Page 24 of Angel

I’m calm. I’m cool. Everything is fine. Nothing’s wrong.

When the urge to hurl passes, I find the right button on the building’s intercom. My hand shakes a bit as I press it and a part of me hopes that this is the wrong building, or I’ve gotten the date wrong. Anything that will work as an excuse for me to turn around and go back home.

But nope. Rhys’s voice comes through the intercom, bright and cheery.

“Hello?”

“Hey, hi, it’s… uh, this is Angel. We spoke on the phone the other day?” I squeeze my eyes shut and my ears get a bit warm. Ugh, why do I sound like I’m a plumber coming over to check his pipes?

Rhys laughs as he speaks. “Yup, I remember! Come on up. We’re on the third floor.”

The buzzer sounds and I push through the front door. My feet are heavy as I take the stairs and my palm sticks to the handrail when I steady myself. It takes way too long and not nearly long enough to get up to the third floor.

When I get there, there’s a door already propped open and voices float out into the hallway. I stall out on the landing, catching my breath while the sound of my heartbeat pulses in my ears.

I can still turn back. I can disappear down the stairs and out the front door. I can ignore Rhys’s messages or delete his number from my phone entirely. I can pretend the last couple weeks haven’t happened at all.

The door opens and Rhys appears with a big smile on his face.

I forget to breathe.

His hair is still purple, but lighter than the last time I saw it. It flows around his shoulders in waves. The collar of his shirt hangs off one shoulder and the hem is cropped above his belly button, revealing a flat and toned midriff. His shorts are… very short, leaving his long, shapely legs completely bare.

When my eyes finally reach his face again, Rhys’s smile has turned sly. Like he knows I’m checking him out. Like he knows I like what I see.

But was I? Do I? The answer should be no, right? Because I’m not gay. I’m not supposed to be gay. I gulp.

“Hey, Angel,” Rhys says, and his voice has me stepping forward, drawing me in.

He doesn’t back away as I approach. Instead, his chin lifts so he can peer up at me. The movement changes the angle of his long, elegant neck. He blinks once, and his long lashes fan down to pink cheeks before lifting again. His lips part slightly and his breath hitches so quietly I wouldn’t have noticed if I wasn’t standing so close.

Someone clears their throat loudly, breaking through this strange trance we’ve found ourselves in. “You want to let the guy in?”

Rhys rolls his eyes and shakes his head, but he steps back, holding the door for me. It opens onto a long, narrow hallway that isn’t wide enough for us to stand side by side. So I take the door from Rhys, locking it behind me, before following him into the apartment.

His hips sway as he walks. His shorts barely cover the rounded globes of his bum. I don’t mean to stare, but it’s just… it’s right in front of me and it’s so round and it’s swaying.

“Boys, this is Angel. Angel, this is Hayden and Sebastian.”

I tear my gaze away from Rhys’s butt to find two other guys in the living room. I recognize both of them. Hayden’s got reddish-blond hair with eyes so green, they almost look fake. Sebastian’s got brown hair, brown eyes, and tanned skin that makes him look like the boy next door.

They’re both smiling knowingly at me.

Crap. They caught me staring at Rhys’s ass. My ears go red-hot and I completely lose my ability to form words.

Sebastian’s eyes widen a fraction before he jumps into action. “Hey, Angel! Great to meet you!” He holds his hand out for a handshake and I wipe my palm on my jeans before I take it.

“Hi, how you doing?”

“What do you want to drink?” Hayden asks, pointing over his shoulder with his thumb. “We’ve got beer and cider. Or I just mixed up some strawberry daiquiris for these two.”

Sebastian picks up a glass of bright pink slushy from the coffee table to show me. “It’s really good. Hayden’s a wiz at anything kitchen-related.”

I reach up to give my jaw a quick scratch. “Uh, beer is fine. Thanks.”

“Coming right up!”

Rhys stands off to the side with his own glass of pink slushy. He plays with the straw before bringing it to his lips for a sip. His eyes lock with mine as he sucks, and the heat from my ears spreads across my cheeks.

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