4. Bobby
BOBBY
Bobby couldn’t help but feel anxious as the plane left the runway.
He wasn’t a nervous flyer, but the last few weeks had been stressful as fuck.
If Alex hadn’t been away on her hen do at the same time in Dubai, Bobby would have cancelled this weekend.
Something was wrong with his fiancé. He’d barely seen her all month, and when they were together, it was like he was with a stranger.
The only action he was getting at the moment was in the shower, but it wasn’t about that; she was avoiding any form of intimacy, and he felt suspicious.
He’d been cheated on before, so he couldn’t help where his mind went.
Bobby believed in his heart that Alex would never cheat on him.
She loved him, and he knew that. The last girlfriend who’d cheated on him had been hard to get over.
It had been with one of her neighbours. Bobby hadn’t known the guy, but he had spoken to him a few times in passing.
Knowing who it was had made it a hundred times worse.
Not that being a random stranger would have made it any better, but knowing what the person looked like meant he couldn’t stop himself from picturing it in his head.
Bobby hated personal confrontation, though, so he hadn’t pushed Alex on what was wrong, and the couple of times he’d asked if she was okay, she’d practically torn his head off.
It had ended up being best to keep his thoughts to himself.
Not healthy in the long-term, and he knew that, but he hoped after the wedding things would get back to normal.
At least he had Gabriel sitting next to him.
They’d met up a couple more times over the past few weeks, and Bobby loved their conversations.
Gabriel could talk about any subject, and he was one of those people who genuinely listened to what you had to say, even if he disagreed.
Most of his friends talked over each other and postured about how much money they had, or how many women they were fucking.
It was tedious conversation, which had been fine in his early twenties when he was in solicitor training.
Now it just made them sound immature. None of his friends were close to being married yet either.
Perhaps that was what it was. They were still playing the field and travelling all the time.
Bobby was getting married and saving for a house.
Maybe he was the boring one. A few of his friends had said it enough times when he hadn’t wanted to go out after rugby practice.
They were sitting in upper-class seats, whilst his mates were in premium economy or economy.
Gabriel had arranged it through his points as a surprise.
Dillon hadn’t been pleased at check-in, but his best friend had been stressed lately, working long hours as he was chasing a promotion, and Bobby didn’t know Gabriel had arranged the upgrade.
What was he supposed to do? There was no chance he was turning it down.
None of the others would, and they’d been happy for him.
Only Dillon had been pouting like a child.
Bobby was loving the legroom, given how tall he was, and the menu looked heavenly.
He was going to have the steak, as he couldn’t believe he could have it cooked to his liking on a plane. How did they do that?
“Are you okay?” asked Gabriel.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Looking forward to a few days away from work.”
That wasn’t really true. He loved his job, and the Rainbow Futures case was something he thought about all the time.
Working directly with Daniel was such an amazing opportunity.
The way his mind worked had Bobby in awe, but Daniel always wanted to hear his view on the case too.
Daniel could easily use Bobby for all the grunt work, but he didn’t.
The law firm he’d done his training at was toxic as fuck, and he hadn’t realised that until he’d moved to another company.
“You’re not a good liar,” said Gabriel with a smile.
“Sorry. Just a lot going on.”
Gabriel nodded with a look of sympathy on his face.
There wasn’t anything more he could say.
If he shared his concerns about Alex, Gabriel would naturally defend his sister, and it would make the next few days awkward.
He’d wanted Gabriel to be there, not only as his future brother-in-law but as his friend as well.
There were only five years between them, but Gabriel felt like a grown-up compared to all his other friends.
The man had his shit together, and Bobby couldn’t understand why he was still single.
Gabriel was a catch, and any man would be lucky to have him.
Bobby was looking forward to his trip to the Grand Canyon with Gabriel, which had more limitations than it used to, given the damage from millions of tourists every year.
It was just Bobby and Gabriel going on the trip.
That had been the way he’d persuaded Gabriel to come.
Bobby knew Gabriel wanted to visit all seven natural wonders of the world, and this was an opportunity to actually go inside the Canyon.
It was a private excursion, not for a group of drunk guys to act like immature dicks.
He hadn’t broken that news to Dillon yet, but had just said he wanted a day clear so he could hit the shops.
That way his best man wouldn’t have planned anything.
Bobby had always wanted to see the Grand Canyon as well, so it was a double win.
Once the seatbelt signs were turned off, he headed back and checked on the others.
Gabriel was watching something on his tablet.
At a glance, it looked like two guys going at it, and he wondered if Gabriel was watching porn, and then it switched to a scene that looked like they were at some form of gala.
Unless the budget was higher for gay porn, he was watching an actual TV show.
Not wanting to get distracted, he headed back into premium economy and found Dillon with three of their friends. The rest were in economy class.
“Oh, look who’s graced us with his presence,” said Dillon. “We feel so honoured you can leave your luxury seat to slum it with us peasants.”
The others laughed, as they always did at Dillon’s antics. Bobby would have laughed as well if it had been a joke, but there was no mistaking his tone.
“I don’t have long since I need to order my freshly cooked steak,” he smiled.
He could be a bitch too if he wanted to be.
“Has gay boy tried anything yet?”
“What the fuck did you say?” His voice was louder than intended. There was no way Dillon had just said that.
“Relax. It was just a joke. I know you don’t swing that way.”
More laughter from his sidekicks. It was only because they’d known each other since uni that they were here. They were more Dillon’s friends these days. Bobby never saw them unless Dillon was there, and his friend had got pissy when they weren’t on the original invite list.
“Why are you calling him names?”
“What are you talking about?”
“You said gay boy. That’s what I’m talking about.”
“Mate, you need to clean your ears out. I said Gabriel. You know, his name.”
Bobby flushed with embarrassment. Had he really misheard?
He must have. Dillon had never given Bobby reason to think he was homophobic.
He’d always gotten on well with his brothers, and two guys on their rugby team were gay.
he’d never been funny in the locker room either.
Bobby was about to apologise and then remembered the rest of what Dillon had said.
“Alright, I may have misheard that part, but what did you mean by tried anything yet?”
Dillon rolled his eyes and scoffed.
“What’s that for?” he asked, keeping his voice low.
They had a bit of an audience because of his earlier outburst. He didn’t want to cause a scene, but he wouldn’t have anybody speaking poorly of Gabriel.
Bobby felt protective of him. Even though he was five years older than Bobby, it was the same as he was with his brothers, and Gabriel would be his brother soon as well.
“It’s obvious he’s into you, and then he arranges a little upgrade for you so he can get you all alone.”
“What are you talking about?”
The other guys were laughing again, so Bobby glared at them.
“He’s into you. How can you not see that?” said Dillon.
“I’m marrying his sister.”
“Doesn’t mean it’s not true. If you take a nap on the plane, I’d keep one eye open.”
“What the fuck, Dillon? Where’s all this coming from? You know my brothers are gay as well, don’t you?”
“What’s that got to do with anything?”
“Any more homophobic comments and I’ll be looking for a new best man.”
Dillon’s jaw dropped. “I’m not homophobic. I just don’t trust the guy. He clings to you and acts like he’s above the rest of us just because he owns his own flat. I’m just saying you should watch your back.”
“Dillon!” he growled.
“That’s not what I mean. Why did he even come? It’s not like he’s going to have a good time in the strip clubs.”
“The what?”
“It’s tradition.”
“I’m not going to some sleazy strip club, so find something else for us to do.”
Dillon muttered something under his breath, which sounded like “boring cunt.”
“What was that?”
“Nothing. I’ll sort it when we land.”
Bobby nodded and went back into the upper-class cabin.
He’d been planning to see the others in economy, but after that conversation, he needed to get his head clear.
The toilet was empty, so he stepped in there and locked the door.
He didn’t need to go, but just looked at himself in the mirror.
His face was flushed, whether that be from embarrassment or anger he wasn’t sure.
He couldn’t believe what Dillon had said.
He’d been friends with him since their first year at university.
Both his brothers had been out by then, and he’d never appeared to have an issue.
Maybe it was just Gabriel he didn’t like.
Could Dillon be right? Did Gabriel fancy him?
Did it matter if he did? It wasn’t as if anything would happen.
Bobby was straight and marrying Gabriel’s sister.
Both pretty big fucking reasons for nothing to happen.
Although he couldn’t help but smile at the idea that a guy like Gabriel could be interested in someone like him.
Bobby couldn’t think of a better compliment.
Bobby thought that if he were into guys, then Gabriel would definitely be his type. He was a handsome guy, but also attentive and made you feel important. Bobby also knew that Gabriel would know just how to satisfy a man in bed.
Where the fuck had that come from? He shook his head before splashing water on his face and flushing the toilet, in case anyone was standing outside and might wonder what he’d been doing.
Bobby returned to his seat, and Gabriel was still engrossed in his porn-adjacent TV show.
Bobby had been intending to order his food, as it was one of those “order when you’re ready” menus, but his head was spinning.
He didn’t want to disturb Gabriel, so he adjusted his seat into a flat bed, put the sliding wall up between their seats, and got under the blanket, facing the other way.
He wouldn’t sleep, but right now he needed to calm his brain down.
The first night had taken the edge off Bobby’s anxiety.
He wasn’t someone who usually got stressed, but given how distant Alex had been, the shit Dillon had said on the plane, and his brain replaying every interaction he’d ever had with Gabriel, his head had been mush.
A night of drinking and gambling had helped him forget all that.
Now he was avoiding opening his eyes, as he could already feel the hangover waiting for the sunlight to announce its arrival.
He might only be thirty-one, but it was a big difference to twenty-one, and even twenty-five.
Bobby turned over and buried his face in the pillow, giving himself a few more minutes before the day started.
Dillon was in charge of their itinerary, other than the time he was spending with Gabriel at the Grand Canyon.
Thankfully, he’d listened, and there had been no strippers last night.
A loud bang on his hotel room door forced his eyes open, and the equivalent of a thousand needles barraged his head.
Who the fuck could that be? He’d set an alarm last night, so he knew he wasn’t late for anything.
The door banged again, so he forced himself out of bed.
He put his feet on the floor and stood up, before dropping back down onto the mattress from a head rush. There was more banging.
“Just a minute,” he shouted.
That had been a mistake, as his head pounded even more than whoever was at the door.
The banging was incessant now, so he was pissed off as he stumbled to the door.
He opened it and wasn’t surprised to see Dillon on the other side.
How did he look so sprightly? Dillon had put away more drink than he had last night, and Bobby was certain Dillon kept going after he’d called it a night.
Before Bobby could say anything, Dillon had pushed into his room.
“Get dressed. We’ve only got twenty minutes until we have to leave.”
“Leave for what?” he croaked.
“A surprise.”
“I thought we had the speed car racing today?”
“That’s with everyone this afternoon. This is just the two of us.”
Bobby narrowed his eyes. He knew his best friend, and he was up to something. What it was, he wasn’t sure, but it would definitely be something reckless and impulsive. That was how Dillon liked to live his life.
“Where are we going?”
“It won’t be a surprise if I tell you,” he said with a smile and bounced on the balls of his feet.
This was far too much energy for whatever time it was.
It had to be before nine o’clock, as that was when his alarm was set, since he didn’t want to miss breakfast. Americans knew how to put on a buffet, and he’d written off this weekend as “fuck it” with calories.
He was in great shape and could recover quickly when he got back to the gym.
“What’s going on, Dillon?”
“I feel shit about yesterday. Work is really stressful with this promotion, and I want to be the best best man for you. I thought we could do something together and make things right.”
Bobby smiled. “We’re fine, Dillon. I know you’ve got a lot going on at work. You didn’t need to do anything extra.”
“I wanted to, now get your arse in the shower so we’re not late.”
Bobby laughed and did as he was told. He had no idea what Dillon had planned. They wouldn’t be going to see strippers before nine o’clock in the morning, would they?
It was Las Vegas, so anything was possible.