Dawson looked over and of course it was Aidan, looking smug and annoying.
“God, I hate you,” he said, punching Aidan in the arm. “Go be superior someplace else.”
Aidan only shot him a knowing glance.
“Maybe where your hot boyfriend is,” Dawson muttered under his breath. He polished off his water bottle and headed over to the dispenser to fill it. Not surprisingly, Aidan followed him.
“You know I wasn’t giving that warning for Lane,” Aidan said, leaning against the wall, knowing look gleaming in his blue eyes.
“He’s the best person for you to give it to. The guy’s living out his Grindr-hookup fantasies.”
“Don’t think so. Not anymore, anyway. But don’t change the subject.”
Dawson was afraid he knew what Aidan was trying to get at, and he really didn’t want him to say it out loud.
“Don’t,” Dawson warned.
“So you admit you need the warning?”
“No.No. The guy’s like a baby. A rookie. Why would I be interested in him?” Dawson’s mind was not cooperating and was currently ticking off reasons why he might be: 1) most definitely cute, with an even cuter ass, 2) talented, 3) funny when you got him out of his own head, 4) and saw a version of Dawson that wasn’t a total fucking failure.
“I want to remind you that you kicked my ass about Levi, and you were right to do it.”
“That’s different. You were like a robot with a failing battery, and when he showed up, it was as if you’d finally gotten plugged in again.”
“I’m going to ignore that sort of fucked-up metaphor and focus on the point.Mypoint. You look at him. I know you do. And he sure looks back, Daws. And that’s not a bad thing. I know you’ve had a hard go of it recently—”
“And that’s it, the extent of this conversation,” Dawson interrupted casually.
“Why do you never want to talk about it?” Aidan complained. “You make me feel like a bad friend.”
Dawson took a long drink of water and shot Aidan a look. “’Cause you’re a fucking terrible friend, Aidan.”
Aidan had the nerve to look wounded, and now, it was even worse because Dawson felt guilty about it.
“Not that you actuallyareterrible. You’re ride or die for your guys, you’ve always been. I knew when I signed here that you’d watch out for me. Be a good teammate. But you’re always fucking pushing.”
Aidan frowned, confusion creasing his forehead. “Daws, that’s what good friendsdo.”
Was the worst part that Aidan was probably right? Or that after all of Aidan’s insistent patience and pleas to talk about his goddamn feelings, he’d ended up confiding in Cameron instead the other night?
Aidan would surely pick the latter, but Dawson would always,alwayspick the former.
“Okay, I’m only gonna say this once.” Dawson fixed his gaze on a point just over Aidan’s shoulder so he didn’t have to see his eyes as he said it. “I’ve been feeling pretty fucking sorry for myself. Some of it justified, some of it not. And it sucks to realizethat. That while I’ve been pouting about how things shook out, it’s like the world moved on without me. I’m still trying to catch up. I don’t need to talk about it. I don’twantto talk about it. It sucked. Itsucks. End of story.”
“Daws—” Aidan started to say, hand coming up to cup Dawson’s shoulder.
“No,” Dawson said flatly. “Don’t say you’re sorry.”
Aidan looked almost relieved. And that was better than anything else. Maybe Levi had actually, finally turned him into a real boy.
“Okay,” Aidan said. “But my original point stands. Cam gazes at you like you’re a god, and that’s gonna feel good.”
“He does not,” Dawson scoffed. He nearly told Aidan that Cam actually thoughthewas the hot one, but Aidan didn’t need any more boosts to his ego. It was already healthy enough, especially with Levi in his bed now.
“He does,” Aidan argued mildly. “And you might pretend that you don’t, but you’re looking back.”
Dawson wanted to argue. But then he’d checked out Cam’s ass earlier, hadn’t he? He’d have to be a lot stronger man than he was to be faced with that slender, muscled curve andnotlook at it. It was just aesthetic appreciation, that was all.
