Chapter 7 - Jordan

London

The second we touch down on English soil everything immediately starts going to shit. The forecast was cloudy for the days we’d be here but it never said anything about rain. Which is what we encountered the moment we stepped foot outside of the airport. That was on top of going back and forth with baggage claim for an hour because they lost the suitcase with all of the clothes Leo is supposed to wear tomorrow.

By the time we get to the house, I’m ready to fly back home. I won’t though because save for the shitstorm we went through, the place we’re staying at is breathtaking. 

Sat in front of a huge lake, is a large Victorian-style cabin that Mason spent thousands of dollars on remodeling last year. The long pebbled driveway, lined by lush sycamores and oak trees, lead us through the iron fence that surrounds the two story house. Built with both redwood and dark cobblestone and ornate millwork on the trim of the roof, the home beautifully contrasts the surrounding forest. 

He bought it as a vacation home and I always stay here whenever I visit because it’s the perfect distance between the city and the beautiful countryside. The weather is the best here, especially in the summertime. 

The inside of the cabin is decorated top to bottom with one of a kind vintage furniture from around the world. Every piece from the rugs to cups in the cabinet were meticulously hand selected by Amber.

I lift our luggage with my camera equipment that thankfully didn’t go missing because I would have had a stroke. I enter into the foyer and start making my rounds on the ground floor (or first floor as British people call it) to open windows and air out stuffy rooms. 

When I’m done, I head upstairs and find Leo looking up at one of the paintings in the hall. I stand next to him, cross my arms, and look up at it. The painting is of a lakefront home surrounded by thick, plush greenery. The sun casts a purple-blue hue in the sky, hidden behind clouds. 

“I love Thomas Kinkade.” 

I look at Leo in bewilderment and point at the wall. “You know him?”

“Yeah, of course.” He shrugs nonchalantly. 

Mason’s going to love this. All of the paintings Mason has around the house are by small, niche artists. They’re the only thing Mason was allowed to decorate. Amber always gives him shit about “buying pointless valueless paintings” to which Mason would reply with “When these paintings are worth $10 million in 25 years I’m gonna buy you a yacht.” I guess he’s a good percentage of the way there because some of these artists have gone on to sell their paintings at large art exhibits. 

Leo continues down the hall and stops in front of the open bedroom at the end. I follow and walk to the bedside, taking off my watch and emptying my pockets. “It’s nice right?” 

He leans against the door frame both hands behind him. I watch as he scans me up and down and slightly bites his bottom lip. 

When I start to smile he blinks a couple of times as if he was in a trance. 

“I’ll go put my stuff in the other room.” He turns and walks back down the hallway.

I join him and come to a halt in front of the guest bedroom.

Mothefucker. 

The room that once had a bed, now has a crib, rocking chair, and chest overflowing with toys. 

“When the hell did he turn this room into a nursery?” And why the hell didn’t he tell me? I told him I was coming here. Just another event in the series of shit events that have already taken place today. 

“It’s fine,” I turn to Leo. “I’ll sleep on the couch.”

Leo shakes his head and a slight smile creeps up his lips. “That bed is huge,” he nods toward the master bedroom. “We can both fit.” 

I pause, a bit hesitant. “You sure?” 

He tilts his head back. “I’m sure, Jordan.” He begins rolling his suitcase back toward the master bedroom. 

Both of us are sleeping in the same room.

Same bed. 

That should be interesting.

———

‘You fucker why didn’t you tell me you turned that room into a nursery? We have to sleep in the same bed’, is the text I send to Mason.

Mason instantly replies with a smiling emoji then a, ‘You’re welcome.’

I stare at the text when it dawns on me that was his plan all along. I don’t know whether to strangle him or be impressed. I decide to let it go until we get back to the country. 

I recline into the bed and pull my laptop onto my lap to respond to some emails. A little while later, Leo comes out of the bathroom.

He’s wearing a loose t-shirt and shorts and pats his wet hair with a towel. His cheeks are flushed red from the steam and his lips are a deep shade of pink.

“Hi.” He smiles when he catches me staring. A rough cough-like noise comes out of my throat as I focus back on my screen and start typing. “How was your shower?” 

What kind of fucking question was that Jordan? 

I don’t know what’s wrong with me lately or more specifically what’s wrong with me when I’m around him. Usually, I can talk to anyone fine. I could give a speech in front of Congress and not break a sweat. But when it comes to him, there are too many times when I’m rendered a bumbling idiot. 

“Good,” he says as he places the towel over the back of an armchair. “Hot.” He then climbs into bed and under the covers on the opposite of the bed. 

He’s only a couple of feet away from me but in this California king-sized bed, it feels like he’s a mile away. 

He nods at the laptop and cozies up under the covers facing me. “What are you doing? Editing?”

I shake my head, eyes still on the screen. “Emails. But I finished edits for your shoot from last week if you want to see.” He slides closer to me until his shoulder is almost touching my arm. I pull up the folder and start clicking through. Once again like all of his previous shoots, I’ve had to do bare minimum editing. He’s flawless in real life and on camera. 

Leo rests his knuckles under his chin, deep in thought. “They look great. All thanks to you.”

I raise a brow. “All thanks to me? This is a two-man effort. I wouldn't have these photos without you. Take some credit.”

He smiles and moves back over to his side.

30 minutes pass and I do one last scroll through my email to make sure I answered everything before shutting my laptop and dimming the bedside lamp. 

Leo looks to be asleep so I shamelessly take him in for the millionth time. He’s lying on his back but his face is slightly turned toward me. 

I’m startled when he opens one eye. “I can feel you watching me.” 

I open my mouth to defend myself but he just laughs. 

“I’d say take a picture, it'll last longer but you already have, like,  500 million of me.” He rolls onto his side fully facing me. “You can’t sleep either?”

“Yeah, jetlag,” I explain. This time difference is messing me up. It’s 10 PM here but only 4 back in the city. And an even larger time difference in Japan, I FaceTimed Jamie earlier just as he was going to sleep.

Leo rests his head in his palm. “Shouldn’t you be used to that by now?”

I shrug slightly. “Probably.” I lay on my side and mimic his pose. When I first started traveling the world I got used to the different time zones pretty quickly. In the last few years though, maybe it’s because I’m getting older, but I haven’t been able to adapt as quickly. Good thing I’ve learned how to do well on 3 hours of sleep.  

Leo is quiet for a minute, our eyes staying fixed on each other. My lip curves upwards. “What?” 

“Tell me something nobody knows about you. Or something you’ve done. Something crazy.” He says.

I lay on my back and stare up at the ceiling. “Something no one knows about me…,” I take a moment to think, not entirely sure what he’s expecting. 

“When I was 8 I was trying on shirts at the mall and accidently walked out in one of them without paying.” 

“Oh my god.” Leo laughs dryly and rolls his eyes. “Sooo crazy. I meant a deep, dark secret, not something small like stealing.” 

“You first. I need to think.” 

Leo bites his lower lip. “Okay, but you have to promise not to tell anyone?”

“Promise.” He holds out his pinky, and without hesitation, I hook mine around his. 

“I’ve never told anyone this. You seriously can’t tell anyone.” I nod as he props himself up on his elbow and leans closer. I also instinctively lean in, eager to hear more. 

“I’m not who I say I am. At least not in the sense you might think. I’ve transferred schools countless times. I have two brothers and two sisters. Most people at our school didn’t like us and thought we were weird. I wouldn’t say we’re rich, but we are well off. My father is a doctor. I hate the sunlight. If I could live off the grid in some town where it rains every day, I would.” He pauses for a moment, gauging my reaction. My mind is blank with zero clue where this is going. When I don’t say anything, he continues. 

“What I’m trying to get at is this.” He lowers his voice. “I’m a vampire.” I blink a few times before he throws his head back in laughter. “You should see your face right now.” 

I groan and lean back when I realize. “Don’t tell me that’s the plot of some movie?” 

His mouth drops into an O. “You’ve never seen Twilight?” 

I shake my head. The only thing I know about the movie is from Jamie’s posters that have ‘Team Edward’ in a cryptic font and a picture of a pale Robert Pattinson. Leo immediately stands up and turns on the TV facing our bed. “This is an important piece of culture you need to experience.” He clicks into the Netflix app and gets back under the covers. 

The movie starts and before I know it 2 hours go by. “So? What’d you think?” Leo watches me expectantly. I don’t know what I was expecting but I’ll admit, it was a decent movie. 

“I think I get the hype now. I don’t know about you but I’m Team Edward.”

“Yeah? Why’d I take you for someone who’d be rooting for the underdog?” Leo questions. 

“I mean yeah but it’s so obvious she’s going to end up with Edward. So might as well pick the winning team.”

Leo considers that for a moment. “Good point.”

—— 

At dawn the next morning I’m up, running around the perimeter of the lake. It’s still dark out, and the air is foggy; it’s both eerie and pleasant. 

Besides the cabin itself, the best part about being out here are the woods that surround it. There are paths cleared for joggers and the incline of the land is a perfect mix of both uphill and downhill paths. All of the trails have routes that lead toward the large lake. Dozens of lake houses face it and in the center is a large pier where families take their boats to set off fireworks for birthdays and New Year’s. 

It’s the polar opposite of the city and the ideal place to come for a weekend when you want to retreat somewhere peaceful.

By the time I get back to the cabin, it’s much lighter outside and to my surprise, the lights in the kitchen are on. From a few yards away I see Leo standing by the counter over the coffee machine. I glance at my watch as I walk up the creaking steps and open the sliding door.