They lapsed into silence as they waited for the bus. It was pretty much empty when they got on. Adam sat down first, taking a seat by the window. Luc sat opposite him, on the other side of the aisle. Adam wasn't sure if he should be offended, or relieved. He decided to be relieved. The distance between them meant that they didn't have to speak. Instead, he looked out of the window, watching the houses pass by as the bus wound its way to the city centre.
It took them to the bus station, which meant they had about a ten-minute walk to get to The Vibe. Once again, they barely spoke. Luc stuffed his hands in his coat pockets and walked half a pace behind Adam the whole way. There was no reason for him to do that. Luc had been to The Vibe before, so he knew where it was; he didn't need Adam to act as a guide. Calling Luc on his weirdness would only lead to a confrontation, so Adam bit his tongue and enjoyed the silence.
The Vibe was fairly busy when they got there; for the middle of the week, anyway. There were bouncers on the door, but they didn't have to queue up and neither of them were asked for ID. Adam smiled as they were allowed through without incident, remembering how Mason had always been checked whenever they'd gone out. Adam had joked that it was due to the combination of his blonde hair and baby blue eyes which made him look so young and angelic. His smile faded. He missed Mason. Not being with Mason in a physical or romantic sense, but he missed having his friend around.
The dance floor was full of guys hanging off each other, leaving the bar area relatively clear. After dropping their jackets off in the cloakroom, they headed to the bar.
"What are you drinking?" Luc asked, raising his voice to compete with the loud thrum of the trance music. He made a drinking motion with his hand.
"Lager. Whatever's on tap."
Adam allowed his gaze to rove over the dancers whilst Luc spoke to the barman. There were plenty of attractive men to satisfy all tastes.
"Here you go," Luc said, thrusting a pint glass into Adam's hand.
"Thanks." He sipped at the lager and then licked the froth off his upper lip. "Do you go out much?" It was a dumb thing to ask, but they probably couldn't get away with staying silent any longer.
"Once or twice a week, maybe."
"Got a boyfriend?" Adam didn't know why he'd asked that; it's not like he cared about the answer.
Luc shook his head. "I'm too busy with work. You?"
"Nope." He hadn't managed to find anyone he felt serious about since Mason had left. That didn't mean he'd stayed single, either, just that none of his relationships had lasted. Not that he was about to explain any of that to Luc. He took a gulp of his lager and let out a small sigh. "You enjoy your job?"
"Yeah," Luc said, his voice sounding excited for the first time that evening. "I'm doing marketing for an independent clothing label. It's a lot of fun. Hard work, because my boss has high expectations, but still fun." He tilted his head and gazed at Adam. "What about you? Do you enjoy teaching?"
Adam frowned. "Of course."
"But you wanted to dance. I always thought you'd be in a company by now. I remember Dad saying you had enough talent to become a lead dancer if you worked hard enough."
Adam downed the rest of his pint, ignoring the gassy feeling from drinking it too quickly. "I like teaching." He put the pint glass down on the bar hard enough for it to reverberate through his hand. "I'm going to dance."
"Adam—"
Adam ignored Luc and shoved his way through to the centre of the dance floor. He didn't need Luc rubbing salt in his wounds and he wasn't going to stand there and let his stepbrother tell him what he should have done with his life. What the fuck did Luc know about any of it? He'd given up on dancing, given up on their friendship, and given up on their family. Luc could go to hell.
Chapter Seven
Luc
Luc hated that Adam had found himself a guy to dance with so quickly. He hated the speed with which the tall, long haired man placed his hands on Adam's hips and manoeuvred closer, so they were grinding against each other. But at the same time, he was captivated by the grace with which Adam moved. Even swaying his hips, his body moved smoothly and sexily. He wished he was the long-haired guy, so he could be the one gyrating against his stepbrother.
"If you like him, go ask him to dance," the bartender said from behind him. "You haven't taken your eyes off him in half an hour."
If only it were so simple. Why? Why did he have to have such an insatiable desire for a guy he knew he could never have?
He gritted his teeth when the long-haired guy leaned forward and whispered something into Adam's ear, causing him to smile. Then his fingers tangled in Adam's and he began to lead him away towards the back of the club, where Luc knew there was a darkroom. At least, there had been the last time he'd been to the club several years earlier; he'd even used it once or twice. Even though the superficial decor of the club was nicer, he doubted that the darkroom had been closed off. White hot flames of jealousy coursed through his veins. It was ridiculous. He had no say over what Adam did, or with whom. He couldn't even put his emotions down to brotherly concern. No, he was jealous because he wanted to be the one with his mouth wrapped around Adam's cock, not some stranger.
He ordered another drink, staring at the door to the darkroom as men came and went. He glanced at his watch occasionally, convinced hours had dragged by, only to find each time that only a handful of minutes had trudged past. Where the fuck was Adam?
When Adam did finally reappear, he was alone and his face was flushed. He made his way back over to the bar.
"I need a drink," he said, before ordering a pint of tap water. He sat on the stool beside Luc. "Not dancing?"
"I don't feel like it," Luc growled.
Adam gulped down half the water before replying. "Why did you come out, then?"
