Page 52 of Can't Stop Now

“I might… I might call my mom later, and tell her too. She’s been asking me forever when I’m gonna finally meet someone and…staywith someone. She worries about me. I’m scared, but, I want to tell her,” Jacob said, pulling in a deep breath.

“It’s okay, Jacob. Go at your own speed. As long as you’re with me, you don’t have anything to prove anymore,” Will said, running the back of his hand along Jacob’s cheek and jawline.

Suddenly, Will’s phone rang from across the room. He kissed Jacob one more time.

“Ugh, it’s so hard to walk away from you, even just to get the phone!” he said, with a laugh. He got up, looked curiously at the caller ID, and answered.

“Hey – Erica? Hi! Didn’t expect to hear from you again, how are you doing?...”

As Will talked on the phone, Jacob looked again at the photo of Will kissing him, public for all to see. A smile crept over his face and he was filled with a warm feeling, like finally he was doing what he was supposed to.

A few minutes later, Will hung up.

“Ho-ly shit,” Will said, putting the phone down and looking at Jacob with wide eyes.

“What is it?” Jacob said, “Is everything okay?”

“Um… yeah, it’sbetterthan okay. That was Erica, the girl I met at the hotel in Santa Fe. She told me that she was in online marketing, and was there in Santa Fe to talk to an investor interested in her company. Apparently, the guy put money in, like alotof money, and part of that is going to go to hiring paid interns. Jacob, she wants me to come intern for the company. She said she loved getting to know me, and knew that I wanted more experience in online marketing,” Will said, walking slowly back over to the bed and sitting on the edge of it, his eyes still wide.

“Will, that isamazing! Congratulations! She justofferedyou the job? You don’t even have to interview?” Jacob said.

“Apparently, yeah. She said getting to know me over those drinks was better than any interview could be. Said she wants creative people like me in her department,” Will said.

Jacob was immensely happy for Will, but he did still have one question that was burning, lingering in his head.

“So… you said she was in Santa Fe traveling. So… where is the company located? Do you… do you have to go far?” Jacob was nervous, not wanting to lose Will right after finding him again.

“It’s in Oceanside, Jacob. It’s only thirty minutes away from San Diego,” Will said, an incredulous smile on his face.

“Fuck yeah!” Jacob said, unable to control his shout.

“Yes!” Will shouted as well, and they hugged each other as tight as they could.

After a few moments, Will pulled away, shaking his head in disbelief.

“I can’t fucking believe it. A fewhoursago, I thought my life was going nowhere. And now everything feels different,” Will said.

“Everythingisdifferent, Will. But maybe this is how it was meant to be all along. We candothis, Will. You and me. Together,” Jacob said, a cheeky smile on his face.

Will laughed. “Jacob, Jacob, Jacob… you’re always there with the cheesy inspiring speeches. Have you ever thought about being a motivational speaker?” Will smiled, his eyes alight.

“Just get over here and kiss me,” Jacob said, smiling and pulling Will in close again.

A few hours passed, and Jacob and Will spent the entire time in bed together. Jacob had been planning on driving the rest of the way to San Diego that night, but now, he couldn’t bear the thought of leaving Will so soon. Will’s mom came home, and she had agreed that Jacob could spend the night in the guest room.

Will told her the good news, and she was elated that he had gotten a job, though sad he would be away from home again.

Jacob and Will waited in the living room of the house for dinner. Jacob looked around at the framed pictures on shelves, many of which showed Will and his brother.

“What is this one?” Jacob said, holding up a frame to Will.

Will smiled. “That’s from Christmas, when I was about 9. I wanted that art set more than anything. It had like 100 pencils, 50 markers, a bunch of paints, chalks, brushes…”

“Wow, I didn’t know you’d been doing art for that long,” Jacob said, smiling and setting the photo down. They were alone in the living room, and he slowly pushed his arms around Will’s midsection from behind, pulling him into his arms and gently rocking slightly.

“Yep, I’ve always been a crazy little artist,” Will said, running his hands along Jacob’s arms. “It’s gonna be weird, actually… doing an internship thatwon’tjust be all art. It’s strange to think I actually have ajob,” he said.

Jacob let his arms go, turning to face him again. “I know. I still feel weird about starting my job, and I’ve known about it for a month. We’readultsnow,” Jacob said, raising his eyebrows. “But that doesn’t mean you should quit your art. You aresotalented, Will. The world needs to see your work,” Jacob said, earnestly.