Chapter 10
FELIX
Felix had slept terribly after going over his date with Ryder.
It had been wonderful until people had recognized Ryder and started making comments.
Those women had known exactly how to get to Felix—homing in on his insecurities and attacking him like a school of piranhas.
The problem was, he couldn’t argue with what they were saying.
Ryder Quinn was completely out of his league.
He could have anyone he wanted, so why was he with Felix?
Could it be some kind of a bet like those girls had said?
Apparently, Ryder liked to wager with his friends, and Felix was probably some experiment to see if he could get the nerdy redhead to fall for the fitness model as quickly as possible.
It was clear Ryder wanted to push things along into the bedroom, but Felix was the one holding back.
And why was he doing that? Because deep down, he knew once he slept with Ryder, he’d move on.
An optimistic part of Felix hoped he could turn Ryder from the fuckboy he was known as to someone who would want to have a relationship.
He was kidding himself, but couldn’t help getting swept up in the fantasy.
The caring, considerate man who had wiped away his tears at Epicure earlier in the week was the man he was falling for, not the social media guy everyone wanted a piece of.
He’d been in bed catastrophizing long enough.
Laura had left for work an hour ago, and all he’d done was sit in bed and run through every scenario he could think of for why dating Ryder was a bad idea.
But part of him kept coming back to the passion in their kisses.
There was no way to fake the intensity of the way he looked at Felix .
. . was there? He was a social media influencer and a model; he had to act all the time.
Argh! He needed to stop this! He reached for his phone and opened one of the social media apps, then closed it immediately.
The last thing he should do is doomscroll.
He needed to get ready for the wedding he had on today.
It would be the first time using his new camera on a gig, which made him think of Ryder again.
Felix got out of bed before he could spiral any more.
The shower was a quick one—no lingering today.
He’d spent too long lazing in bed, and his gig started in an hour.
He wore dress trousers and a smart shirt.
The grooms hadn’t insisted on him being suited and booted, which was better for moving around all day, but he still wanted to be respectful of the occasion.
It wasn’t like he’d be in any of the photos.
Once he was happy with how he looked, he grabbed his new camera and kit, and was out the door.
He’d ordered an Uber to the venue, as it was easier than schlepping on the subway with everything.
Lucas and Westley were getting married at Chelsea Piers, and the venue had a stunning view of the Hudson River.
It was all lit up for Christmas, and had been decorated to the couple’s taste.
They hadn’t wanted to do pictures at home, getting into the car and all that buildup that was favored by brides.
He shouldn’t think this, but wedding photography was a lot easier when there was no bride.
Although to be fair, he’d had to deal with a few diva queens who would put Mariah Carey to shame.
He took a few test shots of the venue, to get a feel for the place and what would work well for the ceremony and reception, which were both being held here.
It was an all-day gig, but he loved doing gay weddings.
To think, there was a time when this wasn’t even dreamed of being possible.
The world was still a scary place, but being able to get married was possible because of the people who’d come before.
He found many people his own age forgot about that.
One day, this could be him getting married to the love of his life.
Not in a place like this—a bit out of his price range—but it would be somewhere that would be perfect for them.
Whoever this faceless man was. An image of Ryder popped into his head, looking hot as fuck in a wedding suit, but he shook it away.
There was no way he was going down that fantasy path.
The wedding ceremony had been beautiful.
To see two men so in love, and their friends and family cheering for them, was heartwarming.
Even though he missed his family, he was pleased that wasn’t everyone’s story.
The reception was now in full swing. The food was delicious, and the grooms had insisted Felix get a meal.
That rarely happened at weddings, and he was grateful for it.
There was some chatter going on at the top table, and Lucas was in fits of laughter with his new mother-in-law.
It was a great shot, and Felix was delighted to have caught it.
“Fancy seeing you here,” said a familiar voice behind him.
He turned to see Mason, giving off his whole tall, dark, and brooding vibe in a suit. He must be a guest, rather than working the catering, and Felix smiled at him, then went back to taking shots. He needed to focus on what he was doing, not be distracted about everything Ryder Quinn.
“Felix. I just wanted to check in on how you’re doing with everything?”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“You and Ryder.”
“You mean after our date at the restaurant?”
A look flashed over Mason’s face, which he covered quickly, but Felix had seen it. The only way to describe it was shock, but he wasn’t sure why. Had Ryder not told his friends about going on another date with Felix?
“I’ll leave you to your work, but could we have a quick chat before you go?”
“Of course. I’m here for a while yet.”
Mason smiled and patted his shoulder. There was a look of compassion in his eyes. What the fuck was that all about? He shook it off and got back to his job.
The rest of the reception went past in a blur.
Moving speeches, a first dance that brought people to tears, followed by rapturous applause, and the cake cutting was his exit time.
Not wanting to speak to Mason, he thought about just leaving, but he didn’t want to be rude to the grooms. He found them cozied up to the side, away from the crowd who were tearing up the dance floor.
“I just came to say goodbye.”
“Felix,” said Lucas, jumping up and pulling him into a hug,
Okay, he was drunk. Felix chuckled.
“You’re welcome to put the camera away, and just stay and enjoy yourself.”
“That’s very kind of you, but I want to get a good night’s sleep so I can get to work on the pictures tomorrow and get them over to you.”
“Can’t wait to see them, and sorry about what happened. I think you’re taking it very well. You’ve been nothing but professional all day.”
What was he talking about? The look on his face must have told them.
“Have you looked at social media today?” asked Westley, concern written all over his face.
“No. I don’t look at my phone when I’m working. What’s going on?”
“Did you have a date last night with Ryder Quinn?”
His stomach dropped and his body prickled with fear. What had happened? All he could do was nod his head.
“Some pictures of your date were posted online, and it kind of went viral,” said Lucas.
He felt faint, and must have stumbled, because before he knew it he was being seated, and Westley had been ordered to get him a drink by Lucas. The next few minutes were a blur as he gulped water, and then what tasted like vodka and tonic.
“I’ll get him home,” said that familiar voice again.
“Mason. What’s happened? Is Ryder okay?”
“He’s just worried about you. Said he’s been trying to call you all day.”
“I have my phone off when I’m working.”
“That might be a good thing.”
“Why?” He dreaded the answer.
“There have been some comments from people who have an opinion about your relationship with Ryder.”
He hadn’t even thought of that. Oh, God. What was he going to do? Could this affect his business? He didn’t need to look at the comments to guess what they were saying. It would be a repeat of what he’d said to himself in his own head. He wasn’t good enough for Ryder, who could do a lot better.
“You ready to get out of here?” asked Mason.
Felix nodded and said goodbye again to the grooms, who looked concerned. He felt awful for bringing this cloud to their wedding day, but they seemed more worried about him than anything else. What wonderful men they were. He hoped they planned to have kids as they’d be amazing fathers.
“Do you all use town cars?” asked Felix, when he saw what was waiting for him.
Mason chuckled. “Not all of us. Deacon, Max, and Ethan like to keep it real, as they put it.”
Felix snorted. “Let me guess. Those guys are all taken?”
“Most of them.”
They got into the car and drove off, and neither of them said anything for a while.
Felix took out his cellphone and turned it on.
Mason was looking out the window. Once his cell had a signal, it went crazy with notifications.
His social media was going berserk, but he also had missed calls and messages.
There were a dozen from Laura, and half that from Ryder.
Others from friends, some of whom he hadn’t spoken to in ages.
His email inbox had over a hundred messages in it as well. What the fuck was happening?
He opened one of his social media apps and had to do a double take. There were over a thousand notifications and his follower numbers had dropped by two thousand. He wasn’t sure where to start and was startled when Mason’s hand covered the phone.
“You should wait until you get home to look at all that.”
“How bad is it?”
“I know this is easy for me to say, because I’ve had time to get used to it, but the trolls on social media are nobodies. Their opinions don’t matter. You’re best to just ignore them.”
Mason’s phone rang. He answered.