Pickalane

Aidan steals the show. No contest. But the banter between Matt and Jay always makes me smile.

Jay once again shows us how much he loves his Loren. He was so sweet and gentle as he descended into a holiday week along side Loe. All of that leads to this for Loe: He doesn't want Jay to push him into things but he kind of need Jay to push him, at least a little.

Came in clutch this morning. Great line! Welcome to the club.

I was pretty anxious coming into this. It was a real possibility that everything was going to implode when Loe found out that Jay didn't go to Wisconsin. Instead of a shattered relationship, I found a strong one. The feel of this chapter was like being hugged by a sigh of relief. It was good, which is such an underrated word. We got a tiny peek into Loren's psyche. Makes you wonder if some of the past drama between him and Jay was Loren's way of reaching out to Jay. It makes sense if the attention he got as a child was always negative. It's the only way he knows how to receive love. That would be hard habit to break.

I'm inclined to agree with this. I think this is the start of something wonderful. I just can't imagine Jay completely screwing this up right after this conversation. I'm going to trust Jay on this. I have no other choice.

I think the just bothersome part of the chapter is that Loren might never want a baby potato. Not everyone wants kids but I want Loren to want Jay’s baby. My heart is breaking for Jay.

If this doesn’t happen…

I had all the good feels in this chapter. You’ve really done an outstanding job at weaving authentic life into your stories. The tension in the beginning made it hard to swallow but they worked through it. Regardless of the missteps, they have the same goals. I think that so important. I’m just glad that Jay was there for Loren’s big award. If he hasn’t? Ugh, so much regret. Once things are talked through, it still lingers. These two are so different but they’re destined to be together. It’s so clear. That doesn’t mean it will be easy but it will be worth it, just like it was worth it to come together at the award ceremony despite the unresolved issues. I don’t know what will happen over Thanksgiving but I feel confident it won’t be terrible. Loren has had a lifetime of shitty holidays, Jay wouldn’t… He just can’t. It can’t go wrong.

None from me either. I love the emotion. If anything, I’m intrigued by the different reactions and responses. It’s crazy how we can all read the same thing and leave with different takeaways. Testament to such a creative writer.

“You know, if you asked me to meet your family because you love me and want us to meet, I would’ve said yes despite not wanting to“

I agree with in that if someone cut me off like that, I’d be pissed. but, here is the thing that keep me from putting the ball of blame in Loren’s court: “Jay…” I mock. I knew this was coming. I’ve been preparing. I’m about to meet his parents on a major holiday, which is not how I wanted to do it, but that’s how life is sometimes. Not everything about me. That’s fine. I take a small breath. Jay calmly rubs my thighs. “I understand why you don’t want to go, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’tgo…” My knee bounces. Hurry up and ask again. Not that I want him to, but I want to rip the Band-Aid off. “You and I have been together for a year. We’re serious, serious people go to family functions. I wouldn’t invite you to go if I thought it was a bad idea. My family is good people. They’re kind, thoughtful, and full of love—” Blah blah blah. He does not need to sell it. It’s like trying to get a poor person to buy rice and beans; they may not want it but they have to have it. Just bag it up and take their money. Damn. *** How I read it is that Loren is fully prepared to say yes. He’s been thinking about it, he knows it’s coming, it may make him uncomfortable but his every intention is to say yes. His knee-jerk reaction from years of conditioning had him saying no by default. He was silently begging Jay to shut up and just ask him one more time so he could say yes.

Truer words and all that lol. I started writing everything I wanted to say in a comment but all I was doing was essentially re-writing a worse version of the chapter. Jeez. I’ll spare everyone. When you try and break it down, there is just too much. It seems like every other paragraph has something that needs to be dissected and remembered. This is one of those chapters that will be re-read multiple times. I’ve already read it twice today and each time I get something else.

Absolutely. and let’s not forget that Jay dropped that little “let’s move in together” bit that has been seemingly swept under the rug.

No one is denying that Jay isn’t great. Even Loren admits it. He even admits that he KNOWS Jays intentions are coming from a good place. I’d even go as far as to say Loren knows Jay actions are from a place of love. That doesn’t mean the delivery is missing it’s mark. He means well; I know he does. It’s Jay. He doesn’t have a mean bone in his body. But Jesus fuck, his delivery is hitting wrong. A lot of people are acting like Loren is flying of the hatch. He’s not. He’s handling this whole thing with a grace he is not known for. mrsgnomie has provoked some serious emotion with this chapter. I love it.

Not we, Jay. Jay has seven straight wins, including an OT game against his brothers. He’s having a phenomenal year. Killing it. The big heads say it’s the best he’s played in years. Watching some of the hits, though, the way he charges into another player, stopping them in their tracks, flipping them like pancakes…that part is hard, it makes my stomach churn. Caring for him after the more brutal games is harder. That makes my heart churn. He’s quick to pull his shirt down when he sees me eyeing the blotches on his chest and side. His body doesn’t look all that different from the one I was sporting less than six months ago. That pesky double standard. “Week eleven is our bye week.” They just finished week seven, which means Jay's bye week is in 4 weeks? Does this mean that Loren still plans to join his family for the holiday???????????? (is this better @Mrsgnomie??????) lol

Yes. I think this is a very well sorted insight. Something that strikes me is when Loren says “So, you know, use this time to figure this shit out, okay? Figure it out. I’m begging you.” Loren is so desperate for it to get sorted. He’s begging Jay to please come back, maybe to ask him to meet his parents the right away. Mostly, I think he’s begging Jay to not make him feel like his parents made him feel. Regardless, he wants this to get figured out. Loren is getting a taste of what emotional health looks like, and like all the things Loren has done over the years, he’s running with it.

Hmm, I can’t see Jay not inviting Loren to his parents, but part of me wonders if it would be good for Loren’s healing to have to initiate that phase. I think it could be. I guess we’ll see. I’ve learned to not assume I can guess what mesgnomie will do.

It’s very interesting to read the different perspectives on this. I find myself in the middle. I wouldn’t go as far as other and say that Loren is selfish, but I don’t think Jay is a giant ass either. Loren had a knee jerk reaction and said no to the invitation even though he knew it was coming and was fully prepared to say yes. I thought this was very big. Maybe Jay does see Loren as a little broken, I can’t blame him, Loren is. Mostly I think Jay just REALLY wants to give Loren the shirt off his back. Loren knows this, which is why he didn’t react more harshly. He needs space. Fine. That’s a mature way to handle it. Jay could use space too, to consider his motives and how to communicate. everything else in this chapter gave me the best feels! Highest of highs. the real question. LARS!

The interaction between Jay, Seamus, and Matt made me laugh. There's such a kinship. “Holy shit,” Matt says as he tries to avoid people. “College ragers weren’t even this packed.” I stop and look at Seamus. “College rager? Name one you went to?” “Jett Romero ring a bell?” Of all the people, he brings up Jett Romero. I could punch him. Regardless— “That only proves my point. Jett’s party was not a rager.” Matt puts his hand between us. “Let’s not argue over something that happened a hundred years ago when moonshine was the way of life.” I give Seamus an incredulous look. “You let him talk to you like this?” He shrugs. “The head is good.” I give Matt a once over then turn back to Seamus with a raised brow. “Just remember that you thought Jett’s party was a rager…” Matt’s jaw drops. “Hey!” Jay and Matt always crack me up, even in Boss Nanny. Their back and forth is the best.

That whole exchange was the highlight of the story for me. Your meme has me laughing! I don't have kids but I have three nephews and this is pretty dang accurate.

I wholeheartedly agree with this. I get so sucked up in this story because there is a level of reality that flows so naturally, weaving the story together in such a way it makes it almost impossible to walk away.

And this: I wrap my arms around his waist. “Ahhh, that’s the sweetest thing anyone’s ever said to me. You love me.” Loren huffs. “You don’t have to make a big deal about it.” “I do. Loren Patrick, of livingtheloelife, with thirty-eight-point-nine-million followers, loves little ‘ol Jay Petermeyer.” “Loved. Past tense.” “Loves. Current tense,” I correct. I press my finger to his forehead. “So much it messes with his head.” “Jesus fucking Christ,” he grumbles and tries to get off me again, but I’m having too much fun. I hold him in place. He might’ve been a bodybuilder for two-seconds, years ago, but I’m Jay Petermeyer. I stop QB’s in their tracks. If I want him on my lap, he’s not going anywhere. I really love how these two interact. Loren is growing as a person but he's maintaining who he is. He's kind of grumpy and stubborn. Personally, I'm think it's sexy on a guy. It's the kind I'm attracted to. Jay might be you're perfect person on paper, but I have a thing for Loren's.

This was awesome. Thank you. I kind of agree with @84Mags that in the beginning, I thought WTF are you going to do with that many chapters. A writer could have wrapped this up after chapter 8, but you're doing such an incredible job of taking us through the thick and thin, and in a way that doesn't feel like it's dragging. I'm constantly looking forward to what happens next. The pacing is spot on, the story, the detail, the development *chefs kiss* @weinerdog also nailed it, you're dialogue is spot on. You speak in a way that brings the conversation to life. Baby Aidan, drunk Loe, or just sexual suggestion. "you can go back to pretending like he annoys you.” “He does annoy me.” “Mhmm.” “He does. And why isn’t he potty trained yet? If he can spend seventy-two dollars on a stupid game, he should be able to shit in a toilet.” “Yes, that’s a realistic expectation for an almost two-year-old.” “I bet I could have him potty trained in a weekend,” he says as if he actually could. “I’ll let Matt and Seamus know. They’ll be thrilled.” “And it’s Lor-en, not Low-en.” “Of course it is.” “You’re not taking me seriously.” I laugh. “Of course I’m not.” I love, love, love this. I think Loren's reaction is how so many of us feel. Kids don't mess around. I'd love to see him potty train Aidan in a weekend. Wouldn't that be a hoot!

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