8. Chapter 8 #3
Growling he turns around, using both hands to exaggerate his point. “Why not? He's fucking pretty! He's wearing glitter and lip gloss, it's nice.” He hisses, and his friend grabs him by the jacket, twisting him into a headlock.
“I am so sorry about my friend. He doesn't get out of the house. We keep him in a cupboard under the stairs. My name's Levi.”
Teddy bristles a little, but smiles after looking around and realises no one is being hostile towards him.
Unfortunately this is the type of shit we get as gay men, but he can see too that none of them are acting this way.
I can't keep the smile off my face either to be honest, because I think their friend maybe just had a little awakening.
“It's fine, I am pretty.”
“See! He knows he's pretty, why am I being punished?” Rowley continues to howl, as Levi drags him around us and nods in the direction of the street.
“We’ll meet you there.”
“Levi I swear, I'm not going to maul him! Jesus Christ, let me talk to himmmmm.”
Now Teddy is blushing as the guys start to walk towards Space Cowboy, and I give his elbow a little squeeze.
Harris leans in, moving Emery around us to head down the street. “He really is harmless, don't worry. He just doesn't have a filter.”
“Don't worry, I'm really not into sports.” Teddy grimaces, which has everyone laughing, so we leave behind the bar and start walking.
Cass leans into me and speaks next to my ear, unknowingly sending a shiver down my spine. “Teddy may have just got himself an admirer. Rowley can get…fixated. I didn’t know he was into guys though.”
“He’ll have a hell of a challenge.” I respond, shaking my head a little and thinking how easily I’ve fixated too, just not on Teddy. My friend is one hell of a firecracker, and that's when surrounded by the gay community. A maybe curious guy on a sports team? Walk away now Rowley.
I catch Grace trying to meet our pace out of the corner of my eye so I speed us up.
I want to say three wines makes me petty, but this isn't some wine induced jealousy. Going after a guy fresh out of a relationship with a woman is definitely new to me. It's only due to how keen he seems to be that puts me more at ease. I don’t think there are any feelings left there, on Cass’s side anyway.
He hasn’t exactly told me he’s interested either…
but I just know. The way he’s walking so close, always touching, so attentive and he pays such good attention to anything I say. He wants me.
“You were really good up there, like so good. When did you learn to play guitar?”
The little pink to his cheeks will never not be adorable as he blushes.
“Thanks. Before the farm dream, we all really wanted to be in a band. We were like ten,” he chuckles, “Lilia was good on a keyboard, Harris can play anything and I'm not too bad. Emery couldn't pick anything up so we decided if we all couldn't do it, the dream had to die.”
I can't hold in my bark of laughter, but it always seems to be like this between us. “That's like, beyond being a loyal friend.”
“It's the three of us together. It's always been that way, hopefully even with additions it'll stay that way.” He nudged my hip with his and I swear my breathing stutters completely out.
Is he suggesting…I'll be his? Is this a date?
Did I get invited to our second ‘we’re not calling this a date but it's a date’?
Honestly, the guys I've been involved with in the past thrived on being secretive and hard to read. It was exhausting, but nothing about this man is tiresome. We’re dancing around words that I know will be said soon.
“You're more than not too bad, by the way. That was something else. If being a vet falls through, you should start your own band.”
“Oh yeah? Will you be my groupie?” Cass wraps a thick bicep around my shoulder and it takes everything in me not to come in my pants. I’m not joking, it feels like I’m a young teenager again.
“W-what?” It's my turn to blush, my entire brain scrambled and all I can think about is how tight his ass would be with my dick in it.
Unaware of my turmoil, he laughs and pulls me into him, bringing me to a stop outside of Space Cowboy.
The hot pink neon lights glow like a welcoming beacon, the cowboy sign switching back and forth to a cowboy, then to his assless chaps with a wink.
Whilst looking like an overly excited strip club, which it ain't, the line of young students and barely clad men are dressed straight out of the early two thousands.
It's a dance club by night, but by day it's an all inclusive queer bar that usually hosts a bunch of events.
One girl even looks like the Lizzie Mcguire cartoon and another a bratz doll, which Lilia is already fangirling over and bounces to that section in the line. Teddy and I know a few others dotted along, but luckily we're also friendly with the bouncer who throws Teddy a wink and crooks his finger.
Finally dropping back down to earth from my inappropriate thoughts, it's my turn to squeeze Cass closer to me. “Ready for some dancing?”
“I don't think you realise what you're in for.” He laughs.
His friends join our group forming by the door, and Teddy gives the bouncer a kiss on the cheek before grabbing wrist bands, moving inside.
The rugby guys get a once over, but Rowley eagerly follows him inside and I throw him a wink too before dragging Cass along with me.
“Woah, this is insane.” Emery whistles, taking in the eccentric club.
The entire place is washed in neon lighting, alien themed decor mixed with the wild west. Pink cacti sculptures turn into tables, mirror balls spin and there are masked cowboy dancers on the back wall in cast iron cages.
They're all hot, and the guys gawk when they all turn to show assless chaps. They all have tiny thongs on too.
Teddy is delighted, mischief gleaming in his eyes as he throws his arm over Grace and smirks. “Everyone grab a wristband and let's get drunk!”
The wristbands get passed around and we all crowd the bar, which is a few steps up to another level.
You can see the entire dance floor and DJ booth from here, and there's a few little tables with seats that our jackets get thrown across.
Emery and Lilia drape themselves on the back of a two seater, whilst Harris gets their drinks.
“Want a drink?” Cass steps closer so that his breath tickles my ear.
“Please! Anything you're having.”
“Rum and coke? Or a cocktail?”
Well the little gay inside me rolls over and shows his belly. “Cocktail–surprise me.”
After giving me a warm smile, he leans against the bar to order and I step closer to the railing, where Teddy is casting his eyes over the crowd.
“I give them five minutes before a guy hits on one of them and they run.” He smirks and I just roll my eyes.
“I know you're trying to push their buttons, but they all seem really cool.”
“We’ll see won't we. If they can't hit it to some Kesha, who even are they?”
A confusing wave of protectiveness for Cass and his friends makes me want to argue with him, but Harris's deep chuckle from behind me makes me jump. I didn't even know he was standing that close, passing Emery and his sister a pink cocktail with tassels and even a cocktail umbrella.
“I want to protest you’re wrong, but you'll see in maybe five seconds.”
Kesha’s song comes to an end and the DJ transitions smoothly into another noughties banger, which immediately has Em sitting up like the hackles on a dog. Lilia flails to down her drink, before slamming it on the table and throwing herself towards the dance floor.
It’s an old R that's my only move.
“Maybe, but I want a sample of the goods first.”
That seems to stoke something in the part of him that likes the challenge; the part that's been messaging Yourghostboy back. “Deal, but then you're all mine.”
My dick does not stand a fucking chance in these tight jeans.