“One ball left,” Rafe announced a little while later. It was the blue ball. Appropriate. He had a look of hope in his deep, brown eyes. “It’d be a shame if you missedit.”
“Are you trashtalkingme?”
“Maybe.”
Eamonn’s cock jutted to attention. He gripped his cue hard, like he wanted to hold Rafe. He bent down to line up his shot. At the last second, a guy came up to Rafe and said something about seeing him around campus. Eamonn’s cue only scraped the edge of theball.
“Tough break,” Rafe said. Eamonn wasn’t laughing,though.
“We’re in the middle of a game, mate,” Eamonn said. He stared the guy down until he backedaway.
“Do you want anything to drink?” the fucking wanker askedRafe.
“He has a drink,” Eamonn said. He didn’t know this guy, but he hatedhim.
The guy flipped him the bird, which in England was the index and middle finger together, then disappeared back into thecrowd.
“Did you know him?” Rafeasked.
“I…you have to be careful about guys buying you drinks. He could slip you something.” Eamonn didn’t know what came over him. Rafe wasn’t his, but he couldn’t watch him become someone else’s right in front of hiseyes.
Rafe didn’t put up a fight. He studied Eamonn for a moment before turning his attention to the snooker table. “I can’t make thisshot.”
And true, it was a doozy. The ball was at the far end of the table, due south from the white. To make it, he’d have to hit it on its right side at just the proper angle to get it to scoot inside thepocket.
“You can do it, mate.You have this,dude.”
Rafe got into position. Eamonn kept his eyes above the waist, even though he could sense a butt wiggle in his peripheryvision.
“You want to move over a little so your cue hits the white at the rightspot.”
“Like this?” Rafe shiftedover.
“Toofar.”
“How’s this?” Rafe’s cue was held at too severe anangle.
“Here. Let me help.” Eamonn bent over Rafe’s body. His right hand slid down Rafe’s arm, feeling the bumps of his triceps and forearm muscles. He manuevered Rafe’s cue into the correct position. The heat of Rafe’s body scorched through his clothes, and up close, he could smell the coconut scent of his shampoo and see the trail of freckles on hisneck.
“H-how’s this?” Rafeasked.
Oh Christ.Rafe wiggled his bloody bum against Eamonn’s crotch. His cock hardened and pressed against hispants.
“Ready?” Eamonn steadied his hand over Rafe’s arm as Rafe pulled back the cue. The ball whizzed down the green, smacked the bluer-than-ever ball on its side, and sent it on a one-way trip into apocket.
“We did it!” Rafe jumped up. He spun around and hugged Eamonn. He probably felt Eamonn’s hard nob jutting into his thigh, but if he did, he didn’t show it. Thankgoodness.
They held each other’s vision, and the crowd and noise vanished. Eamonn wanted to hold Rafe. As he extended his arms to wrap him in a hug, which if he wasn’t careful could lead to other things, Rafe said, “Do you want adrink?”
There went the moment. Eamonn got the same answer again. They were just friends, nothingmore.
“Sure.”
“I’ll get this round.” Rafe went up to thebar.
Eamonn leaned against the wall where they had originally been. This was for the best. Rafe was leaving in a few weeks. He couldn’t risk falling for him and getting his heart broken like Nathan had done lastspring.
Rafe ran back to him, his eyes wide withpanic.
“What’s wrong?” Eamonn asked, instantly going into protectivemode.
“My phone’sgone.”
