Chapter Four
“Staring at the phone isn’t going to make him call,” Tommy pointed out. He set a plate down and shoved it Ru’s way—steamed veggies and lean proteins.
Ru sighed. Why couldn’t he just have pizza? Did he look like he’d already put on weight? AJ had spent years ragging on him about his weight, complaining he was too heavy and looked like a cow in the pictures they all took together, that it said bad things about the band. Ru had really begun to hate food.
“You need to eat.” Tommy ran his hands through his messy brown hair and glared at the food too. “Yeah, okay. It’s pretty bland. But it’s healthy. Binks says you haven’t been eating right, and you have a show tonight.”
Binks needed to mind his own business. “I’m not really that hungry anyway.”
“Just ’cause this boy you saw hasn’t called?”
“He looked upset that I gave him my number. Of course he hasn’t called. He was probably straight. I bet he thought I was a pervert or something, staring at him all that time.”
“He smiled at you.”
“You smile at me all the time,” Ru pointed out.
Tommy rewarded him with one of his million-dollar smiles. “And I’m straight, so that makes him straight? No, most straight guys don’t smile at other straight guys they don’t know. We just sort of nod, like ‘What’s up,’ and move on.” He demonstrated the move.
“Then why hasn’t he called? It’s been over a week,” Ru complained, cutting into the chicken. “He was better-looking than me.”
“Why would that matter? You’re more talented than 99 percent of the world. Maybe you read the look wrong. Maybe he was smiling at someone else?” He nudged Ru’s shoulder. “Maybe your gaydar is broken.”
“Screw you. I caught him staring at me, and then he smiled.” Ru groaned. “Oh man, that smile. Those lips. And do you have any idea how bad I want to run my hands through that hair? I wonder how soft it is. Do you think it could naturally be that shade? He’d have to have a really good colorist otherwise.”
“What if he’s a college kid?”
Ru shrugged. The guy hadn’t looked that old, plus when he’d followed the kid to the football field, it had been on high school grounds. Northern High. Tommy didn’t know much about it since it was a suburban school, and he’d lived downtown his whole life. Ru wished he’d been smart enough to get a picture before he’d left. Even with only a week gone by, he was having a hard time remembering the exact shade of the guy’s pale blond hair and the soft clarity of his light-brown complexion. And those lips. God.
Ru sat up and tried to shift around in the chair to ease the sudden tightening in his pants.Damn. “You should have seen his skin, and those bow-shaped lips.”
“Don’t suppose you got his name or anything?”
“Yeah, ’cause I’m gonna walk up to random people and ask, ‘Hey, anyone know that hot blond guy who was here last week?’” Ru glared at his friend.
“You followed him out to the field. Didn’t anyone call out to him? Or the teacher address him or anything?”
The truth was that Ru had been hypnotized by the way the kid ran. And even though watching him run with the two hulking football players had been like a bucket of ice water tossed at him, Ru had a hard time thinking of anything else since. If he’d been braver he’d have waited around until the guy was headed to the locker room and then approached. Maybe even asked for a date. But Kris had killed that confidence in him, made him this horribly cautious and bitter man. “I don’t remember.”
“You were just too busy looking at his ass.”
And his legs, and his shoulders. The guy had been all sleek muscle. “He’s probably a jerk anyway. All jocks are, you said so yourself,” Ru pointed out. Tommy was twenty and had actually been in regular public schools most of his life, at least until the last four years of fame had ripped him out of it.
“Jocks don’t go to the library for any reason. They bully nerds into doing that for them. I can’t believe you didn’t get any pictures of him on your phone.” Ru’s expression must have said not nice things because Tommy held up his hands. “I just mean for you to remember him by. Have you thought about going back to the school?”
“I’ve had enough experience with stalkers in my life to not want to do that to someone else.”
“Speaking of stalkers, Kris still calling?” Tommy asked. Ru knew how he felt as Tommy had always been a pretty vocal guy.
“Only every few days or so. He leaves long rambling messages about how we need to get back together and how stupid he’s been.”
“He means his fame is fading so he needs another jolt.”
“I guess.”
“Iknow. So if you haven’t forgotten, you’re doing that LGBT benefit show in like two hours. Remember, embrace the out and proud. Time to get ready.” Tommy checked his phone. “Binks is on call the moment you’re ready. So either finish eating your veggies or let’s go get you decked out in official Ryunoski Nakimura style.”
“Gay slut it is,” Ru grumbled, pushing the food aside.
