“Oops.” Rafe laughed. “But seriously, I can steer him away if you’re not interested.”
Bo glanced at Harvey and Ravi who were deep in conversation.No point pining for something I can’t have.He looked back at Rafe, usual smile in place. “No, it’s fine. I’ll meet him.”
“Cool, because here he comes now.”
“Hey, Rafe,” Clay said, “good to see you, mate.”
“You too. How did you pull up after the fundraiser?”
“Too much booze at the after-party so a bit rough,” Clay said with a laugh, “but the performance was worth it for the publicity.”
“I guess.” Rafe frowned. “It’s great they raised so much money for a good cause.”
“Well, yeah. That was good too.”
“Anyway, let me introduce you to the guys,” Rafe said, although Bo sensed he now wasn’t too keen. “This is Parker, my boyfriend. You met Harvey at the concert. And that’s his boyfriend, Rav. And this is Bo.”
“Hey, guys.” Clay flashed bright white teeth in their direction before zeroing in on Bo.
Bo smiled, determined to give the guy the benefit of the doubt although he wasn’t getting a good vibe. “Nice to meet you.”
“Are you in the music industry, Bo?” Clay asked.
“God no.” Bo laughed. “I’m a nurse.”
“Sounds interesting.”
“There’s lots of variety, that’s for sure. You’re a performer, right?”
Clay grinned and launched into a detailed account of his experience on the singing show and how he’d ended up winning and getting a record deal out of the whole thing. As he talked, Bo sipped his drink but found himself tuning out and his gaze slipping to Harvey and Rav. He had to force himself to focus back on Clay. Strange really because Clay was a good-looking guy. With all that dark hair, perfect skin, and that bright white smile, he was definitely easy on the eyes. It wasn’t long ago that Bo would have been sizing him up as hook up potential, but tonight his heart just wasn’t in it.
“Do you want to go get a drink somewhere quieter?” Clay finally asked. “There’s a small bar down the road. Or we could go back to my place.”
He should have been expecting it, but the offer took him by surprise. “I’m not really sure.”
Clay snorted. “I’m not asking for any promises. Just a good time. What do you say? You and me would be good together, even if it was just for one night.”
“I don’t know.” He glanced at Harvey and Rav. Both of them appeared to be having a great time, heads close as they whispered. To his other side, Parker and Rafe were glued to each other’s side, Rafe’s arm thrown casually over Parker’s shoulders. He turned back to Clay. “Let’s get out of here.”
After a quick goodbye, he followed Clay outside, trying to forget the look of disappointment on Rav’s face.
As he’d expected, Clay had no intention of going to bar. Within moments they were in the back seat of an Uber speeding to Clay’s apartment. He did give the guy some credit thought—he offered Bo a drink instead of hustling him straight off to the bedroom, and soon they were settled on the couch listening to music.
Bo wasn’t in the mood for the electro house music, or Clay’s conversation that was largely centred around his emerging rock career. Bo couldn’t blame him for being excited, as it seemed he was living his dream, but he couldn’t summon the energy to be interested. Maybe avoiding conversation and getting straight down to it would have been preferable, but even that thought didn’t do it for him. He just wanted to get out of there.
After making excuses to a decidedly pissed off Clay—“I left that party for you.”—he was back in an Uber and on his way home.
Bo let himself into the apartment closing the door quietly behind him and turning around slowly listening for any sounds. He wasn’t sure if the guys were home yet so tiptoed a few steps before noticing the soft glow from the living room. He stopped at the doorway and peeked in.
His heart stood still at the sight before him. Harvey and Rav were together on the couch, bathed in the gentle golden light from the lamp. Rav lay stretched over Harvey, their bodies pressed tightly together, the two of them kissing. He probably should have continued past, but he was mesmerised. His heart beat overtime and he couldn’t tear his eyes away. The simple act of them kissing was one of the sexiest things he’d ever seen. The way they moved together, undulating with soft moans and hands gripping each other tightly.
Bo had walked in on Parker and Rafe while he’d been staying at their apartment, and he felt nothing but embarrassment, awkward at interrupting them. He’d hot-tailed it out of there as quickly as possible, wanting to give them privacy and hoping like hell they hadn’t seen him. And although he knew he should be doing the same thing tonight, his feet were anchored to the spot. Damn it was hot.
Rav lifted his head and looked down at Harvey, murmuring something to him, something too low for Bo to make out, but in his imagination it was something sweet and romantic. His eyes prickled at the strange sensation that bubbled up—a combination of happiness at seeing how special Harvey and Rav were to each other, tinged with that familiar feeling of envy.
He turned away and quickly headed to his room, closing the door behind him. He toed off his shoes then undressed, tossing his clothes onto a chair. He sat on the side of the bed, head in his hands.Fuck I’m messed up.He gave himself a mental shake, he should have hooked up with Clay, anything to take his mind off his obsession with Harvey and Rav. Having feelings for both of them was doing his head in. Maybe if he’d stayed with Clay he might have had a good time, and if nothing else, he would have gotten off and it would have taken his mind off how fucked up he was. But deep inside he knew he wasn’t looking for anything short-term anymore, and that scared the hell out of him.
“What was that?” Rav said, lifting his head and looking to the doorway, but no one was there.
