Chapter 24 #2
Matt found himself smiling. It was a good answer.
Nobody judges, everyone’s boundaries are respected.
He found that very reassuring.
I’m still figuring out my own.
Owen joined them, holding out a bottle of beer to Matt. “I saw you didn’t have a drink.” He handed it over. “Enjoying yourself?”
Matt smiled. “Yeah, I really am.” He wasn’t feeling excluded or overwhelmed.
He was discovering Owen’s world wasn’t remotely what he’d imagined.
“Ready to be a cannonball yet?” Felix’s eyes twinkled.
Matt grinned. “Why not?”
Owen topped up the bowl of crisps on the long trestle table set up on the patio, already laden with snacks. His gaze went to the pool, where Matt had been commandeered by Felix, the pair of them standing under the shower, laughing and rinsing the chlorinated water from their skin.
He looks as if he’s having a great time.
Of course, the party was still in its infancy.
Let’s see how he takes it when things start hotting up.
“You’ve got it bad.”
He looked up. Adam was standing in the wide open space where the windows had once been, glass in hand.
“I’ve got what bad?”
Gray joined him. “Denial.” Adam responded with a snort.
Owen rolled his eyes. “You’re seeing things.”
Adam nodded towards the pool. “You keep looking over there. Specifically, at Matt.”
“I’ve been making sure he’s all right.” Owen smirked. “This is his first time at a party like this one.”
“Mm-hm.”
“I invited him into a house full of strangers.”
Gray folded his arms. “And yet you haven’t checked on anyone else.”
Another eye roll. “That’s because everyone knows each other. This is not my first shindig.”
Adam’s grin widened. “You’ve introduced Matt to practically every guest who’s arrived.”
Owen aimed a steady gaze at him. “I believe that’s called being a good host.”
Gray shook his head. “Being a host is introducing everyone once.”
Adam nodded in agreement. “You’ve spent the entire afternoon making sure he never stands on his own for more than five minutes.”
Owen frowned. “I haven’t.” Have I?
Adam smiled. “You genuinely don’t know you’re doing it.”
Owen looked back towards the garden.
Matt and Felix were laughing again. Sebastian had wandered over with three drinks, automatically handing the first one to Felix before taking a sip from his own.
Gray’s voice softened. “Look, we’re not winding you up.”
Owen glanced back at them.
Adam nodded. “If anything, we’re pleased.”
“Pleased?”
Gray inclined his head towards the garden. “We asked you that day in Winchester if the young bloke next door was cute.”
Owen was hoping they’d forgotten that part.
Of course they hadn’t.
“I recall you trying very hard not to answer,” Adam said with a grin.
Gray chuckled. “And now look at you.”
Owen frowned. “What exactly do you think you’re seeing?”
His smile became unmistakably smug. “A man who hasn’t taken his eyes off the young bloke next door all afternoon.”
Owen opened his mouth, then discovered he had no words.
Adam laughed. “We’ll take that as confirmation.”
“And for the record…” Gray nodded once more towards the pool and raised his bottle. “You’ve got excellent taste.”
Owen rolled his eyes once more. “I’ll be sure to pass that on to his parents.”
Gray groaned. “Oh, he’s deflecting with humour.”
Adam’s grin turned wicked. “So… are we allowed to flirt with him, or is the gardener under new management?”
The question should have been easy. Matt was twenty-five. Single, attractive, and entirely capable of making his own decisions.
If Adam fancied him… If Matt fancied Adam…
That was none of Owen’s business.
So why did the thought leave such an unpleasant taste in his mouth?
Because Matt’s new to all this.
That had to be it.
Matt was only just discovering this side of himself.
It was a reasonable assumption, extremely practical, and nothing whatsoever to do with the tightness Owen had suddenly felt in his chest.
He glanced towards the pool. Matt had his head thrown back, laughing at something Felix had said. He seemed happy. Comfortable.
For some reason, Owen found himself hoping it stayed that way.
He realised Adam was still waiting.
“Well?” Adam prompted. “Are we free to flirt at will?”
Owen sighed. “I’d appreciate it if you didn’t.”
Adam’s eyebrows climbed. “Because?”
“Because he’s my guest.”
It came out a little too quickly.
Gray exchanged a glance with Adam. Neither of them spoke.
Owen frowned. “What?”
Adam smiled into his beer. “Nothing.”
Gray’s grin was positively angelic. “Absolutely nothing.”
Owen knew those smiles. They’d seen something.
He just wished he knew what it was.
The afternoon slipped almost unnoticed into evening.
Somewhere along the way, somebody lit the candles. The solar lanterns threaded through the trees blinked to life one by one, soft pools of golden light replacing the bright afternoon sunshine. Music drifted across the garden, quieter now, conversations settling into smaller groups.
It still felt like a party, but one that had relaxed, Matt concluded.
The barbecue had given way to desserts. Empty beer bottles gathered on tables. A few guests had changed into shorts after swimming, while others had wandered barefoot across the warm paving.
In the lounge, half a dozen men were watching an action film, shouting advice at the hero as though he could hear them.
“Don’t open the door!”
“He’s definitely opening the door.”
“Told you.”
Laughter erupted.
Matt chuckled. At the dining room end, he was amused to see men seated at the table—reading.
In the kitchen, someone was making coffee, and two men were deep in debate over whether Alien was a horror film or science fiction.
A guy sat on his haunches beside one of them, his puppy mask still in place, gazing up at his ‘owner’.
This really isn’t the evening I’d imagined.