Page 3 of Mutual Desire

The pulsing music faded into the background as Damien made his way down the long corridor leading to the exit. For a brief moment, he caught sight of another guest handing off a suspicious little baggie under the dim glow of the hallway lights, but he kept moving. He wasn’t about to linger long enough for that familiar, unwelcome sense of nostalgia to creep in again.

Finally, pushing through the heavy door, Damien stepped into the cool, damp night air. The chill kissed his flushed face, a welcome relief from the suffocating heat and chaos of the club. The city sounds—honking cars, distant laughter, and the occasional roar of an engine—were oddly soothing, grounding him. Phone in hand, he stared at the screen glowing under the streetlamp’s pale light. A missed call from Nick flashed at the top. With a sigh, he pressed redial and brought the phone to his ear.

“D, I’m fucking screwed, man,” Nick blurted out, skipping any preamble.

Damien chuckled despite himself. “What’s got you so worked up? You sound like you’re about to have a coronary.” He escaped the stress of the party only to be hit with a new one in the form of his panicked best friend.

“Worked up? I’m fucking spiraling over here, D! I have this presentation on Monday, and this damn bug is ruining everything. If I don’t fix it, I’m fucked.”

Damien stifled a sigh, leaning against the brick wall of the building. He loved Nick, but the guy’s timing was impeccable—in all the wrong ways. Nick had a flair for dramatics, and this was no different. Still, something about his tone hinted this wasn’t just an overreaction. He rubbed the bridge of his nose and glanced around the dimly lit street, hoping the breeze would somehow clear his mind.

“I’m kind of out right now. Not sure how much of a help I can be,” Damien said, rubbing the back of his neck.

“What? Are you serious? You’re out at—wait, is that music? Are you at a club?”

Damien huffed a laugh. “Unfortunately, yeah. Got dragged out by Dimitri. Trust me, I’d rather be anywhere else.”

Nick groaned on the other end of the line. “Man, I could use a drink right about now. You don’t know how lucky you are.”

“I’m not so sure about that.” Damien chuckled lightly then added, “anyway, I don’t see whatany of this has got to do with me.”

“Oh, come on, D!” Nick’s tone edged toward desperation. “How many times have I begged you for help? Yeah, I know you were swamped before, but you’re free now, right? You’re way better at this stuff than I’ll ever be. Please, man, I need you. I really,reallyneed you.”

Damien clenched his jaw, biting back a sarcastic retort.Well, whatIneed is to get my dick sucked by my man, but is that happening right now? No. So, I guess we can’t always get what we want, can we, Nicky?

Of course, Damien didn’t say that out loud. Nick didn’t need to know how frustrated—and horny—he was. Instead, he exhaled, long and slow, as the weight of guilt pressed on him.

“Nick,” Damien said, his voice firm. “The world won’t end because of one bug. You’re overthinking this.”

“I’m not overthinking shit!” Nick shot back. “This project is my ticket to the next level, man, and this stupid, retarded bug could fuck everything up. Please, Damien. I’m begging you.”

A flicker of guilt sparked in Damien’s chest. As much as Nick’s tendency to overreact annoyed him, he knew his friend was genuinely feeling the pressure. Nick was his best pal. His ride or die. They’d been inseparable since high school and were unapologetic nerds with a shared passion for computers and big dreams of making it in the tech world. Nick had put in the work and was now thriving at a company known asNovatek Imperiya Tech Solutions.The man was making big bucks, and he had recently become the owner of an Audi. Damien had taken a different path though, earning a respectable living as a renowned private school teacher. He was content with his life, but now and then, the thought of what might have been crept into his mind.

“D?” Nick's voice pulled him back to the moment. “Please, man. I’m desperate.”

Damien rubbed a hand through his dark hair, feeling that familiar tug of responsibility. Nick had always seen him as the genius, the guy who could fix anything. But it had been ages since Damien had coded anything serious. He wasn’t sure what help he could offer, but he didn’t want to let Nick down.

“Fine,” Damien relented, dragging the word out. “I’ll take a look. But not tonight. Fresh eyes tomorrow morning, okay?”

The moment the words left his mouth, regret crept in. His gut told him he was signing up for something he wouldn’t enjoy, and his gut was rarely wrong.

Nick, however, sounded relieved. “Thanks, man. I owe you. When you come by, I’ll show you what I’ve got so far.We’ll give Anto-X a little makeover.”

Damien snorted. Anto-X. Of course. Nick had named his antivirus software after a ridiculous alias he’d once joked about using—either as a porn star or if he ever decided to try his luck on OnlyFans. His middle name was Antonio, thus the‘Anto.’ And the X? Well, that part was self-explanatory. Typical Nick—full of quirks and grand ambitions.

“I see that you’re still going with that name. Thought you’d retired the whole‘porn star alias’thing.”

Nick barked out a laugh.“Hey, it’s memorable! And let’s not act like you didn’t think it was genius when I first came up with it.”

“Genius? No. Ridiculous? Absolutely,” Damien quipped.

Nick laughed again, his tone lighter now. “Seriously, thanks, D. You won't bail on me, right?”

“I won’t,” Damien promised. “Get some rest, Nick. We’ll figure it out tomorrow.”

“Fuck yeah, we will!And Damien?”

“Yeah?”

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