13. Ridley
THIRTEEN
RIDLEY
After another busy night, I stand behind Indy while he locks the doors to Moby’s. It’s been a solid two weeks of craziness that began right before the official summer kickoff hosted by the town, and it’s been nonstop from the minute we open the doors to the time we close them.
I stayed with Indy to count out the deposit so we could drop it off, but we sent the others home about thirty minutes ago. As we walk down the dark sidewalk to the bank, I lean into him, bumping my arm against his.
“A little different from last year, huh?”
Indy chuckles. “A little, yeah.”
We make it to the bank and he drops the bag of money in the drop box.
“You’re happy though, right?”
Indy practically beams now. “So damn happy. I spent almost twenty years chasing the wrong life.”
“Maybe, but you might not have known this was the right path without the other one.”
“Wise words.” He squeezes the back of my neck as we walk back to the house. “How are things going with you?”
“Can’t complain. Been spending time with Wren. He flirts with insomnia too.”
“I heard.”
“What do you mean?”
“Wren told Salem about his sleeping challenges and that he hangs out with you at night sometimes.”
Nodding, I glance at my feet then back up again. “Anything else?”
“No. Why?”
I shrug. “No reason. Just wondering if Wren said anything more about me than that.”
“Still pining for him?”
Chuckling, I bump into Indy again. “We’ve been messing around a little.”
Indy’s eyes go wide as he nods. “Seriously? When did you close that deal?”
“It’s been a few weeks. It just sort of happened. He instigated it.”
“Interesting. You guys are dating?”
“Nah, nothing like that. His ex did a number on him, you know? I think he needs an outlet and to feel wanted by someone. It’s low-key and very casual.”
Indy studies my face. “Uh-huh.”
“What?”
“Nothing. Sounds like you know what you’re doing.”
“I do. We agreed to keep it chill and professional. I’m just rolling with it.”
“Cool.”
I laugh. “Cool?”
Grinning, Indy grips the back of my neck. “All I’m saying is this is interesting. You’ve been crushing on him since he walked into the bar and now you’re messing around. Might not be so easy to walk away when he’s ready to.”
Indy’s words tug at a part of my chest I do my best to ignore. “If I’m honest—and I know I can be with you—I try not to think about it. I know he’ll move on someday. He’s a guy who wants to settle down and be domestic and shit.”
“You still can’t see it for yourself?”
I scoff. “No.”
Indy turns so he’s facing me, walking backward with his arms stretched wide. “Here’s your proof, man. Anything can happen. I sure as fuck didn’t see things with me and Salem playing out the way they did.”
“I know. Stranger things have happened, I guess, but I don’t think that’s where his mind is right now even if I could get on board. He’s pretty fucked up still, emotionally.”
“Fair. It can take time to get over a bad relationship.”
“Maybe by the time he’s ready to move on, I’ll be over my fascination with him.”
“Maybe. Or maybe…” He does a shimmy with his shoulders, singing “Another One Bites the Dust” at me. We’re both laughing as we finish our walk home.
When we enter the house, no one is in bed yet, and vibrant voices and laughter spread through the foyer, guiding us to the kitchen. All the guys are crowded around the island, eating chips and salsa.
Salem practically leaps into Indy’s arms, kissing him obscenely as if they don’t spend every waking moment together.
Stewart laughs as Kit nuzzles his neck, and Lowen leans into Oakley, who has his arms wrapped around his man.
Bane and Jerryn, who aren’t an official couple, but might as well be, discuss the finer points of salsa.
Wren watches all the interactions before he looks over at me, smiling sweetly as his cheeks flush.
Indy’s words replay in my mind, twisting my stomach.
Wren will move on someday, finding a new place to live and a new man to build a life with, and I’ll keep watching from the sidelines, wondering what it would take to unlock the part of my heart that wants all that shit.
I’ll remember my time with him, maybe even jack off to his memory, before falling into bed with someone who looks too much like him but could never be him.
But that’s the future, and I’m a firmly live-in-the-present kind of guy, so I grab a chip, scoop some salsa onto it, and toss it into my mouth, enjoying my friends and whatever bone Wren wants to throw me. Good enough for now.
“This might be the dumbest one we’ve watched so far,” Wren says, chuckling as he leans back on the couch. “Seriously low budget for the special effects department.”
I laugh too. “It’s bad.” Glancing at my phone, I catch the time. “It’s almost three a.m.”
“I know. My brain is constantly doing the math on how many hours I have left before I have to officially get up for the day.”
“Same.”
Wren grabs the remote and turns the sound on the movie down a little. “When did yours start?”
“Trouble sleeping?”
He nods.
“Can’t even remember. It’s been like this for so long I don’t know if it ever wasn’t. You?”
“Couple of years ago. I think it was a combination of job stress and bullshit with Trent. I was hoping getting away from him would make it better.”
“It’s usually deeper than that. At least from what I’ve read.”
“Right. Do you ever fantasize about what it would be like to just go to bed and fall asleep like other people do?”
“Often. It can be lonely, right? Awake in the night when everyone else is sleeping, nothing to keep you company but a TV screen.”
“Or an insomniac roommate.”
I chuckle. “It’s been nice having you for company, but shitty that you have to suffer too.”
Wren nods. “I feel the same way. It’s much better watching dumb horror movies with you than pacing my room for hours, desperately praying to sleep gods who aren’t listening.”
I want to tell him the regular frotting and blow jobs is a pretty peak benefit too, but I keep it to myself, giving him space to talk about whatever he wants to. We don’t do a lot of talking yet, but I hope he sees me as someone he can talk to.
“Have you ever been cheated on?” he asks.
“Not really, but I’ve never really been in an exclusive relationship either.”
“Never?”
“High school for, like, six months, I think. I’m a free bird, you know? A rolling stone. That’s not appealing to a lot of people who want to plant roots.”
“Will you leave Willow Bay?”
I shake my head. “Nah. I love it here now. With the house, my friends, the bar, it’s more…” I pause, searching for the right words. “It’s a full life. More than I expected, really.”
Wren nods, but his brow is creased.
“You can ask anything you want. I’m an open book.”
He blows out a breath, smiling slightly. “Not really a question. I was just wondering what it’s like to go through life without constantly attaching to people.”
“I’m sure there’s pros and cons to both. I didn’t do it on purpose. I’ve just never met anyone I truly clicked with in a way that made sense to stick around. I’m a quirky guy. Not everyone’s taste.”
He laughs softly. “You make it sound like it would be such a hardship to date you, but you’re hot, funny, sexy, successful. You check a lot of boxes. I’m guessing it’s you who had reasons not to pick a person.”
I shrug. “I’ve never dug into it because it doesn’t bother me. If it ever does bother me, maybe I’ll get a therapist.”
Wren smiles, nodding. “It works for you.”
“For now. I guess there’s a little part of me that wonders what it’ll be like as I get older, especially now that my friends are partnering up. Maybe I’ll just be the weird old guy creeping around the mansion, being everyone’s third wheel.”
We both laugh at that.
“I doubt that,” Wren says. “You never know what life has in store for you. If you’d asked me a year ago if this would be my life, I would’ve been shocked.”
“Good point. I didn’t see all this coming when I found out I inherited the house.”
We’re quiet for a few minutes until I finally ask the question on my mind.
“Do you still hope for that fairy-tale kind of love? The happily ever after storybook ending?”
Wren glances up at me, searching my gaze for a moment before looking back down at his hands in his lap. “I don’t know anymore. I’m working on letting life surprise me.”
That’s a promising answer. If he’s looking for love and romance, I’m not sure how long this thing with us can last, but if he’s willing to go with the flow, maybe we can hold on for a while.
“Good plan. Going with the flow always works out for me.”
We turn back to the screen just as a zombie gets his head ripped off his shoulders by the hero. Wren laughs, scooting noticeably closer, but I can’t tell if it’s intentional or not. That’s alright though. I like him being close, even when we have our clothes on.
“No happily ever after for the zombies,” he says, his voice light and happy.
“Zombies never win.”
“No, only the good guys.”
I squeeze his shoulder, earning another bright smile. He holds my gaze, his smile fading to something far sexier. His hand slides up my thigh, landing on my growing bulge, and as he licks his lips, excitement spreads through me.
“Screw the zombies,” Wren says as he slides his hands inside my sweats.
Closing my eyes, I lie back and enjoy his hands on me, knowing his mouth is soon to follow. This is good, and we can ride this wave as long as it lasts.