Chapter 5 Taste of escape

The diner was the kind of place that smelled like burnt bacon and stale coffee. The kind of place Jaden fit into effortlessly, hoodie pulled over his head, chewing the end of a straw while pretending not to notice Elliot pacing outside in the rain like a nervous wreck.

Jaden took one more bite of his fries before finally walking out.

He didn't say anything when he reached Elliot. Just looked at him-wet hair plastered to his forehead, coat clinging to his frame, breath fogging up in the late-night chill.

"You really shouldn't be here," Jaden said, lighting a cigarette with shaking hands. "Not in this part of town. Not for me."

"I didn't come for logic," Elliot said. "I came for you."

Jaden exhaled smoke and pain, then flicked the cigarette away and slid into the passenger seat of Elliot's car. The doors locked with a soft click.

⸻

They didn't speak on the drive.

Jaden directed him to a crumbling hotel tucked behind a row of broken-down warehouses. No one looked up when they walked in. No questions. No names. Just cash at the counter and a grimy keycard with peeling numbers.

The room was cheap. Old TV. Thin sheets. A single lamp buzzing in the corner.

But it was private.

Jaden dropped his bag by the bed and peeled off his hoodie, revealing the faint bruising on his ribs from a scuffle two nights ago. He stretched like a cat, shameless in the way his body moved, but Elliot only stared-torn between desire and guilt.

Jaden turned. "You coming in, or you just gonna stand there like a priest at confession?"

Elliot stepped inside and shut the door behind him.

The air shifted.

"I haven't stopped thinking about that night," Elliot said softly. "About you."

Jaden stepped closer. "Then stop thinking."

He grabbed Elliot by the collar and kissed him hard.

⸻

It was heat, all at once. Teeth. Tongue. Hands pulling at fabric like it offended them. Jaden tore Elliot's coat off, lips pressed to his jaw, biting down just enough to make him gasp.

Elliot's hands roamed over Jaden's back, clumsy but hungry, like he was scared it would all disappear.

"You want me?" Jaden whispered against his throat.

"Yes."

"Then take me."

Clothes fell like leaves in autumn. The bed creaked as Jaden pushed Elliot down, straddling him, grinding slowly. Both of them were flushed, breathless, raw with emotion they hadn't named yet.

Elliot let out a soft sound when Jaden's lips met his collarbone. His hands gripped the sheets like he was holding onto the last piece of sanity.

"You're allowed to enjoy this," Jaden murmured as he kissed down Elliot's chest. "You don't have to apologize for wanting me."

Elliot cupped his face, eyes glassy. "I don't want to use you."

Jaden leaned down until their foreheads touched. "Then don't. Just need you to feel me tonight. That's all."

Their mouths met again-slower now. Softer. Jaden guided every touch, every movement, like he knew Elliot's body better than his own. It wasn't rushed. It wasn't performative.

It was personal.

And it was perfect.

⸻

Afterward, they lay tangled in sheets that still held the heat of their bodies.

Jaden traced circles on Elliot's chest, voice quiet. "You scared?"

Elliot didn't answer right away.

Then: "Yes. But not of you."

"Then what?"

"Of how much I need you."

Jaden closed his eyes. "That's dangerous."

"I know."

They stayed like that for a while, wrapped in each other.

Outside, the rain began again. Soft and slow.

Inside, everything had changed.

⸻

Around 3 a.m., Jaden lit another cigarette by the window, Elliot still asleep behind him. He watched the smoke curl up like secrets and guilt.

He felt warm. Wanted.

And that terrified him.

Because boys like him weren't meant to feel safe in the arms of men like Elliot.

They were meant to be temporary.

But this? This felt dangerously permanent.