30. Brad
30
brAD
“ W e’re going out, so Shane says get ready and ‘look hot,’” Theo said, rolling his eyes.
“Huh? Out where?” I tilted my head in confusion. I’d spent the day at the gym, glad to get a chance. Not that I didn’t love going out to see the sights — namely, spend time with Dylan — I needed to keep my head on straight. I had to focus on the upcoming season, and letting myself have too much time off could make it that much harder to get back in.
Plus, my head was spinning about everything with Dylan. I still couldn’t believe it, but I needed to remember that this was new. That just because I’d been wanting this for years now didn’t mean it had been, so I needed to keep a clear head when we saw each other.
“Some club I think? I don’t know, Shane mentioned something about how we hadn’t done a lot together in a minute or something, so…club. We drink well. Honestly, I only half listened. Charlie was horny. Museums seem to have a weird effect on him.” Theo held up his hands as if to say, ‘what can you do?’
I laughed. Museums made him horny? That was new. “Well, good for you. So, should I assume this information came a while ago?”
“Something like that. Get ready fast!” And he was gone.
I sighed and went to my bags to grab clothes Shane might approve of. I had on only my tightest jeans when Dylan returned, offering a hint of a smile as he walked in the door.
“Don’t stop on my account.”
I laughed. “I won’t. We’re going out tonight. How was Jim?”
He shrugged. “Good. A lot of people stop by. It’s pretty cool, you know? Even if it’s fenced in now. How was the workout?”
“Fine. I should have skipped and came with you.”
He came closer and his lips curved in a small smile. “Why didn’t you? I could have given you a workout.”
My arms circled his waist, pulling him close to my bare chest, and leaned in to kiss him. “Sorry, babe.”
It wasn’t an answer, but he didn’t press. He just kissed me again. “We won’t get to do this for a while. Let me enjoy you for a moment.” His hands roamed over my hot skin, feeling along my abs and pecs, kissing me as he did.
I licked his bottom lip, and part of me wished we could skip the whole going out thing. Just so I could have him with me, just so I could spend the rest of the night devoted to pleasuring him.
Of course, it occurred to me that if I’d just stopped worrying about my workout that we could have had time to do just that.
A knock on the door jerked us apart, Dylan jumping away from me like a scared cat.
“What?” I called out.
“We’re leaving in ten!” Jason called.
“Stop nagging, we’ll be there.” I shook my head, turning to grab the tight white t-shirt and slipping it on. “Sorry, baby, maybe later.” My voice was quiet, just in case Jason lingered or listen.
Dylan just nodded and shrugged. “I’m not looking to impress anyone, so I’m not changing.”
I hummed. Dylan rarely worried too much about who he was going to impress or how anyone was going to judge him based on what he wore. Besides, he looked great to me in his black jeans and long-sleeved band shirt. He looked like Dylan. My Dylan.
The club was bright and flashy when we arrived, almost overwhelming in its splendor. Everything was shades of white and gold and bright . I could have used some sunglasses just to stand there, but this was what we all wanted to be part of. At least for the moment. Or more likely, this is what Shane picked out and we all just went along with it. Weren’t clubs usually dark?
We rounded ourselves up and ordered the drinks, or at least those who could speak any passable French ordered us something, and that seemed to do the trick. My gaze kept flickering over to Dylan, and I was struck with the sudden sensation of wondering how much I looked at him before everything. Had I always looked at him this much? Was it going to be noticeable if I looked at him more? Were people catching on?
For his part, Dylan maintained the same demeanor as ever, with his lazy expression neutral as he leaned against the bar, like nothing could have been more boring than standing there. Everyone was talking, and another round of shots was ordered.
A few rounds later, and Shane slung an arm around my shoulders. “Brad…sweet, darling, simple Brad.”
Was he calling me stupid?
“What is it, prick?” I asked, trying not to laugh.
Either he didn’t care or didn’t even notice. “You see all these beautiful Parisian people? You should have fun with one of them. Come on, what’s stopping you? How often do you get to say you’ve banged a French person?” he asked with a laugh that was dangerously close to a giggle.
Shane had been much better about pushing us to do things, but maybe he could only hold out for so long.
Part of me wondered if this was some kind of projection. If he wished for even the faintest moment that he was single, so that he could fuck any French guy he wanted. I didn’t say it, but part of me wanted to, just to see his reaction. “I’m cool, Shane. Don’t worry too much about me.”
I got a flash of Germany again with the strange Dracula guy. It made sense, Dylan and I were the only single ones along this trip. So why should it have been a weird thing to hook up with strangers? If we weren’t fucking each other, that is.
“Come on, Brad…look at that guy,” Shane nudged me toward some guy with tight pants and dark stubble along his jaw.
If it was any other time, I might have considered it. He was handsome, and he kept looking in our direction, though I couldn’t tell which one of us he was looking at. “He’s not my type,” I lied, “But he is cute.”
“See? Come on, how long has it been? Don’t you want to have a good time?” Shane asked, doing this sort of pouty look that he usually reserved for Alex.
If only he wasn’t so drunk.
I shook my head. “Come on, Shane, I thought you realized you didn’t need to push us to do these things. I’ll go talk to him, okay?” It was probably just the alcohol making him revert.
There wasn’t a good reason for me to not at least talk to the guy. Well, not one anyone could know about. For everyone else, I was just here to hang out, not attached to anyone or anything. Dylan glanced at me, but there was that unreadable look on his expression again. That one that maybe had more questions than answers.
Was he upset? Should I have just blown Shane off and made some excuse, like being tired? Dylan’s face was so hard to read sometimes, though, that I couldn’t even say for sure that he was upset. Maybe he was just drunk himself.
I went over to the guy Shane indicated and struck up a conversation, smiling as I tried to keep it all as friendly as possible, trying my best to keep away from comments that might have been construed as flirting.
Shane wouldn’t know any better. Almost anytime he talked to someone, it was flirting. It was worse before, but I didn’t think he could ever turn it off.
By the time I could brush him off — he was a chatty little asshole — everyone else was already pretty wasted and falling all over themselves. “Should we get you guys back to the hotel?” I asked with a laugh, looking at them.
Micah had his head in his hands, looking a little green. Jason kept rubbing his back, but his gauge was off and he kept thumping his back too hard. Charlie looked asleep on Theo’s shoulder.
“Yeah, probably for the best,” Alex answered, already hitching Shane up on a piggyback ride.
Shane laughed and kissed Alex’s head. “Love you. Onward, horsey,” he mused, slurring his words.
“Not the only reason he has that nickname, eh?” Jason laughed with a wink.
I groaned. “You okay?” I asked Dylan.
He nodded. “Yep, I didn’t drink as much as they did.”
It took a significant effort to get everyone safely into their own rooms, stuffed in there with plenty of towels and the good sense to not fall asleep on their backs. By the time Dylan and I got to our room, it felt like it was impossibly late. “This was fun,” I said, offering a smile.
“Yeah? You had a good time?” His face was still blank.
I still couldn’t tell if it was because he didn’t care or if he hid that he was upset. “Yeah, it was okay. It was good for us to hang out at least. I missed it. You’re not…upset about that guy, right?”
Dylan’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “Upset? About you talking to someone?”
I wasn’t sure how to take that either. “It was nothing, you know. Shane just…made a couple of comments. I was just being friendly.”
“I know, it’s okay. Nothing you need to explain or be sorry for, okay?” He smiled a little.
I almost believed him.