Chapter Seven
NATE
I feel like shit.
Like fucking shit.
And as I walk through the side door of the house, Matt is in the living room on the Xbox. He looks up at me and raises his eyebrow with a chuckle. “What the fuck are you wearing?”
Walking past him, I grunt. “Don’t wanna talk about it.”
Matt pauses the game and turns, facing me as I head for the stairs. “Whoa, whoa, whoa… what’s going on?”
As I reach the bottom of the stairs, I grab the banister and slump my head with a deep sigh. “I told Ria about Mom and what happened… why I can’t read, and then she kissed me. But then she pulled back, saying she didn’t mean to and that we’re just friends.”
Matt furrows his brows as he stands and walks over to me. “Wait, so she actually kissed you, then what? Threw you out?”
Looking up at him, I shake my head. “She kissed me, then I left.”
Matt nods and sighs deeply. “Mm… this is probably because of her very public and very nasty breakup with Kade from Backlash.”
Jolting back, I gasp. “Wait! What?”
“Didn’t you know? Zaria dated him for like a year, and then he cheated and left her for some groupie.”
“How did I not know about this?” I ask while running my fingers through my hair.
“Exactly! The whole world knows about it. It was headline news for days. But I guess you never watch the news, do you?”
“No, not really, especially celebrity news. You know how I feel about gossip and the paparazzi.”
Matt smirks. “You love to spread gossip yourself but never want to see it in the headlines.”
“Damn straight,” I say, and we both chuckle. “Right, I have to shower and get out of these fucking ridiculous clothes.”
“Yeah, you’re kinda freaking me out dressed like that.”
I slap his shoulder and head up the stairs. My feet feel heavy on the wood as I make my way into the ensuite. I smell like chlorine, and I’m pretty sure I can smell Ria’s hair scent on me. It’s driving me crazy, and I need it gone.
Taking off her stepdad’s clothes, I turn on the shower and move in under the scorching hot water.
It almost burns my skin, but I don’t care because I want it hot.
The scalding temperature makes me feel. Facing the wall, I sigh and rest my head against the tiles.
Thinking back to not that long ago, when Ria’s lips were on mine, her soft, supple lips caressed my skin, and her tongue danced with mine.
My cock hardens as I think of her, and my hand moves down, gently stroking it.
It throbs in my grasp, and I know she wouldn’t appreciate me thinking of her as I touch myself, but fuck, she’s doing my damn head in.
She can’t kiss me like that and not expect to work me up, especially if I’m never going to get to touch her again.
Now, all I’ll ever have is the memory of kissing her.
My cock hardens completely, and my breathing deepens as I stroke my cock a little faster, increasing the pressure—I’ve gone from stroking to full-on tugging.
Fuck it! She’s in my head, and all I can see is her behind my closed eyelids. Ria in that white bikini, in that tight little dress, and I wonder what she’d look like naked beneath me, writhing in pleasure as I ram my cock in her.
A groan echoes through the bathroom as my cock pulses and my legs shudder.
A tingle starts at the base of my spine and radiates through me.
Tugging faster and faster, working up to my peak, I groan as the hot water pummels my side.
My eyes clench as my balls pull up tight, my body trembles, and my back arches.
I moan out loud, panting hard as my cock jolts and hot cum spurts out, covering the wall.
The release did nothing to remove Ria from my thoughts.
Leaning my forehead against the wall, I sigh, finally pulling back and moving under the water completely.
The water feels like pins and needles, causing my skin to tingle.
While there’s relief from my pent-up sexual tension, I’m pretty sure Ria would hate me thinking of her like that.
And as I wash down the wall, I can’t help but feel disappointed in myself yet again.
After washing myself off, I finish my shower, spending an unusually long time in here.
I just need some time to myself before seeing what Matt has in store for me for the rest of the day.
Knowing him, it will be food and Xbox—guy time.
I actually think that’s exactly what I need.
Some downtime with my bro to unwind after today’s stress.
After stepping out of the shower, I dress and go to head downstairs.
Opening my door, a smell hits me the instant I open my bedroom door.
It’s intense, and I open my eyes wide, wondering what the fuck Matt’s up to as bells and soft ocean sounds play through the house.
My brows crunch together, wondering what the fuck is going on.
Heading down the wooden stairs, I notice puffs of smoke billowing out of something I am unsure of.
“What the fuck?” I murmur to myself as I slowly take the stairs one by one.
A short, bald Asian man comes into view, standing in our living room, holding a bundle of lit, smoking herbs, waving them around in some strange dance, humming to himself.
He’s wearing a full orange monk robe and moving like he is either having some kind of seizure or possibly a mild stroke.
The smell of the burning herbs assaults my senses, and I can’t help the sneeze that I let go.
Suddenly, he stops, halting all movements, and turns toward me. He opens his eyes brightly, glaring right at me.
“You!”
I jolt back, slightly shocked by the harsh tone of this strange man who’s in my living room. “Me?”
“You ruin my ju-ju. Come here!” he demands, his nostrils flaring like he’s super mad as he waves his smoking wand of crap at me.
I look around the living room for a sign of Matt, but he’s nowhere to be found, and I feel like I’ve walked into the fucking Twilight Zone.
“Um… who the fuck are you?” I ask, and he pulls his hand up, gesturing for me to zip my lips.
“Shh… you ruin good karma. The qi in room is paramount. I fix your bad ju-ju. You’re bad karma, big boy, yes?”
I shake my head, furrowing my brows. “What the fuck?” I murmur under my breath again.
“Shh… no swearing in house. It banned. Only good qi from now on, sexy boy,” he says, then waves the herbs in front of my face.
The smoke burns my eyes and filters up through my nose, this time making me cough and splutter as he runs around the room again, wailing and chanting as he dances like a maniac.
He’s half Jackie Chan, half Queer Eye for the Straight Guy.
I can’t figure him out. Or figure out why the fuck he’s even here.
I stand on the spot, watching him as he runs about the room, waving the herbs and filling the room with smoke.
I wouldn’t be surprised if the smoke detector goes off as he waves the herbs over the furniture for some reason, which I’m still not sure of.
He comes back over to me and runs the herbs up the middle of my body as he hums, vibrating the stem as he goes.
I open my eyes wide, taking a step away from him as he closes his eyes like he’s absorbing some kind of energy. I don’t know whether to take off running or burst out laughing when he lets out a deep breath and sags his body, looking me in the eyes.
“You have bad ju-ju. Me and Korean Fung Shui will help you!”
I tilt my head in confusion. “Isn’t Fung Shui Chinese?”
He opens his eyes wide and shrugs slightly. “Ah… maybe. But this sage-burning stick help with bad karma in your negative space. I rid house of bad qi and bring in only positive energy. Yes, sexy boy?”
I furrow my brows further, wondering a couple of things.
One, why does he keep calling me sexy boy.
And two, if he’s some Fung Shui master, why is he using what I’ve seen on television as a Native American sage burning technique for a Chinese ritual and calling it all Korean?
Who the hell is this guy?
Matt walks in, and I open my eyes wide at him as he smiles and nods. I glare at him, looking from him to the Korean guy who’s still too far into my comfort zone as he looks me up and down like he’s assessing me.
“Matt! What the fuck? Who is this?”
“Whisper,” Matt says with a giant smile.
I duck slightly and hush my tone. “Why are we whispering?”
“No, that’s his name?” Matt says as the Korean bows his head.
“What is?”
“Whisper.”
I furrow my brows. “What the fuck? I was whispering!”
“Whisper is name given to me by ancestor of years past,” the little monk guy says, and I raise my brows and tilt my stature.
“Oh, you’re called Whisper? As in, that’s your actual name?”
“Yes, like a cool ocean breeze. I am but breath of air, mist on wind. I roll on ocean… cool, calm, collected.”
Flaring my nostrils at the utter weirdness of this guy, I chance a glance at Matt and shake my head. “Riiight… and what are you doing here?”
“Oh, that easy one. I here to make your house invite only good qi. Reflect all sha qi. Bring in only happiness and joy so you be calm and joyous in everyday life.”
Matt grins wide, thinking that this is the best idea he’s ever had, while I shake my head.
“Nope… no! Matt, what were you thinking?”
“What? This is good for you, Nate. You’re so stressed, and everything’s going a little wonky for you right now. A little Fung Shui can’t hurt to help boost your energy, right?”
Whisper nods and waves his sage stick around me again, and I push his hand away.
“No, this is stupid. This shit doesn’t wor—”
Whisper puts his fingers up in a zipping motion again and opens his eyes wide. “No swearing, sexy boy. You keep only good, to reap good, you understand? Calm, cool, collected. Breathe in with me now, yes?”
I look at him as he takes in a deep breath. “No,” I reply, and he frowns, slumping his body. “Where did you come from?” I ask as Whisper continues to take deep, centering breaths.
“Craigslist,” he simply replies.
I look at Matt and roll my eyes as he smiles and nods like this is still the best idea he’s ever had in his life.