Page 34 of Switch Pitching

“Let me finish. Then, I loudly and publicly ‘break up’ with you and pretend to leave. Then you’re left alone and the vultures can swarm.”

“Sorry to break it to you, but that isnotgonna happen.”

I shrug, taking the rejection of my master plan in stride. “Alright, man, your loss,” I joke, finishing my drink.

Before I can come up with another ridiculous plan, I spot the washroom out of the corner of my eye. “Hold that thought, I gotta take a leak,” I tell him.

There’s a wait for the sinks to wash my hands, so I lean against the wall, tapping my foot to the beat of the music thumping through the speakers. Just as I’m zoning out, a guy sidles up next to me, flashing a friendly smile. I can tell he’s a good-looking guy, about our age with black hair and a sharp jaw.

“Is the wait always this long or did I come at a bad time?” he asks.

I chuckle. “Nah, bro, just bad timing tonight.”

“Figures,” he says, rolling his eyes playfully. “I’m Carter, by the way.”

“James,” I offer. “Are you here with some friends?”

Carter smiles. “Yeah, a few buddies dragged me out. You?”

“Same,” I say, then figure I’ll try and lure him back. “I’m here with my boy Ethan. Trying to loosen him up a bit.”

Carter raises an eyebrow, intrigued. “Is Ethan shy or something?”

“Kind of,” I say with a grin. “Thought I’d give him a little nudge tonight.”

Carter nods, seeming to understand.

The sink in front of me shuts off. “Actually, I was about to head back. You should come say hi,” I suggest.

Carter looks me up and down, then smiles. “Why not? Sounds like fun.”

The music gets louder as we head back, and I can already see Ethan holding another two drinks and scanning the room.

I lead Carter over, ready to make the introduction. “Ethan, meet Carter. Carter, this is Ethan.”

Ethan notices us and takes in Carter’s smile. “Hey,” Ethan says, offering his hand. “Nice to meet you.”

They both hit it off, with Carter saying something that makes Ethan crack up, and I shuffle back. My job here is done. I keep a safe distance, leaving them to it, and I wait for Ethan to give me the go-ahead to head out.

I sip my drink and watch the two guys chat with each other. Carter is clearly interested, touching Ethan’s arm every five seconds and gazing longingly into his eyes. Ethan grins back, and I can’t help the small, satisfied nod I send over. He’s gonna get some tonight. But for some bizarre reason, I sense a twingein my gut, and something about the situation doesn’t sit right with me.

The longer I stare, the more uneasy I get, which is totally weird. I brought Ethan to this place and encouraged, no,instructedhim to get laid. I found Carter and practically shoved him and Ethan together. So why is my stomach tying itself up in knots around the rest of my organs?

I realize that once Ethan heads out to hook up with Carter, I might have to make myself scarce while they get it on. We still don’t have our own rooms, and knowing Toronto, Carter might live in a share house with four other people. Ethan’s definitely using our room tonight. That means I’ll be alone in my hometown, trying to waste time while those two get it on.

It’s already 11:30. My parents are probably asleep. Sofia has work tomorrow and she lives out near Ossington, so I can’t go and hang out with her. I mean, I could still go home and crash there?

Great. Ethan gets to bone down with a hot guy while I slink off back to my childhood home, just so I don’t have to wander around while waiting for my sexile to end.

Am I jealous or something?

Sure feels like it.

Why would I be jealous of Ethan? It’s not like I want to fuck him. Hell, I could get with someone tonight, even here. There are a lot of women giving me eyes, despite this being a gay bar.

Fucking hell. Now Carter’s playing with the top button of Ethan’s shirt and clawing at his chest.

The uncomfortable tangle in my stomach grows with every bat of that guy’s stupid long eyelashes and every flick of his stupid, perfect hair?—

---