I should confront him for cheating, but I’m still slightly high off him and don’t want to break the spell we’ve cast in this small space.
‘Better?’ he asks me, and I nod, letting him flip the water off. He hands me a towel, and I just hold it up to my chest, letting it collect the water all on its own. I don’t help it along at all. I just can’t. I just stare at him.
He towels off, his eyes flicking up to meet mine every few seconds.
‘You okay?’ he asks, and I swallow, nodding. ‘You surprised I know ASL?’
He pauses and then closes his fist near his throat, looking smug while he does it. He’s conveying my embarrassment and mocking me for it, but I have no response.
‘Fine. Don’t mind. I know you underestimated me. Think hearing people can’t sign fluent and can’t have Deaf heart.’ He ties his towel around his waist and then grabs mine and dries me off, tucking it around my hips when he’s done.
It’s hard to let him, and it’s impossible to push him away. I’ve never been taken care of like this, and it’s becoming addicting.
When he’s done, he stands up and flicks my nipple, making it pebble. ‘Proved you wrong.’
And then he turns around and strides from the shower, leaving me standing there for a long minute with everything but my dick out, my breath heaving in my chest.
When I finally manage to find some semblance of balance, I follow him out of the stall, my eyes scanning the locker room, trying to find him, but he’s long gone.
Fuck.
I shove my hands into my hair, and my trembling fingers tug on it as I try to regain my composure.
But it’s hard when I’m so confused. Everything is collapsing around me, and I’m half-naked in the gym, trying to focus.You need to put clothes on, my brain screams at me as the locker room door opens and two strange men walk in. They smile at me a little awkwardly, and I quickly turn toward the locker I claimed as my own.
When I’m dressed, I need to find him and talk to him. I need to find out what the fuck is going on between us and why the hell he cheated.
Or maybe I shouldn’t. Maybe I should just leave and save myself the trouble. It’s not like he’s going to choose me over her, and maybe this was all my fault anyway. He could have been happy if I never came back here. He would have moved onand gotten married and had babies or whatever annoying thing couples do when they fall in love.
And I can go on with my life, even if I’ll never fully get over him.
I get dressed as quickly as I can manage. I don’t know if I can escape without running into someone I know, but I’m damn well going to try. I slip my shoes on before anyone can attempt to make small talk, then head out of the locker room before bursting into an almost jog, heading for the front doors.
And of course, I immediately spot the other man I don’t want to see.
Thom gets my attention with a wave, then points at my shirt. ‘Backward,’ he signs with a grin.
He’s right, but I don’t bother to stop and fix it. I need to get the hell out of here before I see Dex again and do something else I’m going to regret.
I don’t feel fully recovered as I finally make it into the office, but I feel somewhat better than before. I had a shit night’s sleep, and I’m still ravaged by jet lag, but at least work is going to keep me busy. There are meetings I need to set up and contracts that need to be signed, which will at least allow me to feel accomplished in something.
Staring at my computer screen, I wait for the relay service to connect the call I have to make. They’re absurdly understaffed, and with cuts to certain providers, there are far too many calls and not enough interpreters to take them. And that’s terrible for me right now because I need something to focus on.
Desperately.
Sitting here staring at a screen waiting isn’t helping.
If I don’t occupy my mind, I’m going to slip right back to the gym. Right back to Dex, and his warm skin, and his hands—those fucking fingers moving through my language so fluently.
In ways he couldn’t do before I left.
In ways I wish he couldn’t do now.
I want to take credit for it. I want to believe it wasforme—becauseof me—but I know that’s not true. His brother is dating a Deaf man, and half their friends use only sign language to communicate. It makes sense he loves Thom enough to integrate into that world.
But what he said back in the locker room about a Deaf heart?
That nearly ruined me.
