He folded a dish towel into precise thirds and set it on the counter with a pat, and then glanced up with a forced smile. "Great."
I didn't know him, not well enough to read his every mood and twitch, but I had the distinct sense that hewasn'tgreat. "Good," Isaid.
Cole patted the towel again and reached for a glass. "Yeah," he replied, watching me while he filled his glass with water. He drank it down, his eyes still trained onme.
Not unlike sitting beside him on the couch, there was nothing loudly attractive about drinking water but I couldn't save myself from the pull of his body. It was a vortex sucking me in. I wanted to touch him and taste him, and I wanted him to love it as much as I knew Iwould.
But that wasn't my life. That wasn't how it went forme.
"Listen, man," I said, gesturing toward him. "You can tell me if something'sbothering—"
"Not at all," Cole replied quickly. "I'm preoccupied with some work issues. A lot on my mind." He tapped his temple as if to confirm the location of his troubles. They were not in his shorts as I'd hoped. "Things I'm trying to sort out. Problems, bugs. That's all." He nodded several times, and I was certain he believed the repetition was critical to convincing me. "I'm going to tackle some ofthat."
He patted the towelagain.
"Yeah," Ireplied.
He moved around me, slipping down the hallway with little more than a hasty "Good night" as his chest brushed against my back. I didn't press the issue. I wanted to, but I didn't know what or how to press. And more importantly, I needed a very coldshower.
9
Constant Bearing, Decreasing Range
n. The condition when two vessels are approaching each other from any angle that stays the same over time. Also known as a collisioncourse.
Cole
Neera:You'll notify me before you do anything substantive,right?
I barkedout a laugh when I read thosewords.
I'd been closed up in my small room for a matter of moments before reaching for my phone in hopes of a distraction from Owen. Not that I wanted a distraction, of course, but it wasn't like I could throw myself at him. As thrilled as I was to hear of his preference for penis, I couldn't drop my shorts and ask if he wanted a taste ofmine.
It was also possible that he wasn't interested in me. Two gay men could live under a shared roof without devolving into a fuck festival. Although it would certainly help if one of those men was up front about his sexuality when peach-ripe opportunities presentedthemselves.
I shook my head, astounded by my ownabsurdity.
Neera:Real estate purchases, public appearances, search and rescue teams, the like? I'd rather not have a repeat of the Appalachianincident.
Cole:Of course. But I'll remind you that you thought the Appalachian incident was going to be great, and the search and rescue team was totallyunnecessary.
Cole:Further, I haven't gotten a haircut without your input in almost adecade.
Neera:Please don't consider this an invitation or suggestion to repeat the Appalachian incident. I can speak for the senior leadership and board of directors when I say getting lost in the Smoky Mountains at night again is ill-advised.
Cole:No, nothing Appalachian in my future. I'm quite content where Iam.
Neera:And yet you won't tell me where that is, what you're doing, or when you'll beback.
Cole:Only because I'm 100% certain you'll charter a plane and come check onme.
Cole:That would be great but I need some time and space to work everythingout.
Neera:Some habits are hard tobreak.
Cole:Like managingup?
Neera:You're allowed privacy and secrets, but you're also allowed to trustpeople.
