Chapter 5
Chapter Five
WILL
For the past few weeks, Tech had been coming to my apartment.
I really looked forward to leaving every day just so we could hang out.
We had been to the arcade, where I found out Tech was insanely good at video games.
We also did a few other activities, like go-karting and rock climbing.
He even convinced me to try indoor skydiving.
It was so much fun. He was quickly becoming a close friend to me.
A close friend who I wanted to fuck me.
With all the time I was spending with Tech, I was slowly falling for him, which was dumb of me.
He hadn’t made any kind of romantic advances toward me.
I knew he was attracted to me. There were too many times I could see the lust in his eyes, not to mention the number of times he’d gotten hard.
He always bolted when it happened, but not before I got a glimpse of it.
I never brought it up because I didn’t want to pressure him. Clearly, he was struggling, and I wasn’t going to add to it by bringing it up.
Here at the clubhouse, I rarely saw him. It was like he would be a figment of my imagination until he appeared on my doorstep at my apartment.
Today, it was another morning at the clubhouse. After helping the children get settled with their breakfast, I took a seat at the table with Cara and her family. Tech just so happened to be sitting with them as well.
“Good morning, everyone,” I said as I took my seat.
Everyone spoke except for Tech. He hadn’t even bothered to lift his head from his plate. I frowned but shook it off and began eating my food. Cara was sitting next to me, stabbing her food with more force than necessary.
“Cara, what is going on with you this morning?” Crystal asked her.
“Ask your son-in-law,” she growled.
That caused everyone to turn to Viper, who looked around sheepishly. He turned to Cara with apologetic eyes. “Really, Cara? I said I was sorry.” He attempted to touch her shoulder, but she jerked away.
“Damn. What the hell did you do?” Blade’s head ping-ponged between Viper and Cara.
“I didn’t do anything,” he denied.
Cara’s snapped her head at him. “Didn’t do anything?” she repeated in disbelief. She looked like she was ready to snap. I was used to it at this point. Pregnant women could go from zero to a hundred really quick.
“Babe—” Viper started before she cut him off.
“So, you didn’t wake me up this morning just to ask me if I was sleeping?!” she shrieked.
That caused a few chuckles around the table. Viper clearly had lost his mind. Waking up a pregnant woman was a sure way to make her enact violence.
“Baby—” He tried to speak again.
“Like, nah, I’m just lying here practicing for my funeral,” she spat.
This time, the table roared with laughter. Viper shook his head, trying his best not to laugh. I was sure he knew that if he did, there would be no telling what she would do.
“Baby, it was an honest mistake. You’re normally up before me. How about this? Later tonight, I’ll give you a full body massage and put you to bed early.” He threw his arm around the back of Cara’s chair and leaned in. “How does that sound?” Licking his lips, his gaze became heated.
Cara squirmed in her seat, clearly turned on. She stared at her husband with a meek expression. “I guess I can work with that.” She bit her bottom lip.
Viper leaned a little closer. “Good,” he said before pecking her lips a few times.
“Alright! Enough of that. Please,” Torch begged. He looked like he was ready to barf.
Everyone laughed as Cara and Viper pulled apart. Breakfast went by with light conversation. Everyone was engaging with me except for Tech. I even spoke to him a few times, but he would only give me one-word answers. I didn’t like how he was pretty much ignoring me.
I didn’t want to tell everyone we had been hanging out, but damn, he was acting like he didn’t want me speaking to him at all. After a while, I just stopped trying. Eventually, he got up without a backward glance.
After breakfast, I spent my day at Crystal’s with the babies.
I was slightly distracted. All I could think about was how Tech was acting toward me.
Blatantly ignoring me like that was hurtful.
I thought we were at least friends at the end of the day.
There was nothing going on with us. So, for him to act that way toward me was unnecessary.
As I was putting Angel in her crib for her nap, my phone buzzed in my pocket. Pulling it out, I scoffed at the text message.
Tech: What are we eating tonight? I was thinking I could stop and get some Thai.
I placed my phone back in my pocket, not even bothering to reply. Now I had moved from hurt to pissed. How dare he.
I knew that he was working through his emotions, but that didn’t mean I would sit back and allow him to treat me this way. Every man at the table held a conversation with me. He was the only one treating me like I was invisible, as if we hadn’t spent every evening together for the past few weeks.
Once it was time for me to head out, I knew I didn’t want to go home. Tech texted me three more times. His last one asked why I wasn’t responding. As I walked to my car, I pulled my phone out.
Me: Hey, can you meet me at Ollie’s?
Oscar: Hell yeah. We haven’t hung out in weeks. You’re too busy hanging out with your new bestie, Tech.
I rolled my eyes at his dramatics.
Me: Don’t do that. You’ve been with Maurice every night since he’s been back. So don’t even try it.
Oscar: Whatever! My man and I had some catching up to do. What time do you want to meet?
Me: I’m leaving now.
Oscar: OK, see you soon.
“So, he just flat-out ignored you, then tried to text like it was all good?” Oscar asked with a frown.
I nodded as I took a bite of my steak. Ollie's was our favorite restaurant. We normally came here when we wanted good food and good advice from one another.
“Do you think he’s afraid of the guys thinking something is going on between you two?”
“At this point, I’m certain of it. But there’s literally nothing going on. We’re just friends. Or at least I thought we were.” Oscar gave me a disbelieving look. “What?” I asked.
Oscar scoffed and shook his head. “I don’t know who you think you’re fooling, but try again. Your phone has buzzed on this table damn near every ten minutes. That’s not just friends’ behavior.”
Scratching the side of my head, I was momentarily silent. I didn’t know what to say. Tech had indeed been blowing up my phone. I didn’t think he would react this intensely from me ignoring him.
“Okay, I’ll give you that. I think we both know we’re attracted to each other, but we haven’t spoken on it.”
“Will, you need to be careful. You swore after Jeff you wouldn’t deal with a man who wasn’t out.”
Damn, he was coming on strong. He never brought up Jeff. “This isn’t like that, though. I feel like the reason he isn’t out is because of his childhood.”
Oscar took a sip of his drink, frowning at me. “What happened to him?”
I blew out a frustrated breath, knowing I was about to sound crazy. “I don’t know.”
Oscar blinked a few times. “You don’t… know?”
“Don’t look at me like that. I’m not crazy. It's just any time I try to ask him questions about his past, he clams up. He gets this faraway look like… like he’s scared.”
“Scared?” Oscar's eyebrows rose in surprise.
“Yes. Like something bad happened to him.”
“Look, I can tell by the way you’re talking that your mind is made up. You’re going to keep dealing with him. But as your friend, I have to tell you to be careful. Don’t get so wrapped up in trying to be there for him that you inadvertently give him your heart and end up hurt.”
I opened my mouth, but no words came out. I was stuck. Oscar was my best friend for a reason. Sometimes I questioned whether he knew me better than I did. I had already started developing feelings for Tech, and they were growing by the day.
I found myself thinking about him constantly.
I hadn’t felt this way about a guy… ever, and with no type of physical touch at that.
Everything about Tech and me was platonic.
It just wasn’t making sense to me. Even though I was pissed at him, I still longed to be with him.
It was taking everything in me not to pick up my phone and respond to him.
Oscar was right. I didn’t know what the deal was with Tech and me, but I needed to get a handle on it before I drove myself insane.
Why wouldn’t this man give up? I thought to myself as I pulled into my parking spot at my apartment. Tech was parked a few spots down in the visitor section. Even with a scowl on his handsome face, he was captivating. He was mounted on his bike with arms folded, looking sexy as sin.
Knowing I could no longer avoid him, I got out of my car. Before I could shut my door, he was already making his way toward me.
“Where have you been?” he asked. His voice had a bit of a growl in it.
I turned around with a raised brow. He had never taken that kind of tone with me. “Why?”
His face scrunched up as he peered down at the takeout bag in my hand. “Were you on a date?” he accused as he took a step toward me.
“And if I was? I’m single, Tech, in case you have forgotten.”
He watched me so intensely that I had to look away. This was a new side to him, and I didn’t know how to take it. Normally, he was like me, upbeat and full of jokes. This Tech was more serious. Almost passionate.
“Why haven’t you replied to any of my texts today?”
I stepped around him, making my way to my apartment. I was tired of playing twenty questions. “Well, like you, I didn’t feel like talking.”
Tech followed behind me. “Don’t tell me this is about breakfast.”
I spun around to face him, pissed that he was acting like him ignoring me wasn’t a big deal. “Are you serious right now? I’m just supposed to act like you treating me as if I were the last person you wanted to talk to was cool. Okay. Fine. But Ima need you to keep that same energy.”