Blurring the Lines (Book Two - ManxMan ManxManxWoman)

Chapter Two

Hi James,

I hope you're doing well. Been thinking about you a bit lately. Have a lot going on right now, nearly called you this morning before this ridiculous photo shoot.

You'll probably see it when it comes out actually.

That's all. I just wanted to say hi. Hoping you, Sarah and Spence are well.

I miss you.
B.

Blake leant backwards against the large glass window of the bathroom. He was still naked so he supposed the neighbouring towers were getting a nice view, but right now he had other things on his mind.

He finished tapping out the email on his phone and stood there for a while reading it and rereading it, focusing on his breathing.

"We can't be friends while you have feelings for me," James had said to him. Of course James going missing had meant that Blake had to put his feelings aside to help find him, but when he laid eyes on him again those feelings bubbles to the surface and threatened to overwhelm him.

After fighting against James' words for what had felt like the most agonising weeks of his life, as he drove the James back to Sarah, back to Spence, he realised just how right James had been.

James couldn't just be friends with him, while he felt the way he felt about him. Melissa was ok with it of course and couldn't understand why Blake stayed away from James now, but even though she supported Blake's sexuality, she could never know just how badly Blake had fallen for James.

Yes. This was for the best. Some days it hurt less than others. Some days he'd come to the startling realisation that he hadn't thought about James in days and he'd meticulously build his first male partners appearance in his mind just to make sure he hadn't forgotten him at all.

But James was married to Sarah and Spence was now part of that dynamic in a way Blake envied but couldn't begrudge the tall dark ex-country boy over. Blake had Melissa, and with her, that hole in his heart was often eclipsed.

He clicked send on the email and it went off to the fake James account he'd set up himself some months ago.

It was difficult trying to stay away from James. He thought about him everyday and in moments of high stress, when Melissa couldn't be there for him, James always was. Even though he really wasn't.

But it was better this way.

He placed his phone carefully by the sink and punched the digital temperature settings into the shower fitting. Immediately, water began to flow from the large square head in the roof and he stepped into the scalding water.

The busty blonde reporter had been beautifully ejected from their apartment by his fierce Melissa only an hour or so ago. The celebration of their attraction to one another that followed was the fourth such occurrence before lunch and knowing they had to achieve more today than just worshipping one another, he was presently showering in the spare room en-suite, while Melissa favoured the bathroom connected to their bedroom.

Out of sight, out of mind. Barely.

Shower time was for thinking, that's probably why he and a Melissa rarely showered together. Standing there and feeling the water sweep down over your body kind of blocked out all local distractions. Blake found in that time he could just be with himself and meander through his thoughts until he focused on whatever he needed to accomplish next.