Thankfully, Dean avoided any more conversation about the size of his cock when the elevator door opened a few moments later and David timidly stepped onto the roof, almost as if he was summoned by the earlier conversation. Just as the other guys reacted, David stopped short, in awe of the fairytale rooftop.
Dean rushed over, eager to steer things in a different direction. “Hey, David! Glad you could make it. You remember Sophie and Colton?”
David smiled big. “Yes! Hi, Sophie!” He turned to Colton with a bashful smile. “I don’t think we had the opportunity to meet officially last time, Mr. Merrick.” David held out his hand. “I’m David Swisher.”
Colton smiled, shaking the young man’s hand. “Very nice to meet you, David.”
Dean patted David’s back. “Go grab a drink in the cabana, David. And make yourself at home. You can even jump in the pool, if you’d like.”
David smiled admiringly at Dean. “Thank you, Dean.”
The dancers finally ended up sitting around the pool, dangling their feet in the water, tossing snide, bitchy comments back and forth. Dean was happy to see David sitting with them. Although he didn't engage in the bitchy banter, he was actively involved, laughing and enjoying the conversation.
Dean sighed with a smile, his strange little family filling his heart to bursting.
Colton and Sophie sat in chairs by the pool. Sophie was listening to the guys, laughing at their conversation, but Colton said nothing, staring out across the bay, seemingly deep in thought. Dean studied him for a moment, something was odd. Colton was not himself.
Normally, when they hung out, Colton was all smiles and laughter, with a brightness in his eyes. Tonight, with Sophie, the light in his eyes was dimmed. He was quiet, almost fadinginto the background…which was so not like him. There were moments when he was his usual bright, fun-loving self, but Dean noticed whenever he was alone with Sophie, that brightness was dimmed.
Dean hadn’t known him for that long, but he knew that Colton was confident, positive, and self-assured. The Colton on the roof that night was not the Colton that Dean was used to seeing.
His first instinct was to rush over and envelop him in a huge hug. But instead, he walked over and took a seat in the chaise next to Colton, patting the top of his hand as he sat.
Colton sent him a timid, tired smile. Dean made a mental note to ask Colton about this later.
A short time later, Sophie and Colton prepared to leave for dinner. Dean gave Sophie a big hug and reached to shake Colton’s hand. He made a point to look Colton in the eye with an ‘are you ok?’ expression on his face.
Colton just shook his hand, pulled him into a hug, forced a timid smile, and stepped into the elevator with Sophie.
Chapter 14
Colton
Dinner with Sophie was beige and uneventful, the conversation was a dull hum in Colton’s ears. The food and wine had no taste. It very well could have been TV static and Styrofoam.
Colton was utterly numb.
How the hell did he arrive at that point? Had he missed the signs? What happened to make him so miserable and discontented? Was it something recent, and immediate? Or had it been sneaking up on him for years?
Even worse for Colton’s currently fragile state of mind, after dinner, they met Serena and Chastity, Sophie’s model friends, at the new nightclub. They were accompanied by two nauseatingly irritating male models; both of them skinny, with jet black hair, eyeliner, dressed in black from head to toe, and they clearly felt they were far superior to anyone else in the club.
The two male models, Trey and Troy, were just as bitchy as Dean’s dancers, if not more so. Their hateful, catty commentaryon everyone in the club filled Colton’s ears and grated his nerves. In that moment, Colton quickly realized something: Dean’s dancers’ snide comments were teasing and bitchy, but they came from a place of friendship and love. It was a lot like the ribbing he got from his teammates, good natured pokes and jabs in the spirit of brotherhood. Suddenly, he had a greater level of respect for Dean’s dance troupe.
The snide, bitchy comments from these folks, however, were anything but friendly or loving. The four of them talked non-stop about the people surrounding them, making fun of their clothes, hair, or overall looks. Colton couldn’t roll his eyes far enough back into his head. Their entire conversation was spiteful and mean-spirited, and it made them absolutely hideous in Colton’s eyes. It was like a really bad, tragic version ofMean Girls.
The night just kept getting better and better.
Colton wanted to run for the door and never look back.
What he really would've liked to do was go back to the loft and have drinks with Dean. At least there, he knew he would have fun.
In an attempt to zone out from the judge-fest around him, he thought back to their time at the loft earlier in the evening. The relationship between Dean and his dancers was beautiful. They were like a little family. They bickered and taunted, but there was always love and respect. It reminded him of some of his favorite coaches, who educated, encouraged, and challenged him. The thought brought a smile to his face.
A loud, piercing cackle shook Colton from his happy bubble. He was quickly reminded of where he was, and the current horrible company he was keeping. He needed to get the fuck out of there, but he didn’t want to cause a scene.
Instead of running for the hills, he drew a deep breath and excused himself to go get drinks for the group. That way, he’dhave a few moments of solitude and could escape their bitter, awful comments.
Colton found a spot at the bar and placed his order. He turned, with an elbow on the bar, and surveyed the space. The club was actually nice, dark with strobing lights as one would expect from a nightclub, with elegant, understated décor. The exposed brick walls, accented with warm, dark wood panels and art deco sconces, gave the space a modern speakeasy feel. The interior was really well done, and if Colton had been there with literally anyone else, he might actually appreciate and enjoy the space. The dance floor was mostly full with people of all shapes and sizes, dancing to the club music filling the space.
