Chapter 6 – Age 21 #3
“Aren’t we too old for that game?” Jule said, wanting to put an end to the entire evening. Ignoring Tor wasn’t going to work. Neither was staying mad at him. He wasn’t going to waste the short amount of time they had together having a tantrum. They needed to talk it out and move on.
“We can play the adult version,” Henry said suggestively. “Since Tor didn’t get a turn last time, he can be the first person now and then we can learn something about him. Tor, truth or dare?”
Henry was about to be very disappointed.
The chance of Tor choosing to share personal information over taking a dare was nonexistent.
Tor would take a secret to the grave, and he had never backed down from a challenge in his life.
Jule had seen him jump off a roof into a swimming pool, run around the block naked, car surf in the middle of the night, shotgun a six-pack in under six minutes, submerge himself in canal water during monsoon season, and swallow so many disgusting things it was a wonder he hadn’t ended up in the hospital. And that was all during eighth grade.
“Dare,” Tor said. He tipped his bottle against his mouth and finished his beer. “Is there more in the fridge?” He rose to his feet.
“Oh. Okay,” Henry said. “I dare you to kiss someone in this room. On the mouth. With tongue.”
Tor smiled and shook his head. “It’s like when we were kids, right, Julie?”
“And in case nobody told you,” Henry said. “Eric and Patrick are together. And of course, you know Brad’s with Julian. So…” Henry got up from the chair and faced Tor.
“Except when we were kids, nobody had to dare us, did they?” Tor continued talking, completely ignoring Henry. “Tell me, mister sweet, innocent, pure, moral boy, is there any life left in you, or did college strip every ounce away?”
“Eight months,” Jule whispered, his body heating. “Eight fucking months.” Voice rising, he tipped his head up and looked into Tor’s eyes. “Not one fucking visit, not one fucking call, not one motherfucking text for eight months.”
“I would have if I could have. You know that.”
“No, I don’t know that, shithead,” Jule shouted, jumping to his feet.
People were speaking but Jule was locked in on Tor. Everything else was background noise.
“Well, you should,” Tor said, remaining maddeningly calm.
“So this is my fault?” He stomped over to him. “You completely disappear, again.” He got into Tor’s face. “You don’t tell me where or why, again.” He bumped his chest against Tor’s. “And somehow I’m the fucking problem here?”
“There he is,” Tor said. “I was worried you’d buried him so deep he’d never climb back out. Come on, baby, let me see that fire.”
His arm flew before his mind processed what he was doing, fist connecting with Tor’s jaw. He barely budged so Jule hit him again. Tor still didn’t move but blood bubbled at the edge of his lower lip, so he had to have felt something.
Someone came up to him and tried to restrain his arms. Jule shoved him away without looking to see who it was. His eyes were laser-focused on Tor’s bloody grin.
“Nobody touch him,” Tor said, gaze locked with Jule’s. “He needs to work it out of his system.”
He lunged forward and shoved Tor until he hit the wall, hard. “You absolute dick,” he roared. “You motherfucking asshole.”
“Do you think your boyfriend considers this type of foreplay PDA?” Tor asked, voice low so nobody else could hear him. “Or does he not know this gets you off?”
Still pinning Tor to the wall, he looked into his eyes and his heart thundered. “You are such an asshole.”
“And you’re hard,” Tor murmured.
“You guys, stop fighting, please,” Patrick said.
“We’re not fighting,” Tor assured him. “It’s a game we play.”
“Your mouth is bleeding,” Patrick pointed out.
“That’s nothing,” Tor said, wiping his hand across his lips and smearing blood over them. “I’ve had worse.” He grinned at Jule. “You hit harder when you were ten. Must be getting soft.”
An uppercut to the right side of Tor’s ribcage made him cough. “That hard enough for you, bitch?” He curled his palm around Tor’s throat.
“Not even close.” Tor moved his hands to the back of Jule’s head and cradled it. “Love your passion.” His gorgeous eyes were sparkling as he gazed at him. “What else you got?”
“I don’t understand what’s happening. Why are you hitting him? Julian, are you okay?” Brad must have walked over because his voice was right beside him, but, like always, Jule only had eyes for Tor.
“Take the dare, Tori,” Jule rasped.
“You sure?”
Jule nodded, knowing he was about to blow up a relationship with yet another good-on-paper boyfriend and deciding he didn’t care because that was the first time he had felt alive in eight long months.
“Hell, yeah.” Tor gripped his shirt with both hands and yanked him forward until their lips collided. Rough knuckles slid up the front of his neck and then warm hands snaked around both sides as Tor ate at his mouth, their lips and tongues moving together in a familiar dance.
He felt Tor and strength. He smelled Tor and sweat. He tasted Tor and blood. It was comfort and excitement. It was home. He cupped Tor’s cheeks and buried his fingers in his hair. “Fuck, I missed you,” he murmured into his mouth.
“Missed you too, Julie.”