Caden walked him to his apartment, but they didn't go inside. Instead, they stood out front and spoke about anything and everything. Jean told him about school and Tennessee while Caden told him about the year of classes he had gone back to take in order to get his masters and become a college professor. "That's so fucking hot," Jean supplied at that point and Caden had laughed.

Then they stood a little closer together and talked about how Caden had been single for the past three years, experiencing nothing more romantic that the occasions sloppy hook up. "Why is that?" Jean inquired, and Caden averted his eyes and shrugged.

"I guess I've just been busy or something," he responded, and Jean hummed, propping his elbow against the brick building and letting his hand prop up his head. For a moment, Caden's eyes eagerly roamed his face, and then he scoffed. "It had nothing to do with you, if that's what you're thinking".

"Oh, of course not," Jean lied, because if anything could be determined over the last hour- from three to four in the morning when Caden had to be at a conference the next day- it was that Caden had cared for him all those years ago, and probably still did.

"What about you then? Any exciting tryst or maybe anything long term?" Caden inquireded, golden eyes intrigued.

"No," Jean answered, amused. "Of course not. I'm not really that type, you know?" Caden huffed in reply, turning his face away. "Ask me why?"

"What?"

Jean leaned in towards him, making Caden flatten his back against the wall and peer up at him. "Ask me why?"

"Why what?"

Rolling his eyes, Jean said, "why I'm a twenty two year old man who still hasn't even attempted a serious relationship?"

"Ah," Caden hummed in understanding. "And why is that?"

Smiling, Jean admitted, "you," without shame. It was the truth. Over the years, sure there had been people who appealed to him on more than a sexual level, but every time he even considered giving them a chance, he thought of Caden, and how he felt about him. It was unfair of him to give himself to someone else when there was always the chance Caden would be back in his life and steal him away.

There was a huff of laughter, and then Caden looked down at his feet, avoiding his eyes. "Miller," he said softly, something like warning in his voice.

"What?" Jean inquired, leaning even closer to him. "It's true". Hands reached out to press into his chest, fingers curling him the fabric of his shirt while also forcing him to keep his distance.

"I leave in a few days".

"Yeah, well, we can have a lot of sex over the course of a few days," Jean reminded, hands moving to grip the hips oh the man in front of him. Surprised, Caden breathed out a little laugh.

"Jean, that's not the point," he claimed. "If we... do that, then we'll only want more, and it's going to make me leaving harder".

For a moment, Jean considered this, because it was true. If they had sex even once, he had no doubt in his mind that he'd want to do it again, and then again. But there was one thing Caden wasn't considering. "You leaving is already going to fucking suck". Caden raised his head. "I got you for one night, three years ago, and I have wanted you ever since. I think we need to think about what we're going to feel once you're back in Florida, if we don't do this. Are you going to be thankful because you potentially saved yourself some pain, or are you going to regret it when it hurts anyway and we don't take advantage of this opportunity".

There was a pause in which Caden's eyes remained unfocused as he thought, and then his grip on the front of Jean's uniform was being used to pull him closer, closing the distance between them. Finally, finally, he was reliving the best moment of his high school career, his mouth moving over Caden's as his hands drew him closer until their hips were pressed tightly together.

It was just as good as he remembered, the feeling of Caden under his finger tips, how easily the man melted into him despite pretending he had the upper hand between them.

"Jean," he managed, minutes later when his lips were red and his breath was a little uneven. "Inside?"

"Did you just invite yourself into my apartment?" Jean teased, and the other man gave him a very unamused look that brought him back to many a time throughout his highschool career. Laughing, Jean ducked down to kiss him once more before slipping his fingers between his, leading him the few feet to the door. It took him a minute to fish his keys out of his pocket, and then even longer to unlock the door to the lobby.

"Come on," Caden urged, leaning heavily into his side, straining slightly so his lips could meet Jean's neck.

"That isn't going to make me go any faster," Jean lied,finally pushing the key into the lock. Caden pulled back when the lock clicked open, allowing himself to be pulled through the threshold.

Upon noticing that the small lobby was empty, Caden pulled Jean's lips back to his own. For a minute, he kissed him back, but he couldn't wait until they were two floors up and in his bed, so he pulled back. He didn't let Caden turn around as he began walking to the elevator, forcing the man to move backwards as he kept them pressed tightly together. "Do you remember when you used to blow me off all the time? Now you're all over me".

"You were a student then," Caden reminded, hands gripping Jean's arms so he wasn't knocked backward. "It was wrong".

"No it wasn't," Jean disagreed, reaching behind Caden to press the up button on the elevator once they were close enough. "It was never wrong. It was against school policy. There's a difference".

Sighing, Caden met his eyes, his hands sliding down Jean's arms to grip his elbows. "Are you mad at me then? For leaving?"

There was a pause in which the elevator dinged and the doors opened, and Jean sighed, nudging Caden back into it. "I'm not angry, no," he finally answered, releasing one arm from around the older man's waist to push the button for his floor. "I was at the time, and for a while afterwards, actually, but I understand why you needed to do it". Swallowing, Jean raised his gaze. "Did it mean anything to you though?"

Caden's hand came up to cup the side of his neck, thumb rubbing over his jaw. "What a dumb question".

Laughing at the bluntness, Jean turned his face away, one of his hands slipping up the back of Caden's shirt. "How's that a dumb question? I've been losing sleep over it for the past three years".

"You serious?"

"Yeah, I mean..." Jean admitted. "Let's not forget that the last time I saw you, you said that what we did was a mistake and that I should clear my memory of it". Sighing heavily, Caden turned away from him. "Hey, I didn't mean-" Jean cut off as the man pressed the button on the elevator that caused the machine to jerk to a stop.

Before Jean could even ask what he was doing, Caden's mouth was on his again, only this time his kisses were hungry, pressing into Jean's hard enough that he felt bruised. A hand tangled in his hair while another gripped his hip, pulling him close enough that Jean could feel the beginnings of an erection digging into his leg. With a moan, Jean kissed him back with just as much vigor, licking deeply into his mouth before teasing the roof of it with a light brush of his tongue. Groaning, Caden pulled back to pant for breath, tilting his head to allow Jean access to his neck, which he kissed with more tongue than lips, tasting him. "When I told you it was a mistake," Caden began, voice light as he still breathed deeply to regain his breath. "I meant it". Jean paused in his kissing, but Caden's hand remained in his hair, holding him in place. "I still mean it".

"Then why are you here?" Jean asked against his neck, his breath catching at the feeling of Caden's hand snaking in between their bodies to press against the front of his pants.

"Because," Caden breathed into his ear, breath incredibly hot. "It was the best mistake I ever made in my life, and I knew that at the time, and I knew that I would keep making that mistake if it didn't leave". The hand at the front of his dark jeans began to fiddle with the button, pulling at it just enough to be able to slip a singer beneath the waistband, teasing him.

Blood boiling, Jean freed himself from Caden's hold, serging to kiss the older man again. The finger pulled free to instead wrap around the button, undoing it with ease. As their tongues eagerly met, careful fingers slipped into the front of his pants, searching out his erection and gripping it through his boxers. With a sharp gasp of pleasure, Jean pulled his lips free, his head tilting back as his eyes fell closed as he allowed himself to focus on the ministrations below his waistband.

Lips fastened on his neck, kissing where his pulse hammered beneath his skin before beginning their trail downwards, each brush of lips leaving fire in their wake.

"Caden," he sighed, his hand finding its way into the other man's hair as he dropped to his knees before him. There was probably a surveillance camera they should be worried about, Jean briefly thought, but before he could vocalize the concern Caden's hands were pulling down the black jeans he had to wear for work, leaving them to pool around his ankles. His boxers stayed in place, but they were thin enough that he was able to feel the man's hot breath through the front of them. "Fuck," he breathed, watching Caden's expression closely.

He was just looking at him with half lidded eyes, watching carefully as he brought his hand up to Jean's clothes erection and trailed a finger over the length of it, making it twitch with anticipation. Groaning, Jean braced the hand that wasn't in Caden's hair against the wall in front of himself, using it to steady himself with the growing weakness in his knees. Golden eyes shifted to look up at him, catching the look of absolute lust on his face and grinning.

Caden Green was many many things. He was funny and smart and practical and goddamn sexy, but in that moment, all Jean could think was pretty.

Fuck he was lucky.

Jean's mouth moved faster than his brain. "I fucking love you".

Caden's eyes grew in shock, Jean's cock momentarily forgotten despite the fact that it was still directly in front of his face. Embarrassed, Jean raised his head, staring at the bland wall of the elevator, his fingers clenching into a fist against the pannel.

Did I just say 'I love you'? I think I just told him I love him.

While it was true– it had always been true, ever since the first day his advances towards his coach were acknowledged with a somewhat snarky comeback and a smile instead of blatant ignorance– it really wasn't the right time to be confessing such things.

"Shit," Jean breathed, squeezing his eyes shut so he couldn't possibly see that look of surprise turn to something negative. "I'm sorry-"

"Do you mean it?" Caden asked. He didn't sound angry with him, so Jean forced his eyes open again, glancing down just in time to watch the older man rise to his feet, all plans for a blowjob abandoned.

"I-" Jean began, cutting himself off, unsure of how to answer. Did he tell the truth, and potentially scare Caden away, or did he lie to the person he never wanted to lie to. Helplessly, his eyes searched Caden's face, looking for an answer. Evenly, the gaze was returned, revealing nothing of the other man's desires. "I don't know what I should say".

"Well... preferably whatever is the truth. Do you love me?" When Jean still didn't answer, Caden sighed heavily and grasped his face. "You know how we took that trip to state your senior year, with Nathan and Glenn? Well, do you remember coming up to me right after you lost?" Unable to speak, Jean nodded his head. "I was waiting for you in the stairwell, since I couldn't bare to watch the end of the match, and you came through the curtain and saw me standing there, and you didn't say anything for like, the first time ever. You just looked at me, and then you walked over and hugged me, and I let you, and I realized then that I was doomed".

"Why?" Jean asked softly.

"Because I realized that I was in love with you," Caden finished, and Jean felt his entire being froze. "You think I would have risked my job for anything less?"

"No, I don't". Smiling, Jean pressed his forehead against Caden's. "So you loved me, then". Caden grunted in acknowledgment. "So what about now? I love you, but how do you feel about me".

There was a sigh from Caden, but then his lips curled up at the corners. "Would I be willing to suck you off in an elevator for anything less?" He questioned, and Jean offered a little laugh in response before surging forward to connect their lips again, body pressing Caden's into the wall of the elevator.

Humming, Caden draped his arms over Jean's shoulders, returning his kiss with just as much vigor for a long moment before pulling back just enough to grin at him and ask, "Well, are you going to take me to bed, or do I have to beg?"

"Is that an option?" Jean teased, and golden eyes rolled, a hand pressing into his chest to push him back a step before pressing up to kiss his lips briefly. At the same time, his hand slid down from Jean's chest to the waistband of his boxers, fingers teasing the skin there.

"For me or you?" Caden asked, and Jean groaned before ducking down to kiss him again. Laughing, Caden pulled back, pushing on his chest once more and reaching around him with his free hand to press the stop button on the elevator again, causing it to jerk to a start again. "Might want to pull your pants back up".

"Isn't that kind of counter productive?" Jean inquired, bending down to do as instructed.

"Perhaps". The look on Caden's face was mischievous. "Though, If three years and a state between us didn't keep us apart, I'd be surprised if your jeans managed".

The elevator doors opened and Caden looked out into the hall before turning back to Jean with a smile on his face. Between them, his hand reached out, palm up. "Shall we?"