With any luck, I'll find a guy to have some no-strings fun with, and the worst that can happen is that I'll have some fun trying.
Noah arrives ten minutes after me, bringing Andy and Wyatt's discussion to an end. It's been a while since we were all together, so I ask what everyone’s been up to.
"Sorry I'm late, guys. I wanted to put Ollie to bed," Noah says.
He looks tired, but I've never seen him so happy.
"How's my little wingman?" I ask.
In our friend group, Noah and I are the ones who've known each other the longest. We went to the same high school and, while we weren't friends then, we got to know each other better when my brother dated his sister for a while.
Their relationship didn't last, but we became friends and have been ever since. I was the best man at his wedding to his high school sweetheart and, more recently, became a godparent to his almost one-year-old son, Oliver.
I'd never thought about having kids myself. I always figured it was something I'd decide when I was in a stable relationship, but the moment I met Oliver, it was love at first sight. The little man seems to like me, too, so here we are. I'm the proud example-setting grownup to the cutest kid in the world.
"He's teething, which means he's moodier than March in Vermont," he says.
"Maybe he just needs to spend a day with Uncle Skyler, check out some bars, hit on the pretty boys. You know, a regular Tuesday afternoon," I tease.
He snorts, but I'm not letting him destroy my plans to educate my cute sidekick in the ways of the world, so I stand up from the table.
"The usual?" I ask, pointing at the empty glasses.
"You know it," Andy says, and both Wyatt and Noah nod.
"If you've got your flirting game on, the new bartender is H.O.T.," Wyatt says.
I look at Andy, who nods. "He has this sexy kind of European vibe going on."
And now I know how their earlier conversation got started.
I scan the bar but don't see anyone I don't already know. Then again, it's pretty busy out there.
Someone steps away from the bar area with a tray of drinks, and I immediately take their place. All the bartenders are busy, so I look around to inspect this evening's crowd.
A glass breaks somewhere behind the bar, taking my attention from the crowd waiting to be served to the clumsy bartender on the far end from where I'm standing.
He must be the new guy because I know I'd recognize that ass if I'd seen it before. Scrap that. I'd have tapped it. My eyes scan the rest of him, taking the time to appreciate his slim body from behind.
His dark jeans hug his ass perfectly, and his thighs…damn, those thighs look strong and…fuck.My dick responds to the way he moves as he's crouching to pick up the glass from the floor.
The dark button-down shirt is loose on him, and I wonder if it's a standard V&V-issued shirt because a guy that wearsthosejeans wouldn’t possibly choose to wear anything but a fitted shirt.
He washes his hands after disposing of the glass and then runs them through his dark-blond hair. I wonder if, in the light of day, his hair is actually a lighter shade.
Turn around, baby. Let me see your face.
And as if the god of horny gay single men is listening to my prayers, the guy turns around. He looks flustered and annoyed.
There's something about him I can't put my finger on, but it doesn't take me long to figure out what it is. Why he looks so familiar.
When he looks up, and his eyes meet mine, my body locks up in shock. I close my eyes and open them again because this isn't happening. I must be dreaming while awake.
I smile, wanting to jump over the counter to touch him. It’s the only way to be sure, but he looks as though he's seen a ghost.
One of the other bartenders bumps against him, making him jolt and take a side step.
I smile at him, and that's when I see the very slight shake of his head as I call to him before he runs to the staff area behind the bar.
