“What gave him away?” Jordan asks. “Were you walking around bare-ass naked and he was drooling all over it? Or did he help you get rid of a raging boner?”
Jordan bursts into laughter, but we’re both quiet for a moment—too long of a moment—before I ham up a laugh so that we come across as totally chill.
“You have no idea,” Mikey says, which only makes Jordan laugh even harder. Then Jordan stops and thinks about what he said and says, “Wait. What?”
“I’m just teasing you, Jordie.”
Jordan laughs some more. “The thought of you two together. Oh my God, that’s gotta be your wet dream, Scottie. Mikey, you don’t even know the way he drools over your Facebook pictures. When I pulled up the summer pics of you at the pool, I thought he was going to jizz all over himself on the spot.”
“Oh, really?”
“Can we not talk about this?” I ask.
Jordan can’t know how uncomfortable this is making me—and how weird it is, considering everything that’s happened.
“Come on. He doesn’t care, Scottie. It’s not a big deal. And it’s not like I’m blowing your chances of getting laid. I think it’s funny as shit, but Mikey, if you do need anything, any service at all, Scottie’s right down the hall, and you can have your way with him. He won’t mind.”
How can I crawl out of my skin and escape this conversation?
“Tell me, is he hotter in person?” Jordan leans out of my way so that I can see Mikey sitting there looking hot in that leather jacket. “Just honestly.”
“I don’t think he wants to play this game,” Mikey says.
“Humor me and let my buddy objectify you for, like, two seconds. Scottie, what do you think of my sexy bro?”
“He’s definitely hotter in person,” I say, playing along.
Mikey smiles like he appreciates the compliment. Not that I think he needs it or doesn’t know how attractive he is. Maybe he just enjoys that Jordan’s putting me on the spot like this.
I look into Mikey’s eyes a little too long as my thoughts race back to last night.
Jordan glances between us.
“Oh, looks like I just made a love connection. You getting tired of roping in the girls, Mikey?” He laughs as if the thought is so absurd, he’s not even considering it.
“You never know,” Mikey replies.
He’s playing with fire and igniting something else in me as he doesn’t let up his gaze, so I have to first.
Jordan is oblivious. He takes another drink.
We hang at the bar a little longer before heading back to the apartment, Jordan with either arm around our necks as we walk him up to the front gate.
Mikey and I are pretty sober right now. I don’t think either of us wanted to go overboard after last night. Hell, I still have a phantom hangover.
We carry Jordan into the apartment and into his bedroom, laying him in the bed. “It was a really amazing trip,” Jordan says. “I had a great time. I so wish I’d stayed. I don’t want to TA this summer. Or work on my fucking thesis.”
Mikey chuckles. “I’m sure, and we can complain about it some more tomorrow.”
“Okay. Night guys. Love you. Not you, Scott. I mean, I do. But like a friend. God, now I’m sounding gay.”
I laugh and roll my eyes.
“Night, Jordan,” I say before we head out, Mikey closing the door behind him.
I feel like we have so much to say and like I have so much to apologize for. But how the fuck am I supposed to do that with Jordan in the next room?
13
