Chapter 13
Brad
Joey starts moving backwards once I stop strangling him with my limbs. His eyes stay on my face, making sure I’m okay.
I give him a clipped nod.
As soon as his feet leave the pool floor and we start to float, my legs tighten around him on instinct.
“It’s okay,” he says soothingly, using his arms to keep us at the top of the water. “Relax your legs, bub. I’ve got you, okay? Just…relax for me.”
I do. It takes concerted effort, but I finally relax my death grip on Joey’s waist.
“Good,” he says, voice low. “Can you let go? Just for now. Float with me?”
He chuckles when I shoot him a glare.
“Christ,” he whispers. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you make that face.”
“It’s my you’re being an idiot face. Usually, you’re not an idiot.”
He gives my leg a tiny pinch, and I squawk.
“You don’t have to let go of my shoulders,” he says. “Just unwrap your legs and float with me. It’ll be easier, I promise.”
I don’t like the sound of it, but considering I also don’t want to drown Joey— and myself by proxy —I unwind my legs. One at a time. Slowly.
“There you go,” he says, giving me a big smile that makes me feel better. Until he adds, “What a good boy.”
“Don’t mock me,” I grumble.
“I’m not,” he says with a soft chuckle. “You’re doing good. I’m going to swim backwards now, okay? Just let yourself be tugged along.”
I can do that. Easy peasy. Go with the flow .
Joey starts to move, and I inhale sharply, clinging to him harder.
“Watch the neck,” he rasps.
“Fudge,” I mutter, loosening my arms. “Sorry.”
“It’s fine,” he says. “Look, you’re doing it.”
I open my eyes to realize he’s right. Not that I’m doing much of anything. But Joey is paddling us around, and I’m along for the ride like some sort of barnacle. A barnacle that’s essentially lying on top of him.
“You’re my own personal Joey-float,” I say with a huff of laughter. “And I didn’t even have to blow you.” A second passes—the quietest second in existence—before I hastily add, “ Up. I didn’t have to blow you up.”
He chuckles, his eyes practically sparkling as he swims around the deep end of the pool. “Nope. I’m all prepped and ready to go.”
I squint at him. “Was that an anal joke?”
Joey sputters, the both of us sinking several inches in the water before he recovers, at which point I’m certain I’ve already died. “We’re good,” he says, his palm settling at the back of my head.
“Both hands in the water,” I eke out.
He obliges, letting go and paddling with two arms again. Once I can breathe, I realize my face is pressed up against Joey’s chest. He has surprisingly little hair, and I idly wonder if that’s natural or if he shaves.
Comfortable enough, I stay put. Joey is warm, even though the water is cool.
“Want to try floating on your own?” he asks.
“No.”
“Okay… How about kicking your feet?”
“I’m good.”
He huffs a laugh, the motion making his chest rise. His pecs are on the larger side, I notice. It’s not even that I haven’t seen them before, but it’s certainly the first time I’ve had an up-close and personal view of one.
I’ve always loved tits. I love lying on them, all soft and squishy, like pillows. Love tracing their curves with my fingers or tongue. Love sucking on them, even.
And holy mother of God , I am not imagining sucking Joey’s pec.
Fucking—
“Brad,” Joey says in alarm as I unintentionally flail away from him. He grabs hold of me before I can sink, and I’m back to clinging, my legs around his waist, my pulse trying to convince me I’m having a heart attack. “Are you okay?”
“Fine,” I breathe, so not fine.
Joey keeps one arm around me as he paddles toward the edge of the pool. He grabs on, keeping us stable as I catch my breath.
I’m suddenly acutely aware of the fact that my crotch is pressed against Joey’s. That I’m wrapped around him almost intimately. That he’s a gay man who, once upon a time, thought we were going on a date.
I don’t know what he sees on my face—have no clue what emotions I’m broadcasting—but Joey’s eyes dip down, to my mouth maybe? And then he twists in a way that forces distance between us.
“Here,” he says, guiding me to grab on to the edge of the pool.
I do, transferring my weight, watching Joey’s expression. What was that emotion just then?
“You boys okay?” Sonia calls.
I shoot her a quick thumbs-up. “Yep. Just fine. I’m not a very good swimmer,” I admit.
Sonia smiles softly. “That’s okay. It took my kids a long time to be comfortable enough to even try. You’re doing great.”
I give her an appreciative nod before resting my chest against the smooth tiles lining the pool, my arms on the sun-warmed concrete above. Joey is quiet next to me, and I glance at his profile, wondering why I never noticed how well-defined his pecs are. Not that it’s a surprise. He’s a fit dude.
Fit yet soft.
“You like challah?” I ask him.
His brow furrows as he looks my way. “Sure?”
“Yeah,” I say quietly. “It’s nice.”
Joey clears his throat. “Want to try floating in place? Just a little?”
I give a slow nod. “Yeah. Might as well give it a shot.”
Joey pushes off from the edge with an encouraging smile. He explains to me what to do. That he’ll help support my arms while I get my bearings. That, once I feel comfortable, he’ll let me go. That I should use my arms and legs as needed to keep myself in place.
Sounds easy enough.
Turns out floating in place is fucking hard. But Joey makes it fun. After several attempts, I manage it for about three seconds before grabbing for Joey’s arm.
“You’re getting the hang of it,” he says.
“Sure,” I agree. “Now I know if I go overboard at sea, I’ll have just enough time to panic before slipping under.”
Joey’s expression is almost reproachful, his lips twisted into a wry smile. “You’ll get it,” he says. “It just takes time. Want to try floating on your back instead?”
“Oh, hell no,” I say, immediately wincing as I check where the kids are. I lower my voice, even though they’re far away. “Heck no. You never turn your back on a foe, Joey.”
He stifles a laugh. “Fair enough.”
“I do want to try going under, though. Could you hang on so I don’t sink to the bottom?”
“Sure,” he says, clasping my arm tight.
I grab his elbow as he holds mine, and then I let myself drop, which takes more effort than I thought it would. I don’t open my eyes under the surface, not sure how the chlorine would feel, but I do blow a couple bubbles, my hair feeling as if it’s floating around my face. It’s nice, the sensation of weightlessness, Joey’s hand like a tether keeping me from floating away.
When I kick upwards, Joey gives me a tug. I break the surface with a grin, wiping the water off my face. Joey looks…serious, almost. He’s not smiling.
“What?” I ask, not liking a not-smiling Joey.
He shakes his head, his eyes skimming over my face. “Nothing, bub. Want to get out or stay a while?”
Noticing a couple of Joey’s cousins heading toward the pool, I decide my swimming lesson is probably done for the day. “Would you hang out with me on the kiddie side?”
He nods, motioning me toward his back. With a grin, I loop my arms over his shoulders and hang on as Joey swims to the shallow end of the pool. I let go once my feet can touch the bottom.
“I’ll grab us some water,” he says, diving forward with a few powerful strokes before standing upright, his waist clear above the surface. Water cascades down his shoulders and back, along his spine, over the fabric sticking to his—
“ Ahh ,” I murmur, looking away. What is wrong with me? A bro does not objectify his fellow bro’s ass, no matter their gender.
Sonia makes an amused sound. “Thirsty, hun?”
“Yeah,” I admit. I am kinda parched. Good thing Joey is grabbing us drinks. “He’ll be back soon,” I let her know.
“I can’t imagine he’d be able to stay away for long,” she says. “You two are absolutely adorable, by the way. It’s good to see my cousin happy.”
Heh. That’s…nice.
“I want to see him happy, too,” I land on.
She gives me a smile, and I head over to the stairs, taking a seat half in the water as Iggy and Reggie cannonball into the deep end. Iggy sends me a wave that I return.
When Joey comes back, handing me a bottled water and taking a seat beside me, I remember what I forgot to mention earlier.
“Hey, are you free Thursday night?”
“Think so,” he says. “Why?”
“I found you a date,” I tell him excitedly. “A really good one. I’ve been talking to this guy for over a week, and I think you’ll really like him.”
Joey is quiet, his hand suspended mid-twist on his water bottle cap.
“Unless you already have plans?” I say tentatively. “We could probably move it to another day. I haven’t bought the tickets yet.”
“Tickets?” he says, voice even.
“Yeah, a baseball game. Thought that’d be fun. I know you’ve been watching some of the games since moving here, and Logan is a big sports fan.”
“Logan,” he repeats.
“Yeah,” I say again, giving Joey’s foot a nudge with my own under the water. “Everything okay?”
He finishes uncapping his water, downing a couple sips before facing me. “You really want me to go on this date?”
I frown. “Of course. You didn’t think I’d forgotten about being the best wingman ever, did you? I’m not planning on letting you down, Joey-roo.”
He searches my face for a moment before nodding slowly. “All right. I’ll give it a try.”
“That’s the spirit,” I say, tousling his wet hair some. It’s so much fun I do it again, running my fingers through the strands until they’re sticking up straight.
Joey, I realize, is watching me with an odd expression.
“Sorry,” I mumble, smoothing his hair back down. “So, Thursday?”
“Thursday,” he agrees.
I mentally pump my fist. Thursday night, Joey and I will meet Logan. And who knows? Maybe my friend will fall deep in love.
It’s late when Joey drops me off. We stayed at his family get-together all afternoon and into the evening. Everyone was so nice and welcoming, and I completely understand why Joey is happy to be here with them.
It makes me happy for him.
I take a quick shower to wash the pool off me before plopping onto my couch and calling Jason. He’s been busy all week, so we haven’t had a chance to talk.
“Hey,” he says.
“Birdieeeee,” I crow.
“Oh Lord.”
“Guess what? I swam in a pool today. Well, sorta. I didn’t swim so much as assisted glide , but it was awesome. Joey’s teaching me. He said we can go back anytime.”
Jason is silent for a beat, and I pop a chip into my mouth.
“Teaching you?” he finally asks. “What do you mean?”
“He’s teaching me how to swim.”
“You…you don’t know how to swim? How didn’t I know that?”
“I dunno,” I say with a shrug. “Guess it never really came up. Not like we ever went to the beach or anything.”
“I…” He trails off with what sounds suspiciously like a growl. “The fuck. I feel like a terrible friend for not knowing that.”
“Hey, man. It’s okay. Not your fault. I bet you didn’t know I like having my face sat on, either. Some things just don’t come up in conversation.”
“Bee,” my friend says slowly. “The fact that you’re putting queening and not knowing how to swim in the same category is—you know what? No. It’s not weird at all. I don’t even know why I’m surprised. So you saw Joey again today?”
“Yeah,” I tell him, eating another chip as I hitch my heel up on the coffee table. “I see him most days, actually. It’s nice. I like spending time with him.”
“That so?” he says, drawing out the words.
“Mhm. Not that I don’t like hanging out with you, too!” I make sure to add, not wanting the dude to get jealous again. “It’s just different. He’s my baby kangaroo. But don’t call him that.”
“I…wasn’t planning on it.”
“We’re going on a date Thursday. Well, not him and me, obviously. Us and Logan. Him and Logan, but I’ll be there.”
“Sure,” he says faintly.
“I’m not leaving anything up to chance this time,” I explain. “I even vetted the guy. Extensively . We’ve been chatting every night for days.”
“Sure,” he says again, slower. “You weren’t talking to him through Joey’s dating profile, though, were you?”
“Yeah?”
There’s a brief pause. “Please tell me he knows he was talking to you ? Not Joey?”
“Oh, yeah, man,” I assure him, to which Jason puffs out a breath. “I just explained I’m Joey’s new bud and that I needed to make sure he passed muster before I let him at the goods. So far, he has. He’s nice, is open to marriage and kids, seems pretty cute, has a stable job doing tax prep, and he’s even got green eyes.”
“Joey likes green eyes?” Jason asks.
“Yep. Honestly, I think this guy might be the winner.”
And then, once Joey has his man, I dunno… Maybe I could focus on dating again, too. It’s kind of slipped my mind as of late.
“Can I ask you something?” Jason says, sounding serious.
Uh-oh .
“Sure?”
“Say Joey and this guy hit it off,” he says. “Maybe they start dating for real. And, maybe, Joey has less time for you. Would that bother you?”
I take a second to truly consider it, even as my gut churns uncomfortably.
“I mean, it’d suck, but I want him to be happy,” I answer. “I guess if that means I come second, I’d just have to be okay with that, right?”
Jason makes a small sound of acknowledgment, but the question sticks with me.
Because I don’t want to lose Joey’s time.
And, even though it makes no sense whatsoever, I don’t want to come second.