Page 13 of Can't Stop Now

He began to more seriously consider the possibility in his mind, and somewhere deep down, he realized that the thought of Will coming along on the road trip made him feel reassured, happier.

“I mean, I know you were joking when you said I should take you along, but 3,000 miles all on my own really does sound rough. It sounds crazy, but I can tell you’re a good guy, and I’d be happy to split the cost of gas with you if you did want to come,” Jacob said, nervous to see Will’s reaction. Jacob was beginning towantthis to happen.

“…Are you serious, Jacob? Would you really be okay with that?”

“I think so,” Jacob said, studying Will’s face. “You don’t have to say yes, I just wanted to put it out there.”

Eight

Will

Will stared at Jacob, expecting him to burst out laughing at any second.

Is he fucking serious?!Will thought, racking his brain. He figured that Jacob must actually be serious about it. He was just so shocked that Jacob would suggest that they spend evenmoretime together. He figured that Jacob was just being nice, letting him stay in his apartment, and that he was counting down the days until he could be rid of Will.

After waking up that morning, Will had felt monstrously guilty about what had happened the night before. At the time, he had been completely in the moment, not thinking logically. When he was straddling Jacob from behind he couldn’t think aboutanythingreally except their two bodies, intertwined.

But in the sobering morning light, he realized that he had gone too far.Hehad been the one to initiate the massage, to say stupid things like “Fuck, your body is amazing,” to a straight guy who just wanted a normal massage, and of course he couldn’t stop himself from finishing Jacob off completely.

He had felt so guilty earlier in the kitchen, when Jacob had come out and tried to smooth things over by politely offering him breakfast. Will had decided to go out for a walk, to try and make sure Jacob didn’t think he was coming onto him or expecting anything more. The last thing Will needed was to actually fall for a straight guy, and he wanted to make it clear that he respected Jacob’s boundaries.

…But here he was, in Jacob’s room again, and this time Jacob was inviting him on a road trip that would last at least a week. Will tried to study Jacob’s face, making sure that he was actually offering to take Will with him.

Will took a deep breath, shaking his head side to side slightly with wide eyes.

“…Well,ifyou’re being serious, I mean… paying half the gas money would certainly be cheaper than any plane ticket I could get now,” Will said tentatively.

Jacob smiled, shrugging.

“Like I said, you definitely don’t have to say yes. But I mean it, I’d really rather have the company.”

Will couldn’t help but chuckle. He felt the tension lift from his body as he allowed himself to laugh.

“…Wooh! Man. One second I’m thinking you can’t wait to get me out of this house, and the next you’re inviting me on a road trip. Jacob, sir, you are definitely out of the ordinary.”

Jacob laughed. “And here you thought I was just another boring, businessy athletic type,” he said, “I’ve got surprises too! Hell, I surprise myself.”

There was a pause for a few moments. Jacob went back to packing, and Will stood, unsure of what to say.

“…So, we’re cool, right Jacob? No weirdness?” Will said, needing closure.

“Absolutely. No weirdness at all. Let’s be friends, Will,” Jacob said, looking over at Will with hopeful eyes.

“Friends?” Will said, holding out his hand.

“Friends,” Jacob said, shaking Will’s outstretched hand. The feeling of their two hands connecting made Will want to keep hanging on, to grab Jacob’s hand and pull him in close. But here he was, agreeing to be friends. And as much as Will might have wanted it to be more, he would honor that agreement, because he was starting to see that Jacob was really a good guy.

“Okay then,” Will said, smiling. “Let’s plan a road trip.”

Later in the evening, Will was back in his room again, splayed out on his bed, staring up at some glow-in-the-dark stars that Freddie must have left behind on the ceiling.

And Will couldn’t believe he had just agreed to take a weeklong road trip with a straight guy that he was secretly developing a walloping crush on. He reached down to his phone and called Maya. He had texted her that he had a lot to tell her, but hadn’t actually talked to her since before his encounter with Jacob.

“Hey girl,” Maya said as she answered.

“Hey girl,” Will said, sighing and turning over on the bed. He knew Maya was going to harass him.

“Oh no, what is it now, Will,” Maya said, clearly already aware that Will had some news.