Chapter 22
Kai might treat the entire world as the arena to display his bright personality, but tonight the counter of Rainbowology has to suffice.
Still, despite the narrow width of his impromptu stage, the birthday boy bounces back and forth as he screams the words of a new Korean smash hit into the microphone.
Quinta stands on the floor behind him with eyes wide as saucers, going rigid and lifting her arms each time Kai steps a bit too far back.
He must trust that famous luck of his a bit too much.
She’d try to grab him if he fell, and I’m glad handling a drunk dude is not my responsibility. I might change my tune if Cass gets too much booze in him though.
We’ve barely arrived, but the party is already in full swing.
I don’t know if I’m relieved or disappointed that we haven’t been noticed yet.
On one hand, I’m nervous about being out in public with another man, but on the other, I can’t wait to boast about my date.
A true conundrum as Aaron might call it.
But with the dress code demanding everyone wears pastel hues, we kind of melt into the crowd in our identical pale blue shirts—a two-pack from Walmart I got earlier today.
The decorations are all so bright and bedazzled I suspect Kai has made them all himself, but the low light tones them down a bit. It also hides the way I touch Cass.
I’m not sure what to think. It’s almost as if I’m both out and not at the same time.
When Kai finishes his song, the music turns into an instrumental background for everyone singing ‘Happy Birthday’.
Levi walks out from the back with a large white sheet cake covered in colorful sprinkles and a large 20 written with colorful icing.
Bright dots erupt from a sparkler when Levi flicks a lighter close to it.
He puts the cake next to Kai who sits on the counter, and we all clap once the song’s over.
When my eyes briefly meet Levi’s, I’m certain he notices how close I am to Cass and lower my gaze without thinking, only to scold myself for it.
Really? Levi would call my behavior childish.
He probably already thinks that about me, but there’s nothing I can do to amend that after telling him to break my leg, and then crying in front of him and asking if I can use his phone to call my mom.
“Aww, you shouldn’t have,” Kai says into the mic, and I look up in time to see him kissing Levi’s hand with a bright smile. He has glitter on his cheeks, and it transfers to his boss’s skin.
Levi just laughs and pulls on one of Kai’s powder-blue ponytails. “You better eat it all, because you know how I feel about leftovers.”
Going by how skinny Kai is, he will have to feed at least a piece to every single guest if this cake is to disappear.
“You didn’t call me yesterday,” someone says right behind me, and it takes my mind a full second to realize that it’s Aaron. Appearing out of nowhere as usual.
He’s not wearing pastel colors, but he did make an effort by putting on all of his beigiest clothes. In contrast, the glittery party hat on top of his head is almost too loud in its shade.
Maybe that’s his concession to the theme of Kai’s party, which his classy self intends to throw into trash the moment he leaves.
I get stuck under the penetrating gaze of his pale eyes, but Cassian doesn’t have my qualms and puts his arm around me. “Hey, Aaron. I hear I owe you words of thanks.”
Aaron swallows and looks my way. “Oh… so you were… did it work out? My classmate told me to never talk to her again after I brought a thief into her house, so I hope it was worth it.”
Stress chews on my insides, but I give Cass a kiss on the cheek, elated to show him off as mine. “I’ll make it up to you, Aaron, I promise. But yeah, It was worth it.”
“Did he tell you about the troll?” Aaron asks, squinting at us as if we’re an exhibit at the zoo.
Cassian pokes me in the side. “Sadly, yes.”
Aaron nods with a serious expression. “I told him it was a bad idea.”
“He was sexy in that costume. Maybe we should do a more full-on reprise next year,” Cassian muses, and I feel as if my blood has turned into lava. In an instant, I see myself following his Robin Hood into the labyrinth, but this time I would demand more than just a kiss.
“Aaand now he’s imagining it,” Aaron says with an awkward laugh. “Are you salivating yet, Matt?”
Caught red-handed.
“What? I can’t help it! He’s too hot for his own good.” I point at Cass as if to put the blame on him.
It’s so amazing to talk about it with Cass being there. Withholding something so important from my best friend was agony.
Kai chooses this moment to walk up to us with a tray filled with sliced cake. He’s wearing pink platform shoes instead of roller skates yet is still much shorter than me.
“Oh no, don’t tell me that they’re making you be the waiter at your own party. Let me,” I say and try to grab the tray out of his hands, but he just laughs it off.
“No way I’m letting you drop my cake. Please, Matt, let a professional handle it.”
“You mean a professional unicorn?” Aaron asks, and Kai turns away from him, doing a little butt-shake.
“I wish. I have such a nice butt but there’s no one to ride me tonight.”
Cassian laughs, hiding his eyes with one hand. I love how he sounds when he’s happy and relaxed, and when I lean against him, smelling his fresh cologne, all I want is to make sure he acts like this every single day.
“How much did you drink?”
Kai shrugs and batts his lashes at us. “Levi’s taking me home later, so it doesn’t matter. Buuut… Enough about me. Do I see some changes here?” He smirks and points to me and Cass.
Aaron grabs a piece of cake from the tray. “They’re together,” he says matter-of-factly.
Kai sighs with a sweet smile. “Awww… and they were roommates!”
Cass clicks his tongue. “You could have let us introduce ourselves as a couple.”
“Mass,” Kai says, helping himself to a piece of the cake. “Or Catt?” he mumbles with his mouth full. Which is better?”
“They’re both awful,” Cass says just as Aaron opens his mouth too.
“Depends who tops. Top’s name tends to come first.”
I stare at Aaron and almost choke on my cake. My mind is blank. It’s not like I haven’t thought about it at all, but put on the spot like this, I’m not sure what to say.
To make matters worse, Kai gives me an expectant glance and grins. He picks up a chunk of cake with two fingers. “Top has the icing, but the bottom is a delicious sponge that can soak up all the delicious syrup…”
“Guys, he’s not used to those kinds of jokes.
And it’s kinda private, okay? Feel free to tell everyone you’re the sponge, Kai.
We’ll pass,” Cassian says, swooping in like a prince in a white Jeep.
Still, my mind keeps working in overdrive, because while Cass has shown me his toppy side last night, I know for a fact he’s been playing the opposite role with Logan.
What would I want?
Kai shrugs and licks his fingers. “Suit yourself, I’m just saying icing is delicious.” He winks at me and he’s off, leaving me with lots of questions and no answers.
And cake, he did leave cake.
I turn to Aaron. “And you?”
Aaron looks like a deer in the headlights. “I’m… you know, just that. Is Levi serving shots? I think they’re free,” he says and walks away before I can ask what “that” is supposed to be.
Typical. Wants all the gossip, but won’t share any.
Cassian chuckles, and now that we’re alone, he pulls me close, and his lips brush my forehead. “Sorry about that.”
I take a deep breath. “It’s okay, they just took me by surprise. And thinking about it makes me horny, which I don’t wanna be in public.”
“It’s dark here,” Cassian teases and pulls me away from the wall as David Bowie’s ‘Heroes’ starts playing over the speakers.
I’ve never seen him move quite like this, but it’s as if his shoulders and limbs flow, responding to the beat.
He’s relaxed, happy, and seeing him like this makes joy pump through my veins.
“If you say so,” I say and give his ass a little pat. There. I can be a tease too.
“Hey! Matt!” Levi is pouring drinks at the counter and calls us over with a wide gesture. No escaping another conversation about my coupledom. Not that I need to run away anymore.
We push through all the guests, exchanging smiles and brief hellos, but Levi puts shots in our hands as soon as we reach him.
He too is wearing body glitter—likely applied by force by the birthday boy—and did comply with the dress code by wearing a slouchy tie-dye pink T-shirt with his favorite jeans. His teeth look bright when he smiles.
“So Matt, is it true that you’re a side, or did Kai just say that to fuck with me?”
Cassian rolls his eyes and drinks his shot. “If he’s so obsessed, he should choose someone to give him a birthday fuck after the party.”
Levi waves Cass off. “He’s all talk.”
I frown but feel I might need more than one drink tonight. “What’s ‘a side’?”
Cass and Levi exchange glances.
“I think it’s pretty clear he’s your boyfriend, so you educate him,” Levi says.
As I gulp down the flavored vodka in my shot, Cassian hugs me from behind. “It’s a man who prefers other types of sex over anal.”
I’m clearly out of my depth here, so I’m glad when Levi pours me another shot.
He gives us a big grin and raises his glass. “To variety!”
My cheeks are on fire as I try to assess all this new “variety”, but the vodka helps. One thing I do know is that I love Cass naked, love touching him, love him on top of me, love him under me, and it’s nobody’s business how things between us develop.
But I won’t lie. The way he presses his hips to my ass produces ideas that swirl from my head, all the way down to my balls.
Suddenly, my cock starts filling, and I thank all the powers in the universe that I’m facing the counter and no one can see my cock poking at the zipper of my jeans.