A Punch In The Gut Lunch
Marcus’s POV
I’ve always been an ardent admirer of beauty.
Whether that beauty is found in people or things doesn’t matter.
But when it comes to pretty people, I’ve rarely had a difficult time getting them to let me appreciate them as intimately as I want, and the few times I’ve been told no, it’s never been something I got hung up on.
Just move on and fixate on the next pretty person.
No hard feelings, no second guesses, no regrets or foolish pining.
But it’s rare. Most of the time, I get my way, and when I’ve had my fill, I send them on their way.
Everyone knows the stakes and chooses to play the game.
Some try to change the rules, but I’m a stickler for them.
One night, no repeats, no feelings. It’s for their safety, not mine.
While my dick is all for the game, my heart is not.
My heart is married to the football field.
I don’t have time to step out and have my attention divided.
The only reason all of that is sitting at the forefront of my mind right now is because the person in front of me is probably the prettiest person I’ve ever seen in my life.
For whatever reason, when Qi said ‘older’ sibling, I automatically assumed ‘bigger’, which is one of the most illogical assumptions I’ve made in a while.
In all fairness, the assumption didn't come just from the ‘older’ part; it also came from the way Qi talks about them, as if they're ten feet tall and bulletproof.
Still don't know why I automatically assumed that would have any impact on their physical stature.
It's not like it's the first time I've met an immensely strong person who was on the smaller-statured side. And it’s proving how ridiculous the assumption was because Qiang is the exact opposite of everything I imagined they would be.
Qi is tall and fit. Thin, but with a firm layer of muscle and meat. Qiang is about five-five, barely even comes to Qi’s chin, and they’re lithe. All sleek lines and grace, without a trace of meat on their bones.
They have long hair that’s pulled back into a high pony, revealing a buzzed undercut underneath.
The pony pulls slightly at their eyes, giving them a cat’s eye look that’s only exacerbated by their winged eyeliner.
The eyeliner and the light shimmer they added to their lids warm their chestnut eyes with a mesmerizing hint of allure.
The blush on their cheeks adds a rosy tint while highlighting the cut of their cheekbones, and their pink lips are glossy, adding to their plush, seductive appeal.
Easily one of the prettiest faces I’ve ever seen in my life, and, like a kick to the nuts, there’s a neon ‘off-limits’ sign flashing over their head.
It keeps reminding me that no matter how much they draw me in, no matter how the ropes of control I have over myself fray dangerously every time our eyes meet, I cannot play with this one at all, ever.
This entire lunch is about Qiang and me meeting.
Tristan’s and my parents bought a house off-campus to live in, but then Darryl got accepted to his dream university, and he’s leaving us while Tristan is having Qi move into the finished basement with him.
Tristan and Qi are hoping Qiang and I will get along well enough for Qiang to take the rooms Darryl was supposed to take.
Qi is Tristan’s boyfriend, and I know that Qiang moving in with us is important to him. And since what is important to Qi is important to Tristan, and Tristan has been my best bro since our freshman year of high school, what’s important to him is important to me, too.
Qi is a really awesome guy though too, so it would have been important to me anyway. Pretty fucking stoked that Tristan found someone who fits him. Tristan has never shown a preference for anyone before, and then he runs into this Qi guy, and he’s been a goner ever since.
It was worrisome at first because I’ve seen a lot of people try to take advantage of Tristan.
Between his face, his money, his domination on the football field, and his impeccable reputation, he was one of the most coveted guys in our school.
I was worried that Qi would be like that too, but it only took kidnapping him once and driving him the hour it takes to get from his place to Tristan’s place to know that he’s on the level.
And he’s pretty, too. Qi would have definitely caught my eye if it weren’t for knowing he was Tristan’s heart. But of course, I would never betray Tristan that way. Not that I’d have a chance anyway. Tristan and Qi just resolidified my belief in soulmates.
My parents were my first lesson in soulmates, and then when we met Tristan’s parents, it taught me how the concept can look different for different people. But Qi and Tristan are just as solid—couple goals through and through.
But most of that isn’t completely registering in my brain right now because it’s predominantly tripping over the fact that Qiang is so pretty; it’s leaving me more than a bit breathless.
“Dude, you didn’t tell us your sibling was hot!” Darryl’s whistle of approval has something possessive coiling through me, which is even more unsettling than the daze Qiang has me in.
Darryl and I have never squabbled over who we hit on or sleep with.
Hell, we’ve even been known to share in the past. Not something we’ve done often because even though we’re both pretty adventurous, we aren’t actually attracted to each other.
Even though we’re both into all genders and have shared our partners, it’s never been an ‘our swords crossing’ type of sharing.
Although in scenarios like that, sometimes they touch–it just happens.
The more bodies thrown in at once, the more confusing it is to determine which parts belong to whom.
But something in my gut is making it clear that it wants Qiang, and not for sharing.
I need to tamp that shit down, though, because I can’t have Qiang, regardless of how hard my dick is straining towards them.
And evidently, Qiang is not cool with the flirty remark Darryl just dropped either, because their face scrunches up as they stare up, up, and up at the towering giant that is Darryl, without a trace of fear on their face.
“Excuse me, I’m what?” they demand, the displeasure clear in their tone.
Darryl has enough humility to give Qiang an apologetic look, but whatever he’s about to say gets lost when Qi pats Darryl on the back and introduces everyone as though the unpleasant exchange went completely over his head.
Whether it actually did, or he’s just trying to smooth it over before it gets worse, I don’t know.
But the interruption eases the tension on Qiang’s face.
Relief crosses their features as Qi points us out. “So this is not the potential roomie; that one is, right?” they say, nodding their chin towards me.
I stand up because it’s the gentlemanly thing to do.
My mom would be appalled if she knew how long I’ve been sitting in front of this person without standing up to greet them properly.
I have no excuse beyond being so completely waylaid by their aesthetics that normal brain function seems to have escaped me.
Something that’s only proven when our eyes meet, and this tangible force pulses through every vein in my body.
Who the fuck is this person, and what sort of sorcery is this?
My body is on autopilot as I reach my hand out to shake theirs.
“Yeah, I’m Marcus, the potential roomie.
Well, not really roomie; more like floorie, really.
Is that a thing? That doesn’t sound like a thing, does it?
” I ramble out, and my eyes flit from Qiang’s to Tristan’s to see if I sound as fucking off my rocker as I feel right now.
Tristan’s eyes are pinched as he takes me in, confusion all over his face, which tells me that yes, I sound as fucking off my rocker as I feel right now. Shit, I need to get my head on straight. How the hell did just one look get me all fucked up like this?
I’ve seen attractive people all my life.
Been blown away and turned on to the point of pain just by a sexy dress or the tease of a seductive smile.
But this is something different. This is coiling through my body like it owns it; like it belongs there; like it understands me better than I do.
It’s not just attraction; it’s something deeper, something feral, and if I don’t keep a firm hold on it, it’s going to obliterate me.
And if I thought I couldn’t feel even more, their warm skin grasping my hand sends electric shocks that I can feel from my palm all the way through my limbs.
“I don’t think so, but I get what you’re saying,” they say before dropping my hand.
And as much as I could touch them forever, as much as the forefront of my brain wants to touch them forever, I know it’s a blessing they let go, so I can sit down and hide my current situation under the table before anyone else notices.
Tristan is still eyeing Darryl and me with a hint of betrayal because I know he knows us well enough to know this isn’t some random bi-awakening thing.
Neither Darryl nor I have acted shocked at the admission to the other having a queer streak that we’ve both just dropped between Darryl’s flirty quip and the obvious attraction that I know I’m showing.
It’s pretty obvious that not only were we aware of ourselves being queer, but also that the other was queer as well.
It’s a really huge thing that we’ve left Tristan out of the loop on, which was completely unfair, and the slightly hurt look in his eyes is completely our fault.
I just separated Tristan from the sexual side of my life a long time ago because he was so disconnected from it. I thought constantly bringing it up was making him uncomfortable, but I also left a significant part of myself out that I shouldn’t have in the process.