit beef jerky.” I shot him a wink, and he laughed.

The rest of the evening was spent downing mixed drinks and catching up. We laughed our asses off as usual, but I still kept thinking of Nine. Was he in bed yet? Was he lonely? Was Nacho keeping him good company? What if he got hurt while no one was around to help him?