7. Torrid Love Affair
Torrid Love Affair
The party was exactly what Theo thought it would be: loud, hot, and debaucherous.
The low lights, sticky air, and obnoxious base made the house feel like the belly of a wild animal, shaking and bellowing with annoyance.
Partygoers were crushed together, sometimes from necessity, sometimes not, their voices straining above the music.
Despite what Theo had said about wanting him around, Dae was making an effort to be on his own.
He’d worn a simple jeans and t-shirt combo that showed off everything one would want to show off.
When Theo pointed this out, Dae had tried to grab a hoodie, but all three of them blocked him, and he was forced to be wildly attractive.
Poor guy.
The result was that Theo found him nodding along to whatever their pretty neighbour was saying, his back pressed against a wall, the picture frame beside him rattling with either the vibration of the music or Dae’s nerves.
“Hi!” Theo yelled over the cacophony, sticking his sweaty hand out to her. “I never got your name.”
“Jacinda!” Her smile was just as dazzling in a hazy living room as it had been on the lawn. “You’re Theo!”
“You did your research.”
“When a house full of hot guys moves in across the street, I make it my business.” Judging by her slur and sway, Jacinda had partaken in more than a few of her own Jello shots. “I asked Dae out on a date!”
“Great choice! What did he say?”
“He hasn’t yet!” They both turned to him, which made him attempt to melt into the wall.
“Jacinda!” Theo leaned in close. “How do you feel about making it a group thing?”
“I love group things! Group things are my favourite things!” She took his hand and shouldered her way through the crush of bodies towards the kitchen, leaving Dae staring after them with a slightly stupefied expression.
The kitchen was the exact inverse of their own, as if the designer had just copy-and-pasted the entire cul-de-sac.
He scrawled his number and put ‘GROUP THING’ in huge letters onto a sticky note that Jacinda then slapped to the fridge.
After a year of trying to get Dae a love life, perhaps he was finally succeeding.
Which, he reminded the pit of his stomach, was a good thing.
A responsible, safe, totally awesome thing.
She handed him a Jello shot and knocked it with her own. “To the group thing!”
“To the group thing!” The edges of the plastic cup dug into the corners of his mouth as he excavated the shot out with his tongue.
It was sweet and sticky, and the ratio of alcohol-to-Jello was an alarming jolt, but none of those factors stopped him from immediately having another. “Hey Jacinda, why did you choose Dae?”
She didn’t hesitate. “He has kind eyes.”
Excellent reason.
Someone else grabbed her attention, and Theo took out his phone to find texts from Jordan.
#1 Client Extraordinaire
Don’t be mad.
Becks came over.
Jordan
I know!
If you know why do u keep doing it
Bc I’m weak And she’s wearing the purple dress
You know the one
Are u mad?
no
Are you going to say something like don’t come crying to me when she gets back with her manipulative ex boyfriend?
Always come crying to me babe
Maybe I won’t have to
maybe
He tried not to be annoyed, but annoyance generally didn’t stand for being ignored.
He’d been so happy for Jordan when she finally confessed to Becks last year, but it was followed by a string of on-and-off-again drama, and he hated seeing her go through that.
He took another shot, this time without the Jello, and wandered around the sweaty house, chatting with drunk strangers.
When he found his boys again, they were huddled around an open window attempting to harness the faint evening breeze.
Dae shook his head. “There’s just nothing to tell.”
It was the loudest Theo had ever heard him speak, yet it was still a strain to catch the words over the music.
Theo nuzzled his way in and put his arm around Dae, giving their friends all the details they wanted (perhaps with some hyperbole regarding his role in the matter) and they all agreed to make it the best group thing in the history of group things.
Dae leaned in, his voice low and his mouth close to Theo’s ear. “Thanks for that, by the way. A group thing is a good idea.”
“I know! It was mine!”
He inched closer, his breath tickling Theo’s skin, causing a full-body shiver. “You promised you wouldn’t babysit me.”
“Maybe you’re babysitting me.”
Turning to face him was a terrible idea, but now that he had, Theo couldn’t look away. This close, he could see Dae’s pupils taking over his irises. Could see the exact shape of the freckle beneath his eye. Could see the single bead of sweat slowly trailing down his temple.
Dae smelled like beer, hair products, and that particular Dae-ness. Theo wanted to figure it out, wanted to lean into his neck and suck in his scent to catalogue it in his soul, so he could find him anywhere, anytime, even in the dark.
Dae’s eyes were still on him, dipping lower—
“Theo, isn’t that Torrid Love Affair?”
Dae pulled away, and Theo recalibrated to the situation: Caleb’s question, the party, the lack of Dae’s side pressed into his, and the slightly spinning room.
Curly dark hair floated above the crowd, stalking towards him with alarming purpose.
The boys had nicknamed his romantic adventures after he jokingly (mostly) told them not to get too attached to anyone he dated.
Kabir had been a particularly steamy encounter that lasted six outings. A record.
“Theodore.” He gave him a saucy grin and then shook the hands of each of his roommates. “Can I steal him for a minute?”
Jason gave Theo an eyebrow wiggle that was unmistakably, Get it. “By all means.”
Kabir led him through the house and out the door onto the grass, where the air was only slightly less soupy. A few partygoers were huddled in a circle smoking, avoiding the annoyed glances from the neighbours across the street.
“This might be a bit awkward…” Kabir said, his eye-contact as intense as Theo remembered.
Awkward? Oh shit. He had an STD. Or he was in love with him. Or Theo did something terrible during sex, and Kabir had just worked up the nerve to tell him in order to spare his future sexual partners the horror.
“Stop me if this is uncomfortable,” he continued, “but are you and Dae together?”
Theo shook his head. Was Kabir trying to start something again? Theo was flattered, of course; he was one of the hottest men he’d met in real life, but he’d never successfully unfizzled anything that had fizzled.
“Is he dating anyone else?”
“Oh. Ah. No.” Not Theo. Dae. Of course he wanted Dae. Who wouldn’t?
“I was thinking I’d take a shot, if it’s okay with you.”
Theo’s laugh sounded weird to his own ears, but he didn’t know how to fix it. “Are you asking if I’m over you?”
“No, I’m asking if you’re into him.”
He laughed again, louder, more high-pitched, startling both Kabir and himself. “No, I promise, but just so you know, I’m pretty sure he’s straight.”
Kabir’s eyebrows rose and his annoyingly attractive deep brown eyes looked almost concerned. “I’m surprised you think so. I had a conversation with him last year where he told me he’s bi.”
What? Theo’s face burned in both panic and embarrassment. “No, yeah, I mean, yes, of course. I just meant, he usually prefers girls, even though…” He was bisexual. Dae. His Dae didn’t care about gender?
“Ah.” Kabir nodded like he didn’t quite buy it. “Thank you for letting me know. Do I have your blessing?”
Theo needed out of this conversation. “You don’t need my blessing.”
Had Kabir been this weird and off-putting when they’d hooked up? Why was he suddenly the most insufferable person on the planet?
“Still.” His soft head-tilt made Theo want to scream. “I would feel more comfortable if I had it.”
“Fine, yes, go, shoot your shot.”
Kabir smiled his brilliant fucking smile, patted Theo on the shoulder, then went back inside.
To hit on Dae. Because Dae was bisexual. Which Theo, his best friend, didn’t know. After a year. And now one of the hottest guys in the fucking universe was going to ‘take a shot’ with him, and it wasn’t going to be some cute group thing. Kabir didn’t do cute, Kabir did… Other things.
Which was fine, of course, Kabir could hit on anyone he wanted, and Dae could be hit on by anyone, so it was totally cool, one hundred percent not a problem.
Theo was probably feeling weird because he hadn’t known about such a big part of his best friend.
Why would Dae hide that from him? Had he been scared Theo would hit on him if he knew it was a possibility?
Could Dae sense Theo’s attraction in those first few weeks, and decided to protect himself?
Had he known, even then, that Theo was a complete disaster who would ruin everything?
He chanced a glance at the window where Kabir’s hand rested on Dae’s shoulder as he leaned in, his sultry smile transforming him into some kind of sex demigod.
Theo couldn’t see Dae’s reaction, but he didn’t step away.
Theo’s gut churned, like the booming, humid house had infected him.
He took out his phone and texted the guys that he had a headache and was heading home but that they should stay and have fun, then added a wink emoji to prove how cool he was about everything.
Just so fucking cool.
The walk across the lawn was unending, the grass too soft and pliable, then the road too hard and unforgiving. By the time he got to their door, he felt like he’d walked miles.
The quiet of the house was suffocating after the noise of the party; the muffled music from across the street, the soft thud of his feet on the stairs, and his door closing like a punch to the chest.