“I’ll bring my husband to meet you.” She pointed to a muscled guy with a leather collar around his neck, which was in stark contrast to his snow-white skin. Only then I noticed the delicate chain on the woman’s neck with a key on it.
This was a BDSM club in disguise. I was loving it. But what did Marin think of it all? Was he aware of the subtle hints? Or did he consider them eccentric like most of the society had?
“Oh look, you’re under a Mistletoe.” She cooed, then ducked towards her husband.
I looked up at Marin, who licked his lips. My breath got stuck in my throat.Would he kiss me after so many years? In front of all those people? And only for show…
He tilted his head to the side and sent his tentacle up my arm and along my exposed collarbone.
Should I kiss him back?Not if he was doing it only to keep his cover.
Marin’s gaze was on my lips, his gills moving at the sides of his neck. “I need air.” He pivoted on his heel and shot out of the gallery.
I followed him, running out into the winter air.
The light from the street lamp illuminated his frown and the sharp angles of his face. He stood with his tentacles around his waist, taking long, slow breaths.
“You didn’t bring your coat,” he said without glancing at me.
“Are you okay?” I reached out for him but snatched my hand away. “Marin?”
“I’m fine. But you’ll freeze.” He turned to me and rubbed his tentacles over my arms, heating up every sliver of skin he touched. “Are you ready to leave?”
“Yeah. Let’s go.”
“I’ll wait here, but you need your coat.” He stepped back, taking his warmth with him.
Running inside like my ass was on fire, I grabbed my coat and waved at DeeDee.
We rode the subway in silence, surrounded by the raucous laughter of the drunken public.
The seemingly innocuous pretense that we were a couple had turned into a giant fuck-up. Yup, that was precisely what I’d been swearing I’d avoid. Marin didn’t want to kiss me, but he almost did for the sake of his lie. Not for me.
That hurt more than I could process. As much as I craved to know the taste of his lips, I’d rather not know it than for the kiss to be fake. I wasn’t sure if it was a sexuality crisis-related panic or being ashamed to kiss a man in public that stopped him. Either way, I felt sick to my stomach.
I came to this city to experience it in the winter, just like in the movies I watched as a kid, and spend time with my best friend who I haven’t seen in years. I didnotcome here to seduce him, or get into his pants.
Deep down, though, I was afraid it was all a lie I was telling myself.
Marin’s presence, his warmth, smile, and acceptance of my touch fucked with my head. And my dick. I needed to bury the feelings I’d been harboring for him for the last nine years or I’d get hurt, destroy our friendship, and ruin the holidays for the both of us.
But I just fucking couldn’t. I’d been an emotional disaster all my life but Marin made me do crazy things. Maybe if I pushed him further and he’d push me away, my brain and my dick would finally get the memo.
Yeah. I had to face the truth the hard way. By Marin rejecting me and us agreeing that platonic friendship was the best course of action. Sure, it would hurt my heart and dignity, but I’d have to orchestrate it somehow and not fuck up our friendship in the process.
I could create a twenty-foot sculpture but not tell my best friend that I loved him. That he’d stolen my heart when he’d first introduced himself in broken German and pointed to the second bed in our dorm room. I was a nineteen-year-old boy fresh outof the closet when a nice and caring Greek God with tentacles entered my life. I stood no chance.
Plan, plan… I needed a solid plan.
The subway screeched to a halt in what I recognized as our stop, and Marin guided me out.
I zipped my parka all the way up. I had to break the silence to make sure we were okay. “Could we go to see the tree at Rockefeller Plaza?”
Marin turned to me, blinking as if he’d been lost somewhere deep in his thoughts. “Of course. That was one of my points in your New York City sightseeing tour.”
His eyes were sad. I hated it. I’d start my plan by keeping him busy. “Tomorrow?”
“Yup. Tomorrow is great.”
