9. Brick Wall #2
“No.” Jake stiffened. “No, not at all. Actually, you seemed to be having a worse time than I was.”
“Then… why?”
“I—” Jake shook his head. “Forget it. It just didn’t work out, okay?”
“Okay, okay. And the guy on the dance floor didn’t work out either?”
Jake wiped his mouth to remove the residue of the man’s chapstick still coating his lips. “Nope.”
“Lower your standards, Jake. Not everyone wants to stick it in you out here, as tough a pill as that may be for you to swallow.”
“What makes you think that’s what I even want?” Jake puffed out his chest. “If I did, I could’ve had it by now.”
“Great. Go have an existential crisis about being a slut somewhere else, then. I’m trying to have a good time here, even if you’re not.”
Jake rolled his eyes. “Jesus, that’s what I get for trying to be nice.”
“You’re not trying to be nice,” Robbie countered. “You’re trying to get on my nerves—again.”
“Oh, fuck off, Robbie. I was actually trying to help for once.”
“Well, you didn’t.”
“So you wanted to have sex with that guy?”
Robbie hesitated. “No.”
“And I got him away from you.”
Robbie sighed, clearly still annoyed. “You know what? I’m heading home. This was all a big mistake.”
“Agreed.”
They both got up, both walked to the door, and both reached for the handle to push it open. Robbie got to it first, shoving his body in front of Jake. He would have let the door slam on Jake too if Jake hadn’t been close enough to catch it and follow Robbie straight out.
The music and lights faded behind them, disappearing entirely as the door finally closed.
They were alone, the two of them, in the cool, dark night.
The sudden, muffled silence was sobering, the scent of sea breeze mixing with that damn cologne Jake hadn’t been able to get out of his nostrils all month.
Robbie picked up his pace, turning down the alley to get to his car on the other side of the building. Jake didn’t know why, but he kept following Robbie despite the fact that his car was in the opposite direction. Well, he did know, but it scared him too much to think about it.
Halfway down the alley, Robbie stopped short and turned on his heel. “Why are you following me?” he asked, the bite in his voice making Jake flinch.
“Why did you come to the bar tonight?” Jake asked in return.
“The same reason you did.”
Jake shook his head. “Not good enough.”
Robbie was quiet. He was caught between having to lie to Jake and definitely not get away with, or tell the truth and…
“I came here to see you.”
A cold, stark fear churned in Jake’s stomach. Robbie was telling the truth. He would never lie about that.
Robbie started walking again, but Jake grabbed his arm, pulling him back. “Wait.”
“No.”
“Please.”
Robbie stopped trying to fight Jake’s grip. “What was that?”
“Don’t make me say it again.”
“No, I want to hear it.” He drew his arm away from Jake readily now, crossing both over his chest. “Say it.”
Jake’s jaw twitched. “Please.”
Robbie smirked. “No. I’m done with you, Jake. You’re nothing but a thorn in my side. I tried to be your friend, and look where it landed me.”
“You never wanted to be my friend,” Jake insisted, “or you would’ve tried harder.”
“I did try,” Robbie said, “but you’re right, I didn’t want to be your friend.”
Jake nodded. “I knew it.”
“I wanted more than that.”
There it was. The other shoe had finally dropped, and now that it had, Jake could hardly breathe.
All the times that Robbie had hurled vitriol at him or brushed him aside had made sense up until now. Robbie despised him. Robbie hated every second he was around him. That was the beauty of their relationship. What did it mean now when Robbie had been having the same thoughts as Jake all along?
“No, no, this isn’t supposed to happen.”
“You wanted to hook up when you first got into town, didn’t you? Hot hate sex, or something? You said it would be great.”
“Yeah, but that was before I really got to know you. I was bored. I was desperate. I wasn’t thinking clearly. I—”
Robbie had him against the wall of the building in a flash.
The cold, hard brick scraped against his back, sending a shiver down his spine.
If he really wanted to, he could have pushed Robbie away easily in his turn to reject the man.
But Jake was sick of trading rejections back and forth.
Now, finally giving in to that pesky idea constantly needling the back of his mind, he felt like he was doing something right.
The fleeting sweetness of oranges hit his tongue before it disappeared, and then all he could taste was Robbie—the same Robbie as that night when he was drunk, the memories flooding back to him clear as ever for the first time.
Robbie’s hand moved down his waist, down the front of his jeans.
He inhaled sharply as Robbie bit down on his lower lip.
It didn’t quite hurt, but it certainly wasn’t what he expected from Robbie Eaton.
Then again, he hadn’t expected Robbie to make the first move either, especially not after he’d been practically yelling at Jake a minute ago.
Maybe he didn’t know Robbie very well after all. Maybe this was his chance to finally put all those questions—those aching, persistent questions—to rest.