Page 80 of Full Body Hit, Part 1

Chase huffed. “Dick. Just because you think I’m unattractive…” he muttered.

“I never said that,” Auston protested.

“Yeah, you did, you liar. You were like, oh, of course you’ll never get into trouble what with nobody wanting you ever.”

“I did not say that.”

“Yes, you did.”

“No, I—”

The bartender took the opportunity to interrupt the squabble. “Can I get you guys anything?”

“Yes,” Chase said, leaning over the bar and ordering the cocktail he wanted. Auston, the boring asshole, ordered another beer.

“All I meant,” Auston started up again once the bartender moved away. “Was that I don’t see you going off with people, that’s all.”

Chase wrinkled his nose. Why had Auston even noticed that? “Whatever,” he said, annoyed, and then even more irritated when Auston paid for both of their drinks. He grabbed his and turned around, but Auston was still close, almost chest to chest.

Chase was suddenly taken over by the sense-memory of Auston’s scent, the one Chase had breathed in after presenting.

If Chase had the ability to smell pheromones, he’d be swallowed up by that smell now, smoky and thick and intimate. He swayed in place, looking up at Auston’s serious face.

God, Chase hated him. He just wanted to—

He stumbled away, heading towards their table, drunk and annoyed and a little wet.

He sipped on his drink half-heartedly. Honestly, he just wanted to go home and talk to Aunix.

He needed to stop thinking about Auston. As long as the Alpha stayed away from Chase, so would he.

He was in a strange mood when he got home. He changed into the pyjamas Aunix had gotten him and slipped under the sheets, holding his phone tightly.

He wanted to talk to Aunix. Hear his voice. Not have to type everything out. He hadn’t approached the subject because he was scared his voice was recognisable, that Aunix, even if he didn’t watch hockey, would hear it somehow and know it was little, faulty Chase that he was wooing, not whatever his daddy imagined him to be.

He’d found the perfect voice distortion app, though. He fumbled through it, reading out the passages it showed him until the app had a sample of his voice. He heard back the altered one—it sounded kind of like him, but not enough to be recognisable.

He set it up so it was always running when Lookr was being used so that he could make phone calls or send videos while it changed his voice.

He switched to Lookr, thumb hovering over the mike icon. He could feel his cheeks pink up, chest feeling all squirmy like he was about to do a presentation in class.

This was so dumb. It wasn’t even his voice. Aunix wasn’t going to hate it.

He swiped on the icon, starting the voice memo.

“Hey, Daddy. I, uhm…had a pretty good night. Work went well. Went out with my coworkers to a bar, but I was thinking about you constantly…still am, honestly. Anyway, I don’t have anything to say, really. Just that. I really like you. Really, really like you. Anyway…hope you’ve had a good night.”

He finished the recording and it sent automatically.

Chase groaned. ‘I really, really like you’? He was such a dork.

He plugged his charger into the phone, wrapped himself up in his sheets, and prayed for sleep.

***

The combination of alcohol and embarrassment had Chase sleeping fitfully. He got out of bed practically with the sun, eyes gritty from the exhaustion.

He showered the gunk of the previous night off his skin, putting on something comfortable and making himself a strong cup of coffee before looking at his phone.