Hehadmet someone, but ever since he’d seen Tristan talking to his ex in the parking lot, Tristan had pulled back. Even from that distance, it had been easy to tell that she was Rain’s mother, and some of the line cooks had talked about ‘the ten that Derrick had hit on in the parking lot,’ but Jaxhad stomped on that gossip before it gained any traction. Tristan needed privacy because no one wanted their entire workplace to know that their ex had shown up to be messy.
Now all Jax had to do was get rid of this avoidance, because he missed Tristan’s morning greetings and passing nods, not caring that there was a bit of red in his green flag.
Maybe. A guy from PT ended up working at my hall.He sent her a thumbs-up emoji, followed by several eggplants.
I’m dying, tell me more. Or we could old-man it and have an actual phone call?
How about I come down and see you next week?
Yessss.A picture of her giving him the finger popped up under it. Her hair had faded to a lovely light pink, but she was sickly thin, and her complexion had a gray cast.I know you can’t dance but let’s go to this new place. There’s an ambient room upstairs and someone from my friend’s polycule is spinning there. We can try to be lowkey.
He let out a long breath. While Mae was definitely lying about being lowkey, it didn’t sound too bad.
But a week later, he thought it was the worst idea ever.
“Are you having fun?” Mae screamed in his ear as the floor vibrated under his feet, the drop making everyone jump until the building rattled. He hadn’t done this in so long, not since he’d stubbornly gone back to his old life a year after surgery, and it hadn’t taken more than a few nights out to realize that his body couldn’t do it anymore.
But since he didn’t care about drugs besides the gummies he took for pain, and he couldn’t enjoy the music in the way that he wanted to, this space was no longer for him. While he already knew that, this particular visit hammered it home, and suddenly he was blinking back tears.
Taking a deep breath, he gave Mae a weak smile and a nod. Too wasted to see him struggling, she made a duck face, flashing a peace sign at him before running over to the DJ, who put an arm around her shoulders.
A door opened across the room, showing Jax an outdoor area, and his body moved of its own accord, wanting out of the dark, pulsating void that no longer brought comfort.
It took a while for Jax to weave through the cluster of bodies, but heeventually sprang free from the rundown factory, stepping into a courtyard surrounded by woods. With the full moon to light his way, Jax walked around groups of people until he found the perfect pine tree to lean against. Taking in its scent, he immediately thought of Tristan, which wasn’t surprising because, in spite of the avoidance, Tristan was on Jax’s minda lot.
What was this? Infatuation? Limerence? Should Jax even act on it?
There were so many reasons not to, including his back. While he could technically have sex, his choice of partner could make the experience pleasurable or something that left him in pain for a week.
Yet he knew without a doubt that Tristan would be slow and gentle, and Jax needed that so badly.
Suddenly, he realized that there was nothing to decide, because he’d already made his choice the moment Tristan appeared at The Pointe.
Jax wanted to take the risk, with his jobandhis heart.
Despite recent improvements, Jax still hated his life.
He knew that the day was going to be rough before he opened his eyes. His back had pulled him out of dreamland like a child screaming for attention, and even though he’d been careful in his sleep, he instantly knew what had caused this pain. He’d just movedagain, and he’d also driven the hour to Mae, wandered around a club all night, and driven home.
He should’ve waited an extra week and rested up more. But there was no way around it, he was getting worse, and he wasn’t even surprised, just angry and disappointed.
Lying there longer than he should, Jax chanced being late for work, carefully reaching under his pillow for his phone. After that infamous morning four years ago, he always placed it close by, because dragging himself across the floor to get it had been excruciating, but not as bad as being wheeled out on a stretcher half-naked in front of his neighbors.
Unlocking the screen, he squinted at it, wondering if he should call Ollie and Finn, but he decided to try a shower first. Eventually getting out ofbed, he grunted and groaned as he shuffled to the bathroom, trying not to think about how bad his back would be in twenty years.
Burning himself thoroughly, Jax felt somewhat better, and he washed his acetaminophen and ibuprofen mix down with the strongest tea he had, chasing it with a THC gummy. It wouldn’t kick in for at least an hour; it would only take the edge off, and it would be gone by the time he had to drive home.
Maybe he should stop hovering in limbo and try another doctor. But they weren’t wizards, they couldn’t cast a Heal Back spell on him no matter how much he wished they could.
Carefully getting dressed, he pulled out the pain specialist’s card that Tristan had given him, flipping it over in his hand. If he wanted another doctor, then this was probably the best place to start.
The beep of Jax’s phone alarm told him that he was officially late, and he put the card back in his wallet, grabbing a thermos of tea and a muffin for the road.
Thankfully, his pain stayed where it was as he drove in and limped through The Pointe, but there was no guarantee it would remain there. Keeping his head down and his jaw locked until lunchtime, Jax decided to call the doctor.
Once he got a break, he put on his coat and slowly walked around the building until he was out of sight.
Dialing the number on the card, he leaned against The Pointe’s white facade, letting out a long breath that clouded the air.
