Page 52 of Bobby Green
Except, thinking about the look on Bobby’s face as he walked out of the kitchen sort of shrank his boner anyway.
Okay. At least until I get my head sorted.
Good plan. I’ll bring beer.
So Reg and Trey sat side by side on the couch and watched TV. No sex. None of the cuddling Bobby had been doing. Just… watched TV. And Reg thoughtHey! I can do this! I get this no-sex thing! I have sex on set all the time—why do I need to have sex in my regular life?
He was good with that. He wasgreatwith it.
And then he texted Bobby, and Bobby said he’d come back, but same thing. No sex. And no touching either.
And Reg wanted to cry at first, because dammit—getting laid was the one thing he could do right! But God—anything was better than Bobby being gone and mad.
So fine. No sex. No touching. For weeks.
And it was driving Reg insane.
“The house?” he said blankly, staring at Bobby’s mouth. Was it his imagination, or had that lush, wide mouth grown lusher and wider? He’d been doing a lot of scenes—did sucking cock work out the lips like lifting weights worked out the arms? Reg figured his own mouth must be hella muscular—but not as sexy as Bobby’s. Not as red. Not as wide and smiling. Not as pillowy when it was pursed.
“Yeah,” Bobby said, smiling slightly. “I mean, I finally found a place to move in—I sign the lease after Christmas, but I paid first month’s already—”
Reg wrinkled his nose. “Isn’t that bass-ackward?”
Bobby shrugged, looking uncomfortable. “Yeah. Yeah, it is. But I did some work on the place for the apartment—I couldn’t really afford it with just my savings. That’s why I haven’t offered to work on your house until now. I was busy fixing the stove so it didn’t suffocate us and nailing all the baseboards down, redrywalling the bathroom, fixing the sliding glass door so it slid—”
“Oh my God!” Reg burst out. “Bobby—you’re practically building this guy’s apartment for him!”
Bobby blew out a breath. “Yeah,” he sighed. “I know. But my mom—I mean, not before Christmas—probably not until spring. But I want to try to get her down here. Take care of her until she finds a job she likes. And the apartment is the first step, and then some furniture, and—”
“But doing that while you’re working two jobs?” Reg could see it now. The bags under Bobby’s eyes, the way the beer seemed to make him really mellow, really fast. “You must be exhausted.”
Bobby yawned, hiding it apologetically behind his hand. “Well, yeah. I’m looking forward to having Thanksgiving weekend off,” he said, trying to focus after the yawn almost took over his face.
“I’m going to Chase and Tommy’s,” Reg said happily. “They’re having a thing.” His face fell. “I can’t stay long—I’m coming home with leftovers for V, but you’re welcome to come.” Veronica’s meds had been cruising along, but Reg still waited for the prickle at the back of his neck to tell him that wasn’t going to last. It never did with V.
Bobby grimaced. “You know? I wish. Skylar and Rick are going to Skylar’s parents—I guess they’re coming out and stuff.”
Reg shivered. “Scary. They’re so brave. Coming out is what got Ethan kicked out.”
“Yeah.” Bobby sighed. “And he’s a good guy too.”
“I think coming out is why….” Reg shook his head. He didn’t want to gossip about Chase Summers and Tango anymore. It felt disloyal. They were his friends, and now that Chase was going to be okay and Tango was Tommy, they deserved privacy. He’d already learned that privacy was important, even if you showed your naked bits on the internet for the world to see.
“Why what?” Bobby asked, curious. He seemed to be curious aboutallthe guys at Johnnies.
“Why Chase hurt himself,” Reg said, hating to talk about the fact that he’d done that. It just… it hurt to think of him, tall, easygoing, big jock smile on his face. Reg had been right about him being two people—and apparently the other person had been screaming in pain for his whole entire life.
Reg didn’t like to think about that. He wondered if he was strong enough to scream that long.
“Because he hadn’t come out?” Bobby asked, nodding slowly. “Yeah—I’d heard that. So I’m glad for Rick and Skylar. They’ll come out, and even if Mom and Dad don’t know about the porn, you know, moms and dads don’t always know everything, so it’ll be okay. But Lance is going to his parents’—I guess he has to be Super Good Medical Student for them, so they don’t know about the porn or the gay either.”
Reg made a hurt sound. “Lance is a good guy,” he said softly.
Bobby tilted back another swallow. “He is. And he doesn’t deserve that. But Trey’s gonna be there at the party, and I think Billy is too. So, lots of people. But I’m going back to Truckee.” He let out a big sigh, like he didn’t want to, and Reg was afraid to ask.
If he hated going to visit his girlfriend so much, why was she still his girlfriend? Dammit, Bobby deserved a… a… special friend who made him happy. Made him feel bright and shiny, like that was the reason sex was good.
Thinking about sex again made Reg focus on Bobby’s throat as he swallowed the beer, on his chest as every breath stretched out the worn T-shirt he wore. His biceps were getting bigger, and his pecs, and the baby fat that had made him seem soft had melted away, leaving only the sweet, wide, smiling mouth.
