Willing his body to calm down, Wes textedLuca and Grey to give them a heads-up.Kieran was up to something,and Wes wanted to know what.
Then he texted Ryker.
Wes:Hey, what are you up to,love?
Ryker:Late-night Chinese food with Cal,chatting about his upcoming exhibit and his latest adventure at oneof NYC’s secret sex clubs.Well, not so secret anymore.You know,the usual.How about you?Aren’t you at some fancy dinnertonight?
Wes:Yes, but I lost my appetite.Sexclub?I hope he has good health insurance.
Ryker:LOL, he also buys stock in Trojancondoms.So, what happened to make you lose your appetite?
Wes:Some guy I can’t stand showed upuninvited and I had to kick him out.He’s a parasite.
Ryker:Sounds dramatic.Are youokay?
Wes:Yup just needed to chat with myboyfriend.
Ryker:Well, I’d better let you go so youcan do that.
Wes:Has anyone told you that you’readorable?
Ryker:No one.Grumpy?Moody?Sarcastic?Yup.Adorable?Nope.
Wes:You are.Can I call you later?Imiss your voice.
Ryker:I’ll be waiting.
Wes:xoxo
Ryker:
Feeling much lighter, Wes sat down at histable and apologized to the guests for the earlier drama.Heintroduced himself, absorbing the friendly chatter and lively musicaround him as his anger slowly faded away.
****
Ryker
After copious amounts of Chinese food andbeer, Ryker and Cal took Spock for a late-night walk around theblock.The air was warm and breezy and filled with the sounds ofcars rushing by and pedestrians chatting away as they strolledalong the sidewalk.Ryker was comfortable in his t-shirt and jeans,but Cal tightened his blue denim jacket around his body as if hewere cold.
“You haven’t mentioned anything about theweird text messages, so I assume they’ve stopped?”Ryker asked asthey watched Spock sniff every inch of the sidewalk aroundthem.
“Yup, thank God that’s over with.It wasprobably a sick joke.You know, someone I slept with who was pissedat me for not calling or something.”
Cal shrugged, and Ryker took a moment tolook over his friend.There were dark circles under his eyes, andhe seemed distracted.Cal never wanted to burden others with hisproblems, and despite his usually happy demeanor, he was prone tothe occasional bout of depression, and Ryker had witnessedfirsthand how quickly things could spiral.
“You look tired.Too many late nights?”Ryker inquired gently.
“Yeah, I’ve been working long hours in mystudio, and then I went out twice this week.I can’t believe I’msaying this, but I think I’m getting too old for so many latenights.And the party scene is starting to bore me.I’ve beenfeeling kinda restless lately.Nothing satisfies.And ever sincethe night of Mac’s party, I can’t stop thinking about him, which isstrange.”As if suddenly realizing he was voicing his comments outloud, Cal closed his mouth and ran a hand through his hair.Hepaced back and forth on the sidewalk, shaking his head.
“Him?Have you met someone?”Rykerasked.
Cal paused for a moment, then resumed hispacing.Ryker said nothing, but he noticed Cal’s jaw clench.
Ryker didn’t want to push his friend totalk, but it was clear that something was on his mind.“You knowyou can tell me anything, right?We’ve all been through some heavyshit, and I’m always here if you need to vent.”
Cal grinned.“I know.It’s funny, I thoughtI knew who I was and what I wanted out of life.I’ve always beencontent to be impulsive and never tied down to one person.Exceptfor my friends—you and Mac—of course.But I look at how happy youseem now that Wes is in your life, and I wonder if maybe I’mmissing out on something.Anyway, it’s probably just a weird phaseI’m going through.Ignore me.”Cal smiled halfheartedly.
“Who is this man you can’t stop thinkingabout?”
