Matty’s head jutted up when someone knocked at his door. He was already smiling before the opened up. Coop pushed Matty inside his room and slammed his warm lips against his. Matty’s mind drifted to sexier thoughts, like Coop’s sure hands flipping his body like pizza dough.
“Wanted to get that out of the way before we’re surrounded by people all weekend,” Coop said.
Matty tried to talk but he was still catching his breath.
“You seem very excited for Philly,” Coop said, glancing south. “You can’t wait for a thick, juicy Philly cheesesteak.”
Matty would never be able to look at a cheesesteak the same way again. His erection subsided by the elevator.
“Who are these guys we’re going with?” Matty asked as they walked to meet them.
“They’re friends of Rafe’s friends. Henry, Nolan, and Ethan. Rafe said they’re cool guys.”
“You’ve never met them before?”
“No, but Rafe vouched for them, and it’s a free ride and place to stay. Relax.” Coop read his boyfriend’s face. “It’s only a two-hour car ride.”
They reached a black car on the corner of the street. Three guys chatted around the open trunk. Coop made smooth introductions for them. He seemed to be a pro at these types of encounters, or he was just a good actor. Practice from his job, perhaps.
“We should get on the road to avoid traffic,” Nolan said. He seemed to be the strong, silent type. He had a fixed expression on his face like he was posing for a mugshot. “I’ll take that.”
Nolan reached for Matty’s backpack.
“Actually, I’m going to take this in the backseat with me.” The car trip would be a pocket of time he could use.
“You sure about that?” Henry asked. He was as energetic as Nolan was reserved. “It’s going to be a tight squeeze in the back with Ethan and Mr. Protein Powder.”
Matty laughed at the nickname. He nodded that he understood, but would still take his chances.
“I’ll be navigator,” Ethan said, checking routes on his phone. They would be staying with his boyfriend Greg in Philadelphia, who graduated from Browerton last year. “What are your thoughts on toll roads?”
“They’re a solid generator of income for the state, even though the rate of price increases doesn’t match the level of adequacy of repairs,” Coop said. He tossed their bags in the trunk. “Does that answer your question?”
“I’llbe navigator.” Henry hopped into the front seat. Nolan was driving. Coop let Matty have one of the window seats, and Ethan the other window seat, and he took the middle like a total gentleman.
“We should use toll roads,” Ethan said. “They’ll cut a good forty-five minutes off our trip.”
Henry turned around in his seat. “This is Ethan. He’s horny.”
Ethan turned bright red and looked out the window. Matty felt like the two of them would get along.
“So are you guys a couple?” Henry pointed at him and Coop.
Now it was Matty’s turn to turn red. He didn’t know why he did that. He wasn’t embarrassed. He just wasn’t used to his personal life being something that others cared about.
“We are.” Coop snaked his arm around Matty, which was tougher than expected in a back seat full of three grown men.
“Young love. Adorable.” Henry put his hand over his heart. “Well, Ethan and Greg have been together for almost a year and a half.”
“We met in class,” Ethan said quickly, before Henry could say anything else.
“And Nolan and I for almost the same amount. We actually met in this car. It’s true. I needed a ride back to Chicago. He had an extra seat. We hated each other for most of Pennsylvania.”
“And part of Ohio,” Nolan said.
“Well, that’s because Ohio brings out the worst in everybody. It’s Ohio!”
“So you guys fell for each other during a car trip?” He and Coop connected for the most part over the course of a night, so he felt a kinship.
