Chapter 26
ALEXEI
Matteo and I agree on the following Friday for our first real date.
As we ride his Civic to the drive-in movie theater, I notice the butterflies in my stomach. I shouldn’t be this nervous and excited for a guy I’m already calling my boyfriend, but here we are.
After Matteo finds a spot in front of the screen for the movie, we head to the concession stands, where there’s a line leading to the counter.
I flex my hand as an impulse rises within me, and I surrender to it, taking Matteo’s hand, relieved at how he interlocks his fingers with mine. It feels so fucking natural, as though our hands are made for each other the way our bodies seem to be.
“So how big a popcorn do we need to get?” Matteo asks. “Because I have to warn you, I can really throw it back.”
“Uh-oh, this might be a deal-breaker for me because I’m also an animal with the popcorn.”
“So two large? They give free refills, so the person who’s slowest can go get a refill while the other keeps on doing the hard work of getting all the popcorn eaten.”
“I don’t know if you want to do that much running back and forth,” I tell him.
We share a laugh as the line inches forward.
“I’ll also grab a Twix,” I say.
“Ah, a Twix guy, really? I would have pegged you for Snickers all the way.”
“I don’t have any beef with Snickers, but I prefer the texture of a nice Twix bar.”
“I like this first date, Alexei. I’m learning so much about my boyfriend already.”
We’ve both been very liberal with our use of that word since we became official, and I have no complaints.
As the line creeps up a little more, the door pings behind us. I glance over my shoulder and see Seth and Cody walk in. Seth’s gaze zeroes in on our hands, and he smiles as he steps up behind us. “Well, well,” he says. “Look at the lovebirds.”
“We could say the same thing,” Matteo teases, which has Cody and Seth chuckling, but neither contradicts it.
What is going on between these two?
“Since we’re not going home for spring break on account of the whole figuring this shit out with the Saints,” Cody says, “I thought we should at least get out and do something fun.”
“I have a feeling I know what you guys will be up to all through the break,” Seth notes.
“I hope you’re not wrong,” I say.
“I wish I could hold hands with my date,” Cody jokes, and Seth makes a big, dramatic eye roll before taking his hand, which gets Cody laughing. “I mean, if I can just say what I want, maybe I can add that I wouldn’t mind a little action tonight.”
That gets us all busting up.
“You guys are wild,” I say.
We chat some more before Matteo and I are up to order. After the clerk makes our popcorn, we grab our stash, pour our drinks at the fountain, and tell the guys bye before heading back to the car.
After we get ourselves situated, Matteo says, “So…Cody and Seth…you don’t think Seth has even a little bit of a bi impulse?”
“I mean, if he did, I don’t know why they wouldn’t have just banged already.”
“Maybe they have and just don’t talk about it.”
“But you saw how Seth grabbed Cody’s hand. Why wouldn’t he be out and proud with Cody if that’s what’s going on?”
“Fair point,” Matteo says, sneaking a glance my way. He reaches over and takes my hand again, rubbing the back.
“What?” I ask.
“I just like this. Sitting here, gossiping with my boyfriend about some guys we know. That’s what a relationship is, right? We go do chill shit, fill our bellies, and talk about people behind their backs.”
“It’s the only kind of relationship I want to be in.”
Matteo beams, then grabs a piece of popcorn. “Open up.”
I do, and when he tosses it, I work extra hard to get it in my mouth. This quickly transitions into a game as we toss popcorn back and forth, seeing who’s the first to miss. I’m pissed when it’s me.
“Fuckin’ A,” I say. “Something you need to know about me is that I’m a sore loser.”
“Well, that makes two of us. I don’t know how well that’s gonna go for a relationship.”
“Ooh, if that’s the case, I might just need to cut you loose now,” I tease.
He snatches another piece of popcorn from the bag. “Here, I’ll do one more, so you have a chance to win back your pride. But let’s make this one a little spicy. What should we do if you get it?”
“You bottom tonight?”
His eyes widen, his jaw drops, and I’m disappointed that it’s such a surprise.
“Is that not something you’d want to do?” I ask.
“It’s crossed my mind, but I was having so much fun in your ass, I hadn’t really thought much about it.”
“Well, you don’t have to do that. I was just…” I trail off, wishing I hadn’t said it.
His eyebrows tug together, and he leans toward me, raising his hand and inserting the piece of popcorn into my mouth. “Uh-oh, guess I have to do it,” he says. As I’m chewing and swallowing, he’s got that mischievous grin on his face.
Excitement swirls in my chest. “Now I feel like everything leading up to now has just been one big conspiracy to get my dick in your ass.”
“Maybe it has been. Did you think summoning the dark forces of the Rift was a little much just to get a cock in me?”
“We’ll see if you think it’s worth it after we get back.” I take a kiss, enjoying the salt lingering on his tongue, then stealing some off his lips before pulling away.
“Mmm…I think I’m gonna like dating you as much as I like coming in you,” he says, and as I glare at him, he adds, “Okay, maybe I’m being overdramatic now, but still, a hell of a lot more than I would have ever expected to enjoy dating someone.”
As he offers another kiss, the audio on the radio starts up. “I…think…it’s starting,” I say between kisses.
“Previews,” he insists.
We tuck our popcorn bowls on the floorboard and continue our make-out session before the movie begins. Epic as it is, it’s hard to think about much more than what he’s agreed to…I keep having to shift in my seat to accommodate my stiff erection, my cock curious to get in that ass.
After it ends, we head back to the dorms, recapping and swapping our little critiques as we reach Matteo’s room—really, our room at this point—and then he says, “Okay, I don’t know about you, but I’m gonna need to brush my teeth before we do anything.
I don’t want to be thinking about popcorn all through what we’re about to do.
And I think I need an extra rinse because I want to be good and ready for that dick. ”
“I like the sound of that.”
We grab our things and head to the communal showers.
My dick is throbbing in the shower. As excited as I’ve been all night, now my cock is just begging me to put it out of its goddamn misery.
When we finish, we return to the room, towels around our waists, in flip-flops, touching each other plenty, kissing even more until we’re back at the door.
A sound catches our attention down the hall, and Cody and Seth step out of the stairwell door, chuckling.
They spot us and offer friendly waves, and at their room, Seth drapes his arm across Cody’s shoulders, leading him inside.
Matteo and I exchange a look, surely both of us thinking about our conversation earlier.
“Whatever’s happening there,” I say, “it’s very precious.”
I scan my key card, and we’re barely inside before Matteo’s lips crush against mine and he shoves me back against the wall.
He grabs my hand and rubs it over the towel so I can feel his hard-on. “Look what you’ve had me like all night. Next time you suggest a movie, don’t promise to fuck me after, so we can just blow each other like a normal couple and enjoy the movie.”
Despite how irritated he sounds, I feel his smile against my face.
I crush my lips back down against his. Our hands are in a frenzy, pulling off our towels as I guide him to the bed, barely pulling our lips apart to get in it until he’s straddling my waist, his hard cock thrusting against my abdomen.
“God,” he whispers after another lengthy kiss. “Your lips are so fucking incredible.” His gaze meets mine. “You’re so incredible, Alexei.”
“Syphor doesn’t seem to think so.” I meant it as a joke, or I felt like that before I said it, but something about the words as they came out rang true, stung at something in me, knowing I was so disposable to that creature.
Useless, really.
“Sorry, I don’t know where that came from,” I say. “Trauma does weird shit to you, right?”
Matteo’s nostrils flare, his jaw tightening as he rests his hand against the side of my face. “Hey, we both know Syphor was a fucking moron. He underestimated you, and that’s why he’s gone.” He studies my expression. “And I underestimated you too.”
His confession takes me by surprise. “I never felt like you underestimated me.”
“Really? Because a few months ago, I just thought you were a cool, sexy guy. I didn’t have a fucking clue that you could have this kind of power over me.
That I could spend my days thinking about this smile.
Or these eyes, like bursting stars. Or those lips…
and don’t even get me started on the ass.
” He says that with a low growl at the end.
Damn, the guy knows how to say the right thing at the right time.
“It’s more than that, though. It’s how easy it is to be with you. How safe I feel when I’m around you. How kind and considerate you are. That you’re willing to put your life on the line to save others. We had a fucked-up start, but I don’t regret any of it.”
“I don’t either.” I trail my fingers across the side of his face. “Because I don’t know that I would have ever known just what kind of guy you were if I hadn’t seen you throw yourself into trying to rescue me from a cult.”
Matteo snickers, tucking his head down like he’s embarrassed about his misunderstanding.
“It’s not funny,” I go on. “You didn’t know me. You could have ignored it, gotten on with your life, but you went out of your way to help me, a guy you barely knew. And I’m glad I got to see that side, and also your sacrifice as you went right into that frat house with me.”
I stare into those gorgeous hazel eyes, hypnotized, as he says, “I love you, Alexei.”
A powerful sensation ripples through me, shaking me to my core. It’s as though I’ve been waiting to hear those words from Matteo my entire life, and mine come so effortlessly.
“I love you too, Matteo.”
His lips are back on mine in no time, and as he rolls over, I roll with him so I’m on top.
When I lean back, he gazes up at me with an eager expression. “Fuck me, Alexei. Take this ass and make it yours.”
“With pleasure.”
As I reach over to the nightstand and grab the lube, he runs his hand down my side, stroking me and looking me over in a way that assures me Syphor didn’t know what the hell he was talking about.