“I don’t know, you’re just smiling a lot at your phone. Are you texting with someone?” He guessed, and I cleared my throat.
Send me a selfie, Caelyx suggested. Of course he would request something like that.
“What? No,” I lied. I hadn’t been smiling. “I was just laughing because your boyfriend got ambushed in the gym today.”
“Ambushed?” Ren repeated, looking slightly alarmed.
Alright. No nudes, I tacked on at the end, because I knew Caelyx would expect something perverted.
“By my queer studies TA,” I clarified quickly. “He’s writing a paper on, uh, toxic masculinity in sports or whatever, and he wanted to interview Maddox about the swim team debacle last year. He wanted him to talk about hisfeelings,” I added, coloring the last word with amusement.
Black, Caelyx guessed in his next message. The corner of my mouth twitched as I slid my finger under the rim of my shorts,pulling at them the tiniest bit, just so I could glance down at my underwear. They were black, with a dark grey crisscross pattern.
“Oh,” Ren realized, looking relieved, then amused as well. “Poor Maddy.”
“Yeah, I’m sure he’ll be up here soon so you can comfort him,” I remarked.
Turning toward the large mirror in our room, I stuck out my tongue and snapped a photo before sending it over to Caelyx.
“You taking a picture for someone?” Ren wondered.
“Just tracking my gains,” I lied again, shoving my phone in my pocket before gathering up my clothes and shower essentials in my arms before heading back out the door.
CAELYX
IT’D BEEN Awhile since I’d gone to a party, so I was having a good time just shooting the shit with people I barely knew, and soaking in the hectic, chaotic atmosphere. We’d driven pretty far out from the road, past what felt like millions of rows of corn, to the cleared out space where everything was set up.
There wasn’t a house around for miles, and no businesses. Being so isolated, so disconnected from the risk of being seen or heard by anyone, least of all anyone of authority from BBU, put a fat dose of electric tension in the air. It showed in the way people were grinding on each other on the dance floor and leaned up against every available surface, making out with each other.
EDM was pumping from the speakers set up around the DJ booth. The deep bass sent pulses of vibration out in rhythmic waves to wash over the crowd of dancers. For the moment, Arie and Che were right in the thick of it. They were both dressed appropriately for the theme, and just a bit slutty, in cropped hoodies that showed their twin bellybutton piercings. Arie’s bright pink hair was sprayed with glitter that sparkled madly when the light hit it, and there were colorful clips threaded through Che’s jet black bangs.
I’d once told the two of them that they should do porn together, because they’d definitely dominate any and all twink categories, but to my knowledge, they had not yet heeded my suggestion. I had a feeling if theydidheed my suggestion, they probably wouldn’t go out of their way to let me know. And I waspretty sure I wouldn’t be getting a cut of any of the profits either, despite my helpful suggestion.
I was surprised how sexy and seductive they were being, stopping just short of vulgar as they moved their bodies together in the crowd. As I watched, Che hooked an arm around Arie’s neck, pulling him in even closer, before glancing back over his own shoulder at something outside of the crowd. Arie was shooting bedroom eyes in the same direction, so I couldn’t help but follow their line of sight.
My eyebrows shot up when I saw Cyprian, standing just outside the dance floor. He looked a bit unnerved and hesitant, like he wasn’t sure he should be doing what he was doing, but he was watching them. And they knew he was watching them.
Well… Not my business.
I gently nudged through the dense horde, pointedly ignoring both the interested glances and obvious gestures of invitation from some of the dancers I passed by. Under other circumstances, I would have been perfectly willing to lean into it and pick out a hot girl or guy to bring home. But I hadn’t done that since last year. My mind was too fixated on someone else.
Tiki torches with little flames flickering in the cool breeze were propped artfully around the space, and the DJ booth had fairy lights strung all around it, but once I’d made my way through the main area, the main source of light was from the moon and the neon glowsticks and accessories nearly everyone seemed to be sporting. Arie had them all over, and he’d even combined a couple into a larger circle and put them around Che’s neck like a choker.
Working my way over to where the drinks were, I didn’t bother thinking about the kegs or the giant vat of suspicious cocktail that had been mixed up for the party, probably from a haphazard mix of juices and rums and vodkas. Leaning downand digging around in a cooler until my hand closed around a can of soda, I pulled it out and shook off the chilly water.
I’d been keeping an eye on Aspen since we’d arrived, letting him do his own thing and mingle with acquaintances. I didn’t want to smother him, at least not enough that he’d notice and complain, so I’d hung back out of his way. But I’d waited long enough, and now he was finally standing by himself. He was further out from the music and speakers, where it was quieter and less crowded. Even further out from him was a giant barn, where more scattered little groups of people were congregating, and lots more couples sucking face.
I devoured Aspen with my eyes as I walked up. He was staring off into space, his posture totally relaxed. I almost never got to see him like that. He wasn’t wearing anything special, just combat boots and ripped up jeans, in his usual black. His flannel button-up was rolled up to his elbows, showcasing the colorful tattoos on his forearms.Back when we’d first met, I’d asked him why all of his tattoos were so bright and sparkly, since he only liked wearing black all the time, and he’d told me to fuck off and mind my own business. Either way, the contrast was really cute.
I’d never been into that edgy style of person, the whole piercings and tats thing. But I’d been hooked from the first time we’d met. He’d glared at me for saying something obnoxious, his hazel eyes hot and narrowed, framed by dark eyeliner and thick fringes of lashes. So I was maybe a bit of a masochist. Who knew?
He finally noticed me, and my pulse skipped as I anticipated his reaction. When his posture didn’t change and his cute lips didn’t shift into a frown as I approached, my stomach fluttered.
“Hey.”
“Hey,” he said, returning my greeting with a small head nod.
Popping the tab on the soda, I took a long sip before pushing it into his hands. His fingertips brushed me as he took it, his eyeslocked on mine as he drank. It was pathetic, but the extended eye contact had my dick twitching in my jeans, already half hard.
