Page 30 of Flowers To Give

“Nothing,” Clark looks away, “So. Who’s your date?”

Not feeling completely out of the weeds yet, Jeremy hesitates in answering him but tells the truth anyway, “A surfer I met.”

Clark lets out a big laugh at that, shaking his head.

Losing his temper, Jeremy spits out, “Why are you being such a dick?”

“That’s my line,” Clark bites back, “You know what? Just forget about tomorrow.”

“So just-”

The first assistant director calls for quiet on set, silence falling over the production while filming and forcing Clark and Jeremy’s argument to be put on hold. They both seethe during the prolonged silence, refusing to look at the other.

“That’s a cut,” the first AD calls over the radio on Jeremy’s belt.

He wastes no time jumping right back to where he was, “So just because I’m going on a date, we can’t hang out at all?”

“Exactly,” Clark kicks Haukea into a trot.

“Why?” Jeremy calls after him, “Why are you mad at me?”

“Figure it out!” Clark shouts as the first AD calls for quiet on set again, going for another take. Mood soured, Jeremy watches Clark ride away without so much as a glance backward.

Another beautiful day in paradise, Jeremy somberly watches it from the comfort of his suite. He’s been bed rotting while obsessing over what could have set Clark off. Likely he’s just an ego maniac that throws a fit whenever the attention is taken off of him. But another more insidious idea has taken formin Jeremy’s mind: maybe Clark reciprocates some of Jeremy’s feelings.

As farfetched as the notion seems, Jeremy can’t help but entertain the train of thought. If Clark did have some sort of attraction for him, then perhaps he had been expecting something to happen at dinner after the tour. That would make sense for why he was so upset when Jeremy put his date with Merle as the priority.

All that was said and done now though; Clark’s off strutting Haukea through a gorgeous landscape without him. But, if his theory is true, then Jeremy has to really consider what he wants. Of course his crush is strong and lasting, but Jeremy’s careful not to mix that up with his true intentions.

Clark is messy. He’s reactionary, impulsive, and self absorbed. The king of Willmaker Ranch. And he’s in the midst of a divorce to an equally high profile person. But above all else, he broke Jeremy’s heart when they were younger. He can’t leave himself vulnerable to the chance of Clark hurting him again.

Jeremy’s phone buzzes and he steadies his pulse as he slowly reaches for it. A message from Merle, “Hey. We still on tn?”

In such low spirits, Jeremy considers canceling after all. But then again, he deserves to get laid. He can shake himself out of this funk for some good dicking, remembering how hot last weekend had been. He types out, “Yeah. What time were you thinking?”

Merle doesn’t reply for ten minutes, and when he does the text reads, “9?”

Jeremy sends, “K”

Responding nearly immediately, Merle says, “Let’s meet up at our spot”

“On the beach?”Jeremy writes back.

Merle simply reacts to Jeremy’s message with a heart emoji. He figures that’s the end of that text exchange, looking at theclock and calculating how much time he has before the date. An extended shower and prep session won’t hurt him, and he has time to swing by a pharmacy for an enema.

That’s exactly what he does, walking to the nearest CVS and enjoying the tropical stroll along the way. When he gets back, Jeremy steams up the bathroom and landscapes every inch of his body. It’s been far too long for Jeremy since he’s gotten a solid lay, eager for Merle’s well endowed member to provide him some much needed relief.

By the time it’s a quarter to nine, Jeremy’s fussing over his hair for a final time. He’s not really sure what to wear to the beach, not owning swimwear, so he just goes with a pressed pair of jeans and a crisp pearl snap that’s color makes his eyes pop. Hoping he’s not too dressed up, he decides to trust his gut and heads down to the beach entrance. He tries his key card on the gate and is pleased to see it works, not having to hop any fences tonight.

The ocean sneaks up on him, the repetitive sound of waves crashing so ever present that he forgets the source is so close. The blackened shoreline expands beyond him, walking along in the pale moonlight. Some people are still enjoying the beach quietly, but Jeremy is looking out for Merle. Then, in the distance, Jeremy thinks he spots the director of the movie, Rezai.

Not knowing if he should be caught at the Four Seasons or not, the director is walking toward him regardless. As he gets closer, he lifts his sunglasses into his long hair and pushes back his sweater’s hood. Greeting Jeremy with a smile, Merle says, “Hey, what’s up? You look like you just saw a ghost.”

Jeremy shakes himself out of his stupor, saying, “Sorry. You seriously looked like somebody else for a second.”

“You expecting another hot date?” Merle smirks.

That tugs a grin out of Jeremy, replying, “Just the one.”