EXCERPT
The Story of Jax and Dylan
by Jamie Dean
Author Jamie Dean stops by today to share an excerpt from The Story of Jax and Dylan.
Description
Dylan and Jax were typical best friends, until Dylan fell for Jax and kissed him the night before senior prom. Dylan had to move away before they could talk about it, so he has spent ten years thinking Jax hated him for that kiss.
Reconnecting on Facebook allows them to meet again, and they quickly become as close as ever, spending most of their free time together. Dylan falls for Jax a second time, even though Jax has a girlfriend and appears to be straight.
Important secrets about Jax may lie hidden in the books he's written, but Jax has asked Dylan not to read them, and Dylan refuses to break his promise. When the truth finally surfaces, their lives will never be the same.
Excerpt
DYLAN WASN’T sure about this whole Facebook thing. He used the Internet for work and to play the occasional mind-numbing game before bed, but he wasn’t much of a computer guy. He didn’t like people knowing his business. On the other hand, now that Tom lived several states away, his younger brother had assured him that this was an easier way to keep in touch than plain old e-mails and phone calls and texting.
Dylan wasn’t convinced, but he figured it was worth a shot. Besides, Tom had also said it was a great way to reconnect with old friends, and there were a couple of people Dylan wouldn’t mind looking up. He wasn’t a reunion guy, but there were one or two individuals he’d like to know what happened to.
He got his profile set up and did a search for Tom. Tom had walked him through that much, but Dylan didn’t put up a picture yet. He thought he’d lurk for a little bit before he went putting the aged version of himself out there for others to see. He wanted to see how others had fared first. For the time being, his page only said “Dylan Holt” with the default silhouette picture.
Once he found Tom and sent the friendship request, he took a little while to browse. Then he clicked into the search bar one more time, to look up the name he most wanted to find. There was only one result, which wasn’t that surprising. There was also no picture, which was disappointing since Dylan really wanted to see if those eyes were the same blue-gray as he remembered and whether that thick dark-brown hair was still a perpetual mess. Dylan sat and stared at the name for a long time before he clicked it.
Jaxon Luther had been Dylan’s best friend for all four years of high school. They’d spent countless nights in each other’s rooms, in Dylan’s old convertible Dart GTS, or hanging out at the pool hall with Donny and the rest of their crowd. It had all been amazing until the night before senior prom, when Dylan got wasted and did something stupid. Mom had packed up him and Tom the day after graduation, two weeks later, and he and Jax hadn’t spoken since.
Dylan had never had another friend quite like Jax. He scrolled through what little there was to see on Jax’s page. There were a few pictures of places he’d been and some inspirational images, but there was virtually no personal information. Still no pictures of Jax, with his full lips and strong chin, either. He hadn’t listed a job or a relationship or anything like that. Guy hadn’t even put down his birthday—though Dylan remembered it anyway. To this day on November 16, he still got a little bit sad.
His finger hovered over the mouse, leaving the cursor over the friend request button for a long time. He had decided not to click it, unsure of the welcome he was likely to get. Right before he slid the mouse away, his phone rang with a ringtone he’d never heard before. It startled him so badly his finger pressed the button and the damage was done.
“Dammit!” he swore at the screen before he picked up the phone. “Thomas, I thought the whole point of the Facebook thing was so I didn’t have to talk to you,” he snapped.
“What, and miss out on knowing my ringtone scared the crap out of you?”
“Yeah, and I ended up sending a friend request when I didn’t want to, so thanks for that.”
Tom must have heard something in Dylan’s voice, because all teasing was gone from his when he asked, “Friend request to who?”
Dylan sighed. “To Jax.”
“Oh. Shit, I’m really sorry, man. But hey, maybe it won’t be so bad. He could accept, you know. It’s not outside the realm of possibility. High school was a long time ago.”
“Yeah. I guess. Not like it matters anyway, right? Long time ago, like you said. Sent one to Donny too.”
“Cool. Oh, hey, fair warning? Garrett is on Facebook, so… you know he’ll see your name when I accept your request unless you block him.”
Dylan contemplated the idea for about fifteen seconds before saying, “Nah, I kinda miss the little dude. He was weird, but he meant well.”
“Yeah, he’s a good guy. Um… so are you gonna add Melissa on there?”
“Uh, that’d be a no. I don’t think friending my ex-wife on Facebook is a thing I’m gonna do.”
“Okay, just asking. Some people do that, you know. I’m kinda, you know, friends with her already.”
Dylan sighed again. “Of course you are. Still no, though. Did you need anything, or were you only calling to—” Dylan cut himself off as a little red one appeared at the top of the page. “What’s the little globe mean?”
“Those are your notifications, like when someone accepts your friend request or likes something you posted.”
Dylan clicked the button, and his heart started pounding.
Jaxon Luther has accepted your friend request.
“He, uh… he accepted. Jax. Jax did. The, uh, the friend thing.”
“Oh, yeah? Well, all right, man. See? That’s great. Oh, hey, uh, I got another call. Can I call you back?”
“Sure thing, Tom. Later. Love you.” Dylan was barely paying attention at that point, though.
He clicked Jax’s page again, but there was nothing more showing than there had been before. That was weird, right? Or maybe he was new to this like Dylan was. From the pictures he had posted, it looked like maybe that was the case. They’d all been put up within the last few weeks.
He debated sending a message. Tom had explained to him that there was a chat feature, but Dylan thought a regular message would be fine. He clicked the button and typed a brief missive.
Hey, man! Wasn’t sure you would accept. Glad you did. Long time no talk, huh? How are things?
To Dylan’s surprise, when he hit send, a message box popped up in the bottom corner, indicating that he had started a chat conversation. He briefly scanned the chat sidebar, and it showed that Jax was actually online. His heartbeat spiked again at the thought that they might actually have a live chat, after all these years of radio silence. Adrenaline shot through him when he heard the noise indicating he’d gotten a reply.
>Hello, Dylan. It has been a long time. Things are good. How are you?
Dylan sat there for a long moment, considering. Jax hadn’t mentioned the stuff from back then, and Dylan wasn’t sure if he should. Maybe it was time to try apologizing again. Jax hadn’t accepted his apologies at the time, but maybe he’d had time to forgive. If he was talking to him now, surely that was the case.
I’m pretty good, Jax. Can’t complain. Listen, about what happened back then… I’m sorry. I should’ve known better. It wasn’t my finest moment.
Dylan bit his thumbnail as he waited for a response. Tom hadn’t mentioned how nerve-wracking “instant” communication was, especially when you could see the other person type and then stop and type again.
>Nor mine, Dylan. It’s fine. I’m sorry too. I overreacted. I realize now that you were confused. Weren’t we all? :)
Man, I’m glad to hear you say that. It’s bothered me all these years. Especially since we moved right after and never got to work it all out, you know? You were the best friend I ever had.
>I’ve felt the same! But let’s talk about better things. Tell me what you’ve been doing with your life all these years. I am going to presume you did not become the rock god you always dreamed of being or I’d have heard about you :)
Dylan laughed out loud at that. He’d almost forgotten about that particular dream.
Nah, turns out it helps to be able to sing and/or play an instrument. Who knew? Ha-ha.
I do classic car restoration, actually. I’m sorta famous in those circles, though. Remember my old Dodge Dart? I still have it. Other than that, I was married for a while, but that didn’t work out. No kids or anything. How about you? I assume no great American novel or I’d have heard about YOU. :)
>LOL I have heard those talents help in the music business, yes. Glad you’re doing something you love, though. Sorry to hear that marriage didn’t suit you. And actually, I am a writer, I simply use a pseudonym. :P
You write books? What books? I wanna read ’em!
>Ha-ha… no. I write under a pseudonym for a reason. :P
Seriously? Are they books I’d have heard of, at least?
>Possibly. My first one was rather… controversial. Most of my work is… strictly for adults, so they don’t exactly make the bestseller list.
Jax writes porn! HA-HA-HA. Man, that is too awesome!!
>I am so glad you approve. ;) Listen, I have to go, my editor
is calling. I hope we’ll talk again?
Definitely!
[Want more? Click below to read a longer excerpt.]
Praise for the Book
"A fantastic slow build romance. Dialogue and relationships were believable and interesting, emotionally compelling.[...] Loved the sweet friendships between all the men. Just a really fun, lovely story with a heartwarming ending (complete with fabulous sex scenes). Definitely give it a go!" ~ Melissa C. Swanson
"Jamie Dean wrote about Jax and Dylan with engaging intimacy so they were not just characters, but real people. No matter what sexual orientation you are, this book is five star. I especially liked the way the guys talked a lot, swam every chance they got, and ate more steak than any female woman ever would have. And their intimacy was sweet, sensitive, and - well - hot." ~ Sally Haverlock
"It took most of the book for our main characters to find each other. However, the way it finally happened is one of my favorite scenes that I have read this year. The Story of Jax and Dylan by Jamie Dean is a beautiful love story you won’t want to miss. I just implore you to be patient. The payoff is more than worth it." ~ PrismBookAlliance
"I recommend reading this book, learning to love the characters and when you finish the book you'll know what I'm talking about! New favorite adult author!" ~ Mrs. Product Pundit
"Jamie Dean has you rooting for Jax and Dylan even if they're hesitant to root for themselves. I was enthralled as their friendship from high school reignited and, slowly, secrets from those days and times since began to slowly come to light. The build is slow, and the climax of the story hits like lightning. Then the fun part begins ..." ~ MoniJune
About the Author
Jamie Dean lives in the southwestern US with a long-time domestic partner, three dogs, two cats, and a variety of outdoor lizards. Writing is a way of life, inspiration is everywhere, and sometimes Jamie can't sleep for all the ideas fighting for attention. Jamie Dean is an activist, a feminist, a pansexual, and just generally a pain in the ass.
Dean has published three well-reviewed erotic gay romances, The Story of Jax and Dylan, The Art of Survival, and Not Just Passing Through.
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