Page 4 of Taste of Surrender
“Then count me in.” He started to leave, but shot me a wink just before he walked through the door.
Did Malachi Danvers just flirt with me?
2
MALACHI
One Year Later– Nineteen Years Old
Every yearat the end of the summer before school started up again, my family and Jesse’s would go camping at a lake an hour or so from where we lived. We’d fish, rent kayaks, hike, and also play games like disc golf, horseshoes, volleyball and cornhole. It was a blast, so even though Jesse and I had graduated last year, we still went with our folks.
And Jasper.
Jasper Bennett, my best friend’s younger brother.
The summer before he started high school, he told all of us he was gay. I’d always thought he was cute, but, I knew he was off limits because if things were to happen between me and him, Jesse would cut off my balls.
Besides, no one knew I was bi. Not even my best friends. Before graduating, I was known around school as a ladies’ man.
And I was.
Every chick wanted a piece of me, especially when they heard me sing. Who was I to deny them? I could melt their panties off as I serenaded them. It was kinda my thing and that hadn’t changed since leaving high school.
What had changed in the last year was I’d finally hooked up with a guy.
One night, I went to a gay nightclub that had an eighteen and over night. I was nervous and excited as I walked into Chrome alone, and I was instantly drawn to a guy sitting at the bar. We hit it off and ended up fooling around in his car. We hadn’t had sex, but having his rough hands work me as he blew me had been a whole new experience, one that’d made me come harder than I ever had with a girl.
With X Ambassadors blaring through the speakers of my yellow Jeep Wrangler Sport, I took the exit for the lake as I followed behind my parents. I’d opted to drive so we could bring more stuff for the week, and Jesse rode with me. His folks, Jasper and Jasper’s friend were already at the campsite. I was looking forward to seeing Jasper shirtless for seven days.
Jesse turned down the stereo and said, “I was thinking we should apply to be onThe Band Showdown.”
I furrowed my brow as I glanced at him. “The reality show?”
“Yeah, bro. How else are we going to catch a break?”
Our band, Surrender, had been playing together for six years. It was me, Jesse and our best friends, Elliott and Silas. Jesse was our lead guitarist and backup vocals, Silas was the drummer, Elliott played bass, and I was the lead singer and played a few chords here and there when I needed to. Our sound had a pop-rock feel, and we covered bands like X Ambassadors, Twenty One Pilots, and Imagine Dragons. We had a few songs we’d written ourselves, but mostly, we played what people knew.
“I don’t know.” I blew out a breath. “Maybe we’ll get lucky and someone will discover us when we’re playing at Flanagan’s.”
“Right.” Jesse snorted. “I think we’ll have a better chance trying out for a reality show than praying someone will stumble upon us at some random Irish pub.”
“Have you mentioned this to Elliott and Silas?”
“Nah.” He shook his head. “Just thought of it right now.”
“Well, I guess we can ask them when we’re back home.”
“I’ll look into all the details tonight.”
“All right.” I nodded and pulled into the parking lot at the campground. After parking beside my parents, we piled out, including my sister, Norah, and her friend Gabby from my parent’s car. We all got to work unloading our vehicles and then walked to the campsite where Jasper and his parents were setting up one of the tents. I saw no sign of Jasper’s friend around.Interesting.
After we said our hellos, we started to set up our tents too. The entire time, I couldn’t help but steal glimpses of Jasper—his dirty blond hair reflecting the sunlight, the faint sheen of sweat glistening on his tanned skin. He flashed me a smile when he caught me looking once, and my heart did a little flip, despite the familiar warning bells ringing in my head.
“No friend?” I asked him.
“AJ couldn’t make it.”
“Ah.”
