Slowly opening the door to his apartment, Jack ran a critical eye along every surface. Everything was in its place. He stepped inside and locked the door, double-checking before he turned the deadbolt.

It was the end of a pretty decent day. Aside from that Benoit lady, everything had gone well. He got to enjoy a proper date, walk off an afternoon buzz with a handsome man, and then be left alone afterward. Perfect.

Too perfect.

He dropped onto his mattress and groaned in frustration as he slumped over. Kieran was too understanding. Too considerate. Jack loved it and hated it.

There had to be something else lurking under the surface. Some disastrous flaw. Something that would let Jack cut ties without feeling like he was afraid of commitment. Or getting caught.

As soon as the thought was there, it was gone. He was left with the feeling that he needed to find a way out of his shiny new relationship.

His phone pinged, and he fished it out of his back pocket. He pulled up the text and stared at the message. Kieran had texted him. Kieran texted like he was writing a letter. Jack told himself it wasn't charming.

< My Sweet Jack, )

< I deeply enjoyed spending time with you today. I do hope you will be rested and willing to meet up tomorrow night. We can either go out or spend a quiet night in. )

< If you would like to hold off for a few days, then I completely understand. The choice is yours, my sweet. )

< -Kieran )

Could he get away with me 2 lol c u l8r? He should probably put some effort into it. After a few minutes of crafting and deleting his reply, he sent the message along, proud of himself for not dropping too many letters.

( yeah, tomorrow works >

( will let u kno if change mind >

( 6 ok? >

He stared at his phone as a light wave of nausea settled over him. He had plenty of time to either hype himself up or chicken out. Or hype himself up to chicken out. He should have asked for an extra day. Maybe he could lie and say something came up, but what if he got caught in his lie?

"Shit, shit, shit…"

He grimaced when he received Kieran's response.

< I look forward to seeing you. )

He ignored the text and called Tara.

"Wazzup?"

"Is it bad to see someone three days in a row?"

The silence on the other end was broken up by the sounds of an action flick and a deliberately slow crunch. "Yeah, I'm doing pretty good. And you?"

"Freaking out, in case you didn't notice!"

"Fine, what was it? You saw your hot boyfriend three days in a row? Not really a bad thing. He's pretty yummy. He has my seal of approval. Send him my way if you break up."

"Yeah, whatever. Is this normal?" He needed answers from someone who actually dated and had a decent track record with keeping partners around for almost a year. Or a couple months. Maybe he should have relied on Sam and Candace instead.

"For some people. I once stayed with a guy for a week right after we met."

"Sharing a hotel room in Vegas isn't the same thing!"

"Look, Jack, it's not as bad as you're making it out to be," Tara replied with a sigh. "It's not as bad as you want it to be."

"I don't wa—"

"Are you looking for a reason to bail?"

Jack glared at his lap in silence. That was the problem with being friends with someone most of your life. They knew what you were about and all your bad habits.

"There ya' go. You're hyper analyzing everything, looking for an excuse to cut and run. I get it, man. It's a new relationship, and it's scary. If you want me to tag along in the background, I will."

"No. I just don't wanna seem desperate and give him the wrong idea," he said, hoping it sounded like a legitimate reason. It was part of his concern, but was quickly being overshadowed by his worries that Kieran was too accommodating.

"Then put it off for a few days. I've rescheduled dates at the last minute because my nails weren't dry. It'll be a good test. If he freaks out, then he ain't worth it. And the moment he calls you a bitch or whore or something, you ditch his ass. Then call me. Me 'n' my cousin'll show him what's what if he doesn't leave you alone."

"Yeah, I'll try that."

"So other than that, how is he treating you?"

"Suspiciously good," he admitted. He sank further into his mattress as Tara's silence stretched on.

"Yeah. Definitely reschedule," she eventually replied. "Do it for a day later, then reschedule again with two days between."

"That's really shifty, Tara."

"Then don't," Tara said with an exasperated sigh. "But if you need an excuse to bail on tomorrow night, we can go see a movie."

"I'll think about it."

"Shoot me a text whenever. I'm working tomorrow, but I'll keep my phone on me. Oh, and I need a reliable tournament partner for Pixie Battles. So be ready to support me at twelve everyday this week."

"Sure," he glumly replied. He had no idea that Tara would get hooked on the stupid game he'd picked out. But if it meant there was a hidden way for him to touch base everyday, then he'd deal with it.

"Now that that dilemma's out of the way, get any good gigs?"

"Missy knows the owner of that new bakery on Main and sent her my way." Jack happily threw himself into explaining his plans for the website, grateful for the distraction from his spiraling thoughts.