Chapter 40 #2
“Butt whooping?” Sean slung an arm over his shoulders, guiding him toward the stairs. “We really need to add lessons in trash talking to your list.”
The club doors opened, music spilling out into the cold, Sean on its heels. He spotted Nicholas standing off to the side, smoking his fifth hand-rolled for the night.
“I still gotta get used to that,” he said, walking over.
Partaking was no longer something contained to Nicholas’s secret ritual.
Sean held up Gabriel’s green suit jacket as he approached, something else no longer hidden behind closed doors. Nicholas wore it every day now, and it hardly ever left his body when he was home.
“Figured you must be cold out here.”
Nicholas let him drape it over his shoulders, bare aside from the thin straps of his sheer tank. Sean’s fingers grazed his exposed skin, and Nicholas backed away when the touch lingered.
“Thanks.”
“Yeah. No problem.”
They stood watching the empty street in silence, the businesses surrounding Chaos either closed for the night or boarded up. A few cars rode by, splashing through puddles, breaking up the monotony.
“Shouldn’t you be in there celebrating?”
“Kind of hard to celebrate when I’m worried about you.”
Nicholas had debated flaking, especially when Mateo informed them that he’d be running late. He was the one in charge of ‘dragging’ Nicholas here, after all. But he decided showing up somber would be better than not showing up at all. Maybe he’d been wrong.
“I’m fine. Just waiting here for Mateo.”
Sean shrugged. “Cool. I’ll wait with you.”
“No, please, go enjoy your birthday.”
“My birthday was three days ago.”
Nicholas gave him an exasperated look. “You know what I mean.”
Sean turned back to Nicholas, the soles of his fancy shoes scraping against the uneven pavement. “See, that’s the thing. I can’t enjoy myself when one of my friends is hurting.”
The afro he’d taken to wearing lately had been braided back. The hairdo, combined with his all-black outfit, made him appear intense. Or maybe the intensity came from the way his gaze bore into Nicholas.
“You said I could brood in a corner if I wanted to,” Nicholas reminded him.
“I know. But every time I look over at that corner, you’re gone.”
Nicholas sighed, putting his cigarette out with his shoe. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”
Sean made a show of thinking about something before snapping his fingers. “I know how you can make it up to me?”
“Not another party, I hope.”
“Nope. You just have to dance with me at least once.”
Nicholas folded his arms, trying to match Sean’s playful energy.
“From brooding in a corner to busting moves on the dance floor. I think you lied about your expectations.”
Sean laughed, deep and rich. “Okay, maybe I did. But I had to get you here somehow.”
“Even if I were in the mood to, I wouldn’t dance, Sean.”
“Why not?”
Nicholas looked away.
“Have you never danced before?”
“Between communion and Bible study, I never got the chance to.”
Dancing wasn’t prohibited by the church, so long as it maintained modesty, dignity, and avoided sensuality. Nicholas had always found it risky, though, and for the first time, he found himself dissecting why.
“I bet you’d be good at it. I’ve seen you move on the fencing strip. Very agile and bendy, hips well oiled. You’d be a natural dancer.”
“Well-oiled hips?” Nicholas chuckled, something he couldn’t help when around Sean. He’d make a fool of himself for a laugh.
“Come on. One hip thrust for the birthday boy.”
The music changed to something pulsating. Sean glanced at the club doors, a slow smile forming on his lips.
“Sounds like they’re playing my song.”
Nicholas’s shoulders shook with laughter because every song was Sean’s favorite. He had yet to meet a beat he didn’t like, a rhythm he couldn’t sway to.
A sleek, black SUV sped around the corner, screeching to a stop at the curb. Mateo hopped out, locking the doors with his key fob.
“You’re two hours late,” Nicholas griped.
“I got tied up at work.” His expression said he meant it literally. “I didn’t even have time to shower.”
“You smell like it.”
Mateo looked absolutely unrepentant.
“He smells fine to me.” Sean leaned in, sniffing him with his human nose. “What exactly do you do, anyway? No way manual labor calls for an outfit like that.”
Nicholas shot Mateo a warning look. If it were up to him, he’d have told everyone what he did for a living and would probably even offer them a discount on his services. Mateo didn’t have a shameful bone in his body.
“I told you. I’m in the entertainment business. And what are you two doing out here?” He shivered, his silk top a weak barrier against the cold.
“I’m trying to convince our boy here to dance.”
Mateo’s eyes lit up.
“Absolutely not.” Nicholas beelined for the club entrance. “It’s not going on the list.”
“Consider it there!” Mateo shouted as he and Sean exchanged high-fives.
They accosted Nicholas the moment they made it inside, dragging him to the middle of the dance floor. Alyssa and Sean’s cousin, Chelle, were already there, working up a sweat and holding shots in the air. They passed all four to the birthday boy, leaving and returning with more.
Mateo moved Nicholas’s arms as if he were a puppet, ignoring the glare aimed his way. Sean made funny faces as he swiveled his hips, trying his best to get Nicholas to loosen up.
“Alright, fine,” Nicholas shouted over the music. “One song.”
They all cheered, circling him as something more up-tempo came on. One song turned to two, then four, then who knew… It was the first time in weeks that he’d gone more than a few seconds without thinking about Gabriel. He wanted to dance all night—and it turned out he was actually great at it.