Page 20 of Patchwork
Hero’s eyes soften and I lower my hand so he can respond.
“What was I going to say? ‘Hey, nice to meet you, son. By the way, I’ve been having casual sex a few times a year with a rockstar. You might have heard of him.’”
I snort a laugh, but then my stomach flutters with nerves and I bite my lip ring again.
“Would it be less complicated if you just called me your boyfriend while I’m here?” I turn away quickly and pluck all of the darts out of the board instead of giving in to the urge to study Hero’s reaction.
He’s quiet for so long that my heart nearly beats all the way out of my chest and my ears fill with an anxious sound similar to the feedback when you plug in an electric guitar. And then he clears his throat, and his fingertips tentatively brush along my forearm like he wants to reach for me but he’s not sure he should.
“Sure, if you think that’s easier.”
I let out a rush of breath then turn back towards him with the most casual smile I can manage.
“Less graphic than telling them that no one fucks me like you do.” I waggle my eyebrows, and Hero blushes just a little, his eyelids drooping in that sexy way I can never get enough of.
He wraps an arm around me and pulls me close, until his lips are an inch from mine. My pulse explodes into a gallop, and my smile widens. Is he going to kiss me right here in front of a bar full of people?
“You know, I’ve known you for four years, but I feel like I hardly know anything about you. I want to change that whileyou’re here. I…” He swallows hard. “I think I’m okay if it hurts when you leave.”
My heart leaps. It’s not a confession that he’s fallen in love with me or that he wants the boyfriend label to be real, but it’s something. It’s proof that this is more than just sex for him too.
He catches my lips, and music explodes across my skin, raising the hairs on my arms and drawing a smile to my face as we move together in a slow, sweet kiss. The guys catcall and whistle, and I laugh into Hero’s mouth.
“How about this as a way to get to know each other.” I untangle myself from the kiss and hand him half the darts. “Each round, whoever scores the highest gets to ask one question that the other person has to answer.”
“You’re on,” he agrees.
I run my tongue along my bottom lip, savoring the lingering taste of his mouth as he gets into position to take the first shot. He lands it in the forty and then steps aside so I can take my turn. I close one eye to aim and hit the twenty.
“Your question.” I roll the four darts I have left between my hands.
“What’s your favorite movie genre?” Hero asks.
“I’m always a sucker for anything queer, but mainly comedies.”
He nods and steps up to take another turn. I win the next round and ask him the same question.
“I’m so boring,” he hedges, rubbing the back of his neck. “Documentaries.”
“Why is that boring?” I scoff. “You’re such a weirdo.” I kiss the tip of his nose, and we go again.
There’s something so low pressure about the cadence of the game and the low stakes questions we barter back and forth. Favorite color, favorite food, most embarrassing secret… It feelslike a first date even though we’ve known each other for years. It feels like the start of something real.
Chapter 10
3 YEARS AND 9 MONTHS AGO
ONYX
Thetourbuslightsare turned down low and made even more dim by the haze of weed smoke. Jade’s and Gray’s voices are muffled through the thin wall between the main part of the bus and the one private bedroom. It’s impossible to tell whether they’re fighting or fucking. Maybe both. Jett mutters curses under his breath with a joint dangling from his lips, his eyes fixed on the small screen of his handheld gaming console.
I sprawl myself out on the bench seat, flopping down and staring up at the ceiling overhead, watching the smoke swirl in the faint yellow light. I tug my phone out of my pocket and open the text thread I’ve looked at every day for the past three months.
It was only one night. One hot, sweaty, awesome night, sure, but I shouldn’t still be thinking about this guy. So, why am I? Why haven’t I taken anyone else to my hotel room since him? Why am I still staring at a text thread that consists of exactlythree messages between us, arranging to meet at the bar after the tattoo convention?
Maybe I’ve inhaled too much secondhand weed smoke from Jett, or maybe it’s the migraine Gray and Jade are giving me with all that shouting, but before I can overthink it, I’m typing a message.
ONYX: Hey
