This was probably a bad idea, Nate mused as he closed the app and set his phone down on the kitchen counter. No one was ever allowed onto Delmore property without the guard getting some level of notice to look into them. Any exceptions were people coming and going very quickly and under a watchful eye, namely some kid delivering food. He sent a name to the guard at the gate, the name from the app, but Nate knew it could be a lie- anyone could be showing up. In a huff, before they could question what he was doing tonight, he shut the laptop and shoved both into his office drawer out of sight in case the person was a thief.
The exchange had been brief, Nate mentioning he’d been alone for a while and how he wouldn’t mind some company for his usual Friday night pancake breakfast. He was a man of routine, liking to end his weeks with his favorite meal. His name on the app had been Nathaniel Keaton, his first and middle name and his icon had been Cosmo licking his face, not much given away there either. By the time he was done showering and changing, laying out the ingredients along the left of the countertop to the stove, there was a knock on the door. “All right, Cosmo, don’t let me die tonight, bud.” The dog let out a quick whine, leaning into Nate’s leg as he opened the heavy front door with its thick distorted glass windows. Anxiety kept his sapphire gaze on the steps, slowly trailing up their body before he met their face. “You made it…”
Jace was never really one for taking chances on things. Growing up, his family, his mother especially, had always been very straight-laced and conservative, hyper-vigilant about the boys doing dangerous things. It always made sense to him to not do stupid things and risk injury but as he’d gotten older, as he’d watched Zayn push past the boundaries that their parents had set for them, he had started to question. Getting his parents to let him go to the university was his Big Deal and he’d been a very studious and cautious student.... in a fit of rebellion against boredom, Jace had downloaded an app, made a profile, and connected with someone.
It wasn’t dangerous he tried to lie to himself but he could too easily see through his own crap. The cute guy in the picture with the dog could have been from anywhere, the actual person could be some psycho... maybe the panCAKEs were a lieeeee.... no. No, no, no... Jace decided he needed to trust. Just in case, he left the details with his roommate and instructions to call him about half an hour after he left. If he needed a quick out, that would be it.
The uber dropped him off at a rather large house and he gave his name to the security guard at the gate, his nerves kicking into high gear at the grandeur of the place and the countless unknowns before him. He held his breath as he waited for someone to answer the door and his eyes widened when it finally opened. The guy was... oh no, he was hot. Really hot... and the dog was even cuter in real life and Jace forgot that he was supposed to actually exhale and breathe back in which he did quickly once the man’s voice hit him and knocked some bit of sense back into his mind. “Oh, god, yeah, sorry, hi, uh...” he laughed nervously and scrunched his face in embarrassment, “Sorry, hi, I’m, uhm, Jace....” he shoved his hand out stiffly, with an apologetic look, “I’m also nervous... you probably noticed, of course you noticed, I’m acting like an idiot, I’m so sorry, I promise I’m not crazy....”