Outplayed - An MM, Double Bi-Awakening, College Roommates Romance

12. Chapter 12

Friday morning, I came out of my bedroom yawning and stretching. I had a late night last night from working at the bar, but Cooper asked me to go running this morning with him. Who knew how he talked me into it? I ran often, but not this early. He liked to run early, before classes, and my first class didn’t start until after lunch for a reason. I worked late a lot and needed to sleep in. Oh, well. A promise was a promise.

It had been a couple of weeks after our first endeavor into the bro-job world, and I ached to do it again, but the timing needed to be right. Despite what Mac had suggested, I didn’t want to simply bang on Cooper’s door and ask to blow him. It felt rude or something, especially since he wasn’t ready to blow me. While Cooper had been open to the idea, he didn’t jump into life spontaneously like me. He didn’t dive into anything head-first without looking at the entire picture.

Digging around in the fridge, I pulled out some milk and sliced berries I kept stored in a container. Then, I started making oatmeal for breakfast. Once the oats simmered on the stove, I brewed some coffee. Cooper hated my coffee, so he’d been buying whole coffee beans and grinding them now. It was pretty good, so I didn’t care.

“Morning,” he said, shuffling out of his room, yawning, and sitting down on the barstool by the kitchen counter. “Dude, you’re naked again.”

I looked down, and sure enough, I forgot to put on clothes. It was a hard habit to break since I’d been doing it every day of my life since I’d been on my own and in my room when I lived at home. I shrugged. “Sorry. Would you make sure the oatmeal doesn’t burn while I put on some shorts?”

I walked off toward my bedroom before he grabbed my arm. “Forget it.”

“Forget what?”

“Just whatever… I’ve seen you naked so much now that it barely fazes me anymore.”

I raised a brow with a hopeful smile on my face. “You mean that you don’t care?”

He smiled back at me, shaking his head. “Nah, I’m used to it, and I’ve already seen your dick up close and personal. Besides, this is who you are. I don’t want to change that. Just… be yourself, dude.”

My heart beat fast, and I vibrated with this urge to hug and kiss him. He was fucking amazing.

“Holy shit, if I weren’t naked right now, I’d hug you.”

“Just… yeah, maybe don’t do that.”

I snorted a laugh, filled with weird tingles in my stomach. Best roommate ever.

After breakfast, we drove to Lady Bird Lake downtown to go running. It was a gorgeous area full of trees and much prettier than running on the sidewalks near the university. The morning was in the mid-seventies, with not a cloud in the sky and the leaves having yet changed colors. That wouldn’t happen until closer to the end of November.

The area was busy, even for a weekday, with people running or riding their bikes. Some took their dogs to play in the water or fetch in the field at the park.

After doing some stretches together, we finally took off at a run fast enough to burn calories, but not so fast that we ran out of steam too quickly.

“Who are you all playing tomorrow?” I asked, out of breath as we jogged along the dirt trail that was wide enough for joggers, walkers, and bikers to share.

“University of Houston.”

“They’ll be easy to beat, I’m sure.”

“I don’t know. They’re pretty good this year.”

“You can do it.”

We took a break from running to drink some water while I wiped my sweaty face with my gym shirt hanging in the band of my shorts. “So, Entropy is playing tomorrow night. I know you’ve got a game and all…”

“I’d love to see you all play finally, and I’m sorry I haven’t yet. But I’ll try to see you. The game is over at three, so I’m sure I”ll make it there. If I can’t, I’ll text you.”

“Cool.”

‘So, you want to go home and hit the showers together so I can suck you down again?’

I didn’t ask that as much as I wanted to. But I could ask him in a roundabout way, right?

“How’s the girlfriend hunting going?” I asked.

Cooper side-eyed me, looking too sexy with his red hair already sweaty and flopping in his face. “It’s not.”

“There isn’t a girl in one of your classes who you find attractive?”

If you’re lonely, I’m available.

“Does it make me sound like an arrogant prick that girls approach me all the time?”

“Nah, man. I mean, look at you.”

He chuffed a laugh, but I couldn’t tell if he was blushing or not since his face was already red from exertion.

“I don’t know, Asp. I’m just not into any of them right now. I swear fucking Amanda broke something in me. It’s not those girls’ fault, but I’m kind of having trust issues right now.”

“It hurts to be betrayed like that, making it harder to get over. But you’re not broken, Coop. You’re behaving as any normal person would after being cheated on. In fact, you’re better than most. You never complain about her or rant about what a horrible person she is. You’re being pretty mature about it all.”

“Thanks. It’s not only the trust thing. I can’t help but think I failed somehow—failed her. What if I did something to push her or ruin something? What if I wasn’t good enough in the bedroom?”

No way he wasn’t good enough in the bedroom. He was so sexy. I couldn’t see it. “You can’t blame yourself for her cheating. Sorry. If things weren’t working for her, she could have used her fucking words.”

He looked at me, but I couldn’t read his face, except that he didn’t look convinced.

We went back to running again, and when our legs burned, we stopped for a bit to walk it off and drink some more water. I dumped some on my head to cool down.

“How about you? Surely, there are girls at the bar whenever you work. There must be tons to choose from.”

I fingered my dripping curls away from my face. “Yeah, I’ve had a lot of sex, but the one-nighters grow old after a while. It’s not just that, but having to keep explaining to them that I don’t want a relationship or try for more can be frustrating for both of us. I have nothing against them, but I know me. I”m sure I”ll know when the person who”s meant for me comes along.”

Cooper looked thoughtful for a moment, drinking his water before he nodded. “But how would you if you don’t try?”

He made a good point. It was hard to get to know someone on a one-night stand, especially late at night, with barely any talking and learning about each other. “A vibe, maybe? Whatever it is, something keeps me from pursuing them. Don’t get me wrong. I love the ladies, and not only to fuck them. I have some great friends who are girls, too.”

“I’m sure you’ll find someone. You’re a catch, Asp.”

So was Cooper.

I was stoked for tonight. Our band Entropy got a good gig on 6th Street at a bar that had a slightly bigger venue. Well, it was big for 6th Street, and it had a little dance floor, which would mean more money and tips. If we put on a good show, we could get more gigs there. We didn’t do this to be famous or anything, which was kind of hard to do as a cover band, but it was a fun endeavor while in college. None of us had any plans to continue in the music industry, not as rock musicians, anyway. And while I loved to tinker with music and write lyrics, I didn’t think I was good enough to be successful at it, so I never bothered to pursue it seriously.

I sat on the edge of the stage at Eagan’s Bar, with a beer next to me, and tuned my guitar while the rest of the band set up their own instruments. Eliza and Sophie sat at the bar chatting, always the best groupies whenever we played.

The place was already filling up with college students and tourists. Hopefully, they’d stick around to listen to us play for the rest of the night. The key was to play catchy, popular tunes that got everyone pumped up and dancing, so my friends and I curated a list of pop and classic rock songs.

Eagan’s was not unlike most bars on 6th Street. It was narrow, full of dark, scuffed wood floors and bars. But this place had a second story with a dance floor that had a DJ. Then, the stairs continued to the rooftop with another bar and some chill vibe music. Because of the three sections, the place was popular. It had been a lot of hard work to sell us, but I”d managed to get Entropy in here.

“This night is going to be a fucking blast,” Mac said before chugging his beer. “Man, I need to find a girl tonight. I’m fucking sick of my hand. You too, Asp. Maybe we’ll get lucky.”

I smiled up at him. “Yep, maybe.”

Zayne tuned his bass guitar with an unlit cigarette hanging out of his mouth. It was his thing, though he never smoked. He claimed it made him look edgy, like a bad boy. “You don’t sound too excited there, Asp. Bored with the ladies already?”

Not that I was bored, but that I couldn’t force Cooper out of my brain, and I didn”t want to. I hoped he would come to see the show tonight. I’d invited him, and he said he’d try to make it after his game.

God, I was still so eager for another bro-job and nearly asked him again last night, but chickened out. The last time I got to suck him off had been amazing, and I wanted so much more. It was so different from the ladies, which set the arousal bar extremely high. Fuck, I’d been horny as hell ever since, jerking off to Cooper’s little noises and moans, and better than any dirty talk.

Then the epiphany hit. That had to be it. I’d been so turned on, more than I ever had with a girl, that I knew getting together with a woman again wouldn’t be the same. I needed more of Cooper, not ready to let him go before we barely had a chance to explore this thing.

The best part about it all had been watching Cooper loosen up and give himself over to me. So fucking sexy.

“Earth to Aspen?” Mac said, squatting next to me.

“Huh?”

“You okay, man?”

I gave him a beaming smile. “Never better.” I stood and put my guitar on its stand. “We all ready for tonight? Did everyone get the playlist order I sent?”

“Got mine,” Ethan said, sitting down at his drums and banging away at them.

Zayne placed the large tip jar on the edge of the stage. “I’m ready.” He jumped down and went to grab Eliza from behind at the bar and nuzzled her neck before ordering a drink.

We were set to go on in about twenty minutes, so I hopped off the stage and yanked off my T-shirt. I hated wearing jeans, but if I was playing as a rocker tonight, I needed to fit the part. Through the dim light and growing crowd, I made my way to the bar and ordered a shot of tequila with salt and lime.

“Getting drunk already? You haven’t even started yet,” said the sexy voice I’d grown quite familiar with, especially in my waking dreams.

I turned to find Cooper looking hot in ripped jeans and a fitted black T-shirt, enjoying the dip in my stomach at seeing him. “Coop! You came!” I pulled him into a quick hug that was short enough not to be weird but long enough for me to inhale him, smelling of a fresh, woodsy scent, which was different from his other one. Did he buy a new cologne?

“I told you I’d come. Looking forward to hearing you guys. Bryce and Ronnie are at an after-game party, so they won’t make it.”

“Oh, shit, man… if you need to go to that, it’s cool.” Though I mentally begged him to stay.

He nudged my shoulder with his. “I’ve been to too many already. I came to see you play.”

“Sweet.” I beamed at him as those strange stomach flutters kept happening. “So, ah, congrats on the win against Houston. Let’s have a shot to celebrate.”

“Sounds good.”

After we ordered drinks, Cooper and I clinked our shot glasses, licked the salt off our hands, and tossed back the tequila. The burn instantly hit, and we quickly sucked down our limes.

“Whoo!” I shouted. “That shit will grow chest hair on your chest hair, not that I have any chest hair.”

Cooper laughed, and we did one more shot together before I grabbed another beer and headed to the stage to get ready. I picked up my guitar and stood at the mic as the music playing overhead turned down.

“How’s everyone doing tonight?” I asked into the microphone, looking over the sea of heads walking onto the dance floor in front of us. They were mostly young, cute college girls in skimpy crop tops and tight jeans.

Screams and cheers spread throughout the place in response. Now, I was in my element, loving to be the center of attention when it came to playing music. It was like how Cooper felt when he played football. When the crowd stared up at you, all smiles and banging their heads to the beat, could be ego-boosting. The joy, excitement, and energy washed over me, pumping me up to play.

I winked at the girls below before looking up and seeing Cooper leaning his back against the bar with a beer glass in his hand. He gave me a wave, and I smiled back.

“I’m Viper, and we are Entropy!”

Screams rang out, but our music cut them off as we dove right into playing ‘Shut Up and Dance’ by Walk the Moon. Midway through the song, I began bouncing on the stage to the upbeat tempo. It was the perfect fucking song to get the crowd going and dancing. What made it more amazing was when they sang along. Sometimes, I’d hang the microphone into the crowd so they would sing the chorus. That always got them pumped up.

After a few upbeat songs, we slowed things down. Jumping around singing was one thing, but testing out my lungs was another. It could be more nerve-racking because it made it easier to mess up and go off-key.

I pulled out my acoustic guitar and sat on the barstool provided to me, with the sweat dripping off me from being under the glare of the lights and bouncing around on the small stage. But before I struck my first cord, Cooper shoved his way through the crowd to hand me a cold bottle of water—my hero. I smiled and chugged it down, loving that he stuck around by the stage to watch. Or that he even thought about me needing water.

Now, to test my falsetto by singing ‘Hold Back the River’ by James Bay. I especially loved playing this song because of the slow build. The crowd would sway and be completely transfixed as long as I could stay on point. By the end of it, they would be bouncing around.

I glanced over at Cooper again, who stared at me intently, looking gorgeous and serious but casual, leaning against a pillar with his arms folded against his firm chest. The muscles in his arms were more pronounced, and I suddenly had the urge to lick them. Then, my stomach did one of those weird flops again—a strong one. It was something I hadn’t experienced in a long time, telling me that maybe a new road was opening up for me—another hike to a different adventure. I wouldn’t be Aspen Harper if I didn’t take it.