Chapter 2 #3
WiseWave620: Look, I am just not comfortable around strange women.
And the ones I do try to talk to think I’m either too young, “too cute”, or don’t even consider me worthy of more.
If I had a dime for every time I’ve been friend-zoned…
Well, I’d have about thirty cents because that’s about as many times as I’ve put myself out there.
Rose put her hand over her mouth to stifle her laughter. He sounded so young when he talked like this.
Gl!tch.OS: Let’s get serious for a second, please. How old are you?
She really, really hoped he did not say he was sixteen.
WiseWave620: 24. You?
Gl!tch.OS: Almost 23.
WiseWave620: Happy Early Birthday.
Rose snorted. He really did not want to talk about this, did he?
Gl!tch.OS: You’ll take this tangent to the very end if I let you, won’t you?
WiseWave620: To infinity and beyond.
Rose had to muffle her laugh again. She liked his sense of humor, because it was pure, genuine. It was one of her problems with rom-coms and comedy shows, because many of the jokes and actions seemed forced.
Gl!tch.OS: Well, then I’ll have to be serious for the both of us. I don’t know why you say you can’t converse with girls. You’re smart, you’re loved by your friends and brothers. You’re building your own business. There’s a lot of things to admire about you.
WiseWave620: Ugh! Fine. You want to talk about this. Fine, we’ll talk about it. I’m too young.
Rose’s eyebrows drew down. What the hell did that mean?
Gl!tch.OS: You’re older than I am.
WiseWave620: NOW!
Well, now he was just being silly.
Gl!tch.OS: Pretty sure you’ve always been older than me. That wouldn’t have randomly changed.
WiseWave620: That’s not what I mean! Okay, give me a minute to get my thoughts together so you understand.
Rose patiently waited, turning over to watch Oscar’s little body slumbering next to her for several minutes as Keys typed.
WiseWave620: I was 10 when I attended high school, 13 when I graduated.
Everything was a fight with my parents. I was too young, I wasn’t ready…
Girls didn’t concern me during that time, but looking back, I missed out on a lot of things that teenagers are supposed to experience.
I had to wait 2 years before I went to college (but that’s a story for another time).
By the time I went to MIT, I was 15. Trust me when I say that NO ONE was looking at me sexually.
Which was fine, for the most part. At that time, I wasn’t really looking at them either.
But when I turned 17, I did something stupid to try to impress a girl (she was 19).
Nothing happened between us, but I wanted it to.
Then some of our classmates posted on social media about what I had done, and despite the fact that it was a clean escape, I was caught and arrested (you know that story). Then I was forced into the Navy.
WiseWave620: I don’t know if this makes sense or if this seems like the ramblings of a lunatic. But I’ve always been too young. I never learned to flirt or to do things with girls that others did in their teen years.
WiseWave620: By the time I became an adult, I was fighting a completely different battle that had nothing to do with women or sex. When I got out of the Navy, I was more concerned with keeping my anonymity than I was sleeping around.
WiseWave620: Coming to PA was the best thing that could have ever happened to me.
I love my brothers, and the VDMC probably saved me from becoming a cyber terrorist or a hacktivist. I was still too raw and angry about what had happened to have made any smart decisions back then.
But my brothers treat me like I’m a little kid, someone they have to monitor and watch out for.
Hell, they used to set me up with the Honeys (basically club bunnies) and hand HER the condom so they knew I was being safe.
WiseWave620: My point is that I might be 24 but I’m not really sure who I am as a man. You talk about my smarts and my business and having people around me who love me (which is ALL TRUE) but that doesn’t define ME. At least, I don’t want it to.
WiseWave620: I hope this makes sense. Honestly, I’m re-reading it and thinking myself the lamest human on the planet. I’m not lacking confidence and self-esteem in life in general. Just when it comes to women. Because compared to my brothers, who would ever want me?
* * *
Keys walked away from his computer after he sent that last message.
It was nearing midnight, but there were still plenty of people out in the main room of the clubhouse.
All his paired-up brothers or those with kids were absent, but that was no surprise to anyone.
The only couple currently living in the clubhouse was Scar and Tally while they were waiting for their house to be built.
When Keys had first come to the clubhouse, it had been more of a party room, with the top floor reserved for members only. Now, the pool table was gone, replaced with more seating and a toddler play area with one of those foam mats that fit together like puzzle pieces.
Keys had heard there was even talk of adding a ball pit.
And while that did sound like fun, Keys did not want to appear any more child-like to his brothers more than he already did.
It was bad enough that Steel and Jenna took him to his doctor appointments like he was one of their kids.
But in their defense, he would have never gotten glasses if it weren’t for them, and he’d really needed them.
Bones was sitting at the bar, scrolling through his phone while nursing a beer.
Starbucks was behind the front bar with his shirt off and his evil cat draped over his shoulders.
Keys swore the thing was plotting his murder, and that fear was only cemented as she turned her yellow-ish eyes on him as he entered the room.
Instead, Keys maneuvered over toward the couch where Jigsaw was talking with Chip, who was an unofficial prospect of the club.
Kitty, Poison’s man, had met him up in Detroit when they’d been hunting the serial amputator earlier in the summer.
Due to his severe PTSD from his time in the military, he’d been unable to hold down a job and had been living on the streets.
Kitty had sent Chip this way to get him some help.
Even if he didn’t join the club, Steel would never turn away a veteran in need.
Chip wanted to feel useful, so he helped out where he could, but there was still no guarantee he would prospect for them.
At the moment, he was living in one of the trailers the club kept secluded in the middle of their property that very few outside of the club even knew existed.
Jigsaw looked up when he saw Keys approach. “Hey, Keys.”
Keys wasn’t sure if he said that as a true greeting or to give Chip a head’s up that Keys was walking towards them. “Hey.”
He sat down in the armchair Bear usually occupied when he was in the clubhouse. The road captain was a big guy and preferred the extra butt room. The thing was so wide and fluffy that it practically swallowed Keys whole.
“What’s got your panties in a twist, kid?” Jigsaw inquired, shifting on the couch so he was facing more forward than he had been in his discussion with Chip.
Keys frowned. He knew Jigsaw was just busting his balls, but after the conversation he just had with Glitch while trying not to admit he was still a virgin, he was not in the mood. “I’m not a kid!” he snapped, louder than intended. “I’m twenty-four fucking years old!”
Jigsaw raised an eyebrow. “Wow, twenty-four. Practically middle-aged as you sit there in your T-rex pajama pants.”
Keys glanced down at his legs, and cursed. Of course he had to be wearing his dinosaur lounge pants. His shirt showed a graphic of a T-rex with a grab-reaching tool. Above the dino’s head was a word bubble claiming him to be “unstoppable!”.
Well, it could have been worse. He could have also come out in his penguin slippers.
Red-faced, Keys glanced over at Jigsaw, who was arguably a good-looking man.
He had long, wavy dark brown hair with a full beard, was thick with muscle, and had tattoo sleeves.
While they were roughly the same height at six-foot, there was no comparison.
Next to his club brothers, Keys was a kid.
He was lanky, no facial hair, and still had the same military haircut his father had forced him to get since he was two years old.
It was comforting, in a way. Keys wasn’t particularly good with change, especially when there were choices to be made.
Like what other type of haircut he should get.
“Sorry,” Keys mumbled, not really sure what else to say. Hard to argue his point when he was wearing adult-sized kiddie pajamas.
Jigsaw and Chip exchanged a look before Jigsaw said, “Well, let me rephrase my question. What’s wrong?”
Keys shook his head. No way was he having any sort of conversation with them now. How was it that he was so equipped and put-together when it came to writing code, but he couldn’t ever say or do the right thing? But was he really that surprised? This was the story of his entire life!
And Glitch wanted him to get a girlfriend?
Now he was questioning her sanity. Though, in her defense, she likely didn’t realize just how much of a basket case Keys was.
And he was supposed to start interviewing employees with Tom soon!
What the fuck had he been thinking? How could he be the boss of anyone or anything when he couldn’t even talk to a woman without getting tongue tied?