Page 21 of His Fearless Guy

It's one thing to want to mess around and explore things. But Bay is my best friend, and if things get fucked between us, if one of us wakes up and realizes this was a mistake, our friendship is going to be over. And having my buddy in my life trumps all. So, like it or not, it has to stop.

“What time is it?” I hear his groggy voice as he rolls over and stretches out, giving me an up-close view of his morning wood. I turn away, grabbing my phone. “It’s twelve thirty.”

“Ah. Shit. I have to get going. I told my mom I’d help her set up for the charity event.” He sits up and runs his hands through his hair before he scratches his balls. He’s crashed at my place probably a thousand nights since we were kids, and I’ve never paid attention to him or his body before. I’ve never wanted to offer to scratch his balls for him before. It feels like I’m turning into an obsessed freak.

“Yeah, I have to get this place cleaned up before the folks get home.” They don’t get back until tomorrow, but I need him to think they’ll be back tonight. That way, when he asks if we want to hang out later, I have the perfect excuse.

“Dude, you want me to help before I take off?” He stands up and looks at the mess we made, the chip bags everywhere, the plates and empty soda cans. His dick springs right up, pointing directly at me, and I have to fight the urge to reach for it.

“Nah. I’ve got this covered. You go help your mom.” I need him to get on out of here so I can have my what-the-fuck moment in peace. The fact that I’m fighting not to offer to give him a hand with his pronounced issue, is seriously ludicrous.

“All right, man. I’ll call you when I’m done.”

“Sounds good.” Though I probably won’t answer the phone. I need a couple days to pull my shit together and clear my fucking head.

13

Baylor

Icould tell something was off with him. I saw it in his eyes when I left his place yesterday. And when he didn’t pick up his phone or return my call last night, I knew he was dodging me. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out why. I just wish he would talk to me. It’s not like he’s the only one going through this right now. My emotions are all over the place and I’m probably just as confused as he is.

Me: How long are you going to avoid me?

Maybe he’ll respond by text.

Ryeson: I’m not avoiding you. My parents got home and I’m just catching up with them.

Me: I’m sitting outside your place, Ryes, and their car isn’t here.

Ryeson: Are you stalking me now?

Me: You wish. I was driving by and figured I’d stop. But then I decided to send you a text since you seem to be ghosting me right now.

Ryeson: I’m not ghosting you. Just sorting through shit.

Me: Yeah, well, me too. It’s not like I wanted this to happen, Ryes. And it’s not like I know how the fuck to handle it. All I know is that I don’t want to lose my friend. So, how about we hang out and play video games, and I promise I won’t let you make a play for my dick tonight.

Ryeson: You wish, fucker. But deal. You can get your ass inside instead of creeping in the dark.

I shut my car off and head into his house. Tonight, I’m going to prove that nothing’s changed between us. We’re going to hang out like we used to. And even if he tries to start something by giving me a look or making a comment, I’m going to ignore it and keep things above the waist tonight. It’s obvious the storm needs a chance to settle before we can figure out what comes next. I might not be a weatherman, but I know that the hurricane of our emotions is liable to take out our friendship. So, tonight, it’s just going to be us chilling like we used to.

14

Ryeson

Finally, things feel like they’re getting back to normal. Baylor and I seemed to come to a silent agreement last night that whatever was happening between us needs to stop. We hung out just like old times. We came up with pranks to pull on the guys at school, played video games, and practiced our throws. Nothing felt awkward. And the tension that was holding me at gunpoint finally dissipated.

Are the thoughts gone? How could they be? Is the desire still creeping up my shaft when we’re in the same room together? It sure the fuck is. But as long as we don’t cross a line again, I think it will all fade, and one day soon, we’ll be chalking this up to some crazy hormonal spike that thankfully passed.

“I just called it quits with Taya,” Baylor says, joining us at Chase’s truck. I hold out my hand and give him a fist bump. “She wasn’t too happy about it.”

I doubt she was. Her social status is about to take a dive. Serves her right for being such a bitch.

“’Bout time,” Chase says. “That girl was a drain on your personality every time we all hung out.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Baylor rolls his eyes. “I know I should’ve ended things sooner. But the girl knew how to drain me dry, if you know what I mean.”

I shake my head. She certainly knew how to drain his bank account dry. I’m not going to think about her mouth wrapped around his dick. That feeling doesn’t sit well with me.

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