“What the fuck is going on? You’re both acting weird.”
“I'm not going to lay all their shit out but let's just say they have a unique relationship.” Colin’s cryptic response gave me more questions than answers.
“The four of them?” Great. Now I was imagining all of our roommates in some sort of freaky orgy when they left Daniel and me behind.
“No, you pervert.” Colin chuckled, throwing his wadded up napkin at my head. “But it's not exactly the type of thing they can do when other people are around.”
“That's a bunch of bullshit,” I scoffed. “I don't give a flying fuck what they're into. They pay just as much as any of us do to live there.”
I slumped back in my booth as it hit me. They ran off every weekend because of me. Because I had never given them a reason to think they could be open about who they were when I was around.
“Hey, relax.” Daniel gripped my hand tightly. “I don't know what got you so worked up just then but it's not your fault.”
“The hell it's not,” I argued. “Look, I might be new to all this touchy-feely shit, but I don't want you trying to make me feel better when I deserve to feel like a bag of dicks. I know who I am, and I know what I've done. I was so fucking scared to let you—or anyone really—see me, that I made them uncomfortable in their own home.”
“You didn't,” Colin reassured me. “To say things with them are complicated would be an understatement. If it’ll make you feel better, all of us can sit down and you can apologize, even though they’ve probably forgiven anything that happened last year. And then it might be a good idea to let them know why you were the way you were, and we’ll make sure they know we’re going to help you do better this year.”
“As if they'd believe me.” Even if they didn't laugh in my face, I couldn't exactly see any of them easily forgiving me. I wouldn't if I was them.
“Don't you think it's time you start mending fences?” Not giving a damn who might see, Colin placed his hand over Daniel's. “The first thing you really need to do is forgive yourself, Zach. Maybe someday you can tell us why you're so scared for anyone to see the real you but, for now, it would be enough for you to stop hating yourself.”
I was not going to break down in the middle of a god damn diner at nine o'clock in the god damn morning. It wasn't going to happen. Even if I was done lying about who I was, that didn't mean I was all of a sudden going to get in touch with my emotional side.
Colin turned to Daniel. “Where are we going and what time do we need to be there?”
“I have an address in the email. Normally we start by eight in the morning, but kickoff day is always a little different. We should probably finish up and head out.” Daniel gathered all of our dishes and neatly stacked them before flagging down the waitress. I pulled out my credit card and handed it over before either of them could tell me I didn’t need to pay.
“That sounds like a damn good plan,” I remarked as I guzzled the rest of my coffee. I hoped they had plenty of work for everyone today, because I needed to work out some of this frustration. Preferably with a hammer in my hand.
8
Zach
Colin and Danieldidn't let me out of their sight once we were on the build. No matter where I turned or what job the project manager gave me, one of them was nearby. They probably thought I would bolt the second I saw an opening. The thought had definitely crossed my mind but, eventually, I would have to face them.
And as terrifying as it was, I spent the entire day half hard whenever I thought about what they might have planned. When they called everyone over to take a break for lunch, Colin grabbed three boxes, and led Daniel and me to a shady area near the property line. We followed without question.
“How long do we have to stay here?” I asked as I dug into the paper box that I already knew contained soggy, stale potato chips and a dry sandwich. Decent food was rare on Saturdays, but it wasn't like any of us were here for a free meal.
Most of the time, I was excited about helping out, and soaking up Daniel's infectious enthusiasm. But most days, I wasn't distracted by the knowledge that someone was going to push me out of my comfort zone later. I had no clue what to expect once we went back to Talbert Hall. I felt out of sorts because I would be completely out of my element.
Colin obviously knew his way around a cock, and I was starting to realize Daniel wasn’t so straight after all. I didn’t know how much he’d done in the past, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to know. I didn’t like thinking about him fooling around with other guys, which was stupid since I was just now starting to admit to myself that I wanted to see what the big deal was with dick. I couldn’t be pissed at him for getting what he needed before I even considered it to be a possibility. The only thing I knew was my personal experience started and ended with jerking myself off.
Working side-by-side with both of them, it was a fucking miracle I hadn't seriously injured myself because I was distracted thinking of all they might do to me or make me do to them later. At this point, part of me wanted to get back to our suite and get it over with. The only upside was I trusted Daniel with my life and knew he would stop at the slightest sign of discomfort. Hell, knowing him, he’d probably stop before I even realized I was in over my head.
“There isn’t too much more we’ll be able to help with today,” Daniel responded. “They’re bringing in the crew that will pour the foundation so we can really get to work next week. Today is mostly symbolic, a way to introduce everyone to the family we’re building a house for and talk about what everyone’s going to do over the next few months to get them moved in by Christmas.”
“You mean to tell me we could have stayed home today,” I grumbled. “I thought we were going to be doing more than odd jobs that won’t mean shit until way down the road. We could be at home with the two of you telling me what you’ve been plotting.”
“It won't kill you to be patient,” Colin scolded me.
I bristled, biting my tongue before I said something that would make him change his mind.
He smiled as he leaned forward, so only I could hear him. “Good boy. I’m proud of you for not running away. I knew you needed this.” His gaze dipped to my lap. “If there was no one around right now, I’d make you beg Daniel to take care of that for you.”
“I'm not a dog,” I ground out. “You can't make me beg for anything.”
Colin chuckled as he slid his hand along the inseam of my thigh. “You say that now, but twenty bucks says I'll prove you wrong tonight. We’re going to have the suite to ourselves, and I’d bet we’re going to have you pleading for more before we’re all so tired we can’t move.”
