'Til There Was You - Jerry Cole

Chapter One

Austin Janssen-Dirk sat at the very back of the movie theater, at the furthest corner from the screen, with baseball cap pulled down over his scruffy blond hair to cover his face, hoodie flipped up to cover anything else that might be showing, and his narrow shoulders hunched forward and body slouched down as far as it would go like he was trying to hide... and that’s because he was trying to hide.

He had no idea what movie was playing. He had no idea which number theater he was in. Heck, he had to double think just to remember which cinema he was even at. The entire afternoon had been a blur, a gut-punching, heart-tearing, soul-crushing, will-destroying blur. And now that he was settled down for what would probably be a good two hours, he knew it would only get worse. Oh, what a terrible day!

“But how can you claim to love me when you can’t even love yourself?” the female character in the film asked emphatically. The orchestral music dropped behind her, emphasizing the question.

“Because I just can,” the male character answered with equal resolve as the music then began to lift.

Of course it was a rom com! Again, Austin had no idea what movie he was seeing, he’d just bought a ticket to anything and walked right in like a zombie sniffing out brains... or more like a stalker, hot on the heels of his target. But that was only because that’s exactly what he was.

From his perch at the very back of the theater, Austin’s view was perfect. Just five rows down, and two seats across sat two men, side-by-side, hands entangled in one another’s, heads pressed together as they whispered and chuckled and nibbled and did all manner of things that made Austin’s heart feel like it was the ball in a high-octane soccer match in which both teams were taking great pleasure in kicking and beating the darn thing as hard as they could. He clutched at his chest and wished the thing would just burst so it would all be over.

Of the two men, the one on the left had most of Austin’s attention. Even in the darkness, Austin could make out the perfect contours of his face... that dimple in his chin... those high-cheek bones... the nose that was a little too long but somehow seemed to suit him perfectly. And yes, he was balding slightly... but that only made him seem more confident, more sure of himself! Even from this far back, Austin could smell him, that musk, that transcendent odor that reminded him of the way the city smelled after a storm. Even from this far back, Austin knew that he still loved him, despite the current circumstance.

His name was Freddy Griffin, and he was Austin’s ex-boyfriend... kind of. The two had met three months previously on Datematch in what was meant to be a one-night stand. Austin had matched with him, the two had chatted for roughly an hour, and before Austin knew what was what, he was being invited over for an afternoon of what Freddy had promised to be mind-blowing sex.

The whole thing was so unlike Austin too. He had always been more of a traditionalist, the kind of guy that liked to go on dates, to romance, to slowly build up a relationship before diving right into the sack. And even once the sex happened, he was all about the after. He loved to cuddle. He loved the idea of having breakfast together the next day, and then dinner, and then breakfast again. He was a relationship guy and always had been. So, this random sexual encounter was about as out of the ordinary as things got for Austin.

The sex had been supreme, and what happened after was even more so. He and Freddy had spent the night spooning. The next day they had gone for breakfast. Then they’d spent the day making love, more spooning, talking and laughing and giggling and basking in one another’s company. It had been transcendent and beautiful and perfect and by the time the second day was over, Austin knew that he was in love.

And Freddy had been in love too. At least Austin had assumed so. For the next two months, he and Freddy were the perfect couple. They spent nearly every day and night together. And when they weren’t together, they were texting, or tagging, or any number of ways to stay in contact. Man, it was perfect and