Page 29 of On the Run
“All these years,” Rafe went on, “you’ve been saying you’re not interested in casual hookups because you were holding out for your soul mate, blah blah, and I thought you were being hypothetical, but you were actually holding out forTrey! For this guy here!”
The look that Beale shot me could have stripped off more layers of skin than a chemical peel, but in my defense, how was I supposed to know he actually believed in this shit? Crystals and yoga and chakras were one thing, but soul mates? That was a bridge too far.
Fuck, that was acontinenttoo far.
“Well. I-it’s still early days yet,” Beale stammered.
“But when you know, you know. Right?” Gage demanded. “Isn’t that what you told me? The Universe will show you the one true path? The signs will be unmistakable?”
Beale’s mouth opened, and then he closed it again. He nodded reluctantly. “I… had no idea you were actually paying attention when I said those things. Who knew?”
Rafe shook his head in disbelief, looking almost angry. He took a step forward, and I was positive he was going to hit one of us, probably me. But in the end, he threw his arms around Beale’s waist and hugged him hard.
“Shit, man,” Rafe muttered into Beale’s chest. “I’m so sorry. I wish you’d said something!”
“Oh. Oh, wow. Okay.” Beale patted his brother’s back and grimaced at me over his shoulder. “So this is happening.”
“And you!” Rafe said, pulling back and wagging a playful finger at me. “Get over here!” He pulled me into a firm embrace. “Welcome to the family!”
The family?Fuckity fuck.
Rafe gave a loud sniff and clapped Beale on the shoulder. “I get that you’re probably trying to be careful because of what happened with Aimee and me, but I hate that you couldn’t tell me about this. I guess what’s important is that you’ve told me now. But no wonder you didn’t want to flirt with Silvio last night or throw that party to get to know him better, huh? I mean, Silvio might have an ass fordays, but you’re already all set.”
An ass for days, hmm? I gave Beale a look that said,For a guy who doesn’t hook up, you sure get around,and sure enough, Beale blushed again.
“Yes. Yeah. I’m set.” Beale cleared his throat. “Which means there’s no need for a party anymore. Best to cancel it.”
“Are you kidding?” Rafe shook Beale’s shoulder, but he looked at me. “Can you believe this guy? Cancel the party? Not fucking likely! Now we’ve got even more to celebrate. You two need to come down to the Bean—that’s Bean Me Up, our breakfast spot,” he explained for my benefit. “Everyone will want to meet you.”
“Golly gosh darn it all to heck, I wouldloveto, but we can’t.” I spread my hands helplessly. “Beale has plans for us today with, um… nature.” I was pretty sure he’d said something like that.
“Oh, that,” Rafe scoffed. “Beale’s volunteering can wait while he introduces his soul mate to the town.” He draped an arm over my shoulder. “And Scotty’s coffee is incredible.”
“Coffee?” I repeated, looking from Rafe to Beale. I was about a quart and a half low on caffeine, and herbal tea was not cutting it, especially in light of recent developments.
I had no desire to show my face to “everyone” at the Bean… but judging from the looks Beale was giving me, sticking around here wouldn’t be a picnic either. Plus, with no phone, no internet, and no television, it would be impossible to know whether anyone was looking for me by name unless I got out of the house. “Yeah,” I told Rafe. “I could do coffee.”
* * *
“I’m notsure why you’re mad atme,” I huffed as Beale and I flew down the road in his doorless, roofless Jeep at a speed entirely incompatible with a decent hair day.
Beale had a blue bandanna tied around his head with his messy golden-brown hair hanging over top, whichshouldhave made him look like he was about to go all Karate Kid and sweep the leg, Johnny, but instead just made him look hot as fuck.
Because of course it did.
Because this was my life now, being fake soul mates with Florida’s only hookup-hating gaygiant, doomed not only to phone-lessness and penury, but to unending sexual frustration.
Yay, me.
“Really?” Beale shot back as he slowed down to make a turn. “Not a single clue why I’d be annoyed,Trey?”
I would like to say that I totally didnotnotice the way his thigh muscles bunched and flexed beneath his cargo shorts as he worked the clutch or the way his biceps flexed to enormous proportions when he shifted gears… but that would be a lie.
“Hey! If anyone else talked to Mason and told themTobyshowed up, he’d come home, right? And I didn’t come up with the idea of being your soul mate. I just…” I paused. “Ran with it.”
“And you couldn’t have run in another direction?” Beale demanded. “Literally any other direction?”
“How was I supposed to know you didn’t do hookups and whatnot?” I demanded right back. “Not that asexuality isn’t perfectly valid, obviously, or that being sexual should be the default, just that it would’ve been nice to know.”
