Page 7 of Twink Heart

?“Right,” I nodded, handing his bag over. “Uh… I’m sorry for being awkward.”

?“It’s fine.”

?He started to turn away, but I couldn’t let him go just yet. Not without at least one attempt.

?“The truth is… when I saw you yesterday at the store. I… well, I thought you were really cute.”

?He stared at me blankly.

?“And I thought maybe I could give you my number.”

I reached into the tiny pocket in my trunks and pulled out a piece of paper that I’d already written it down on, hoping the universe would bring us together again. With a shaking hand, I pushed it into his, laughing mostly out of nervousness.

?“I’m not gay,” he said flatly, staring at the paper.

?“Oh… well, I mean, we could just be friends, right?” I offered, trying not to show how heartbroken I was. “You’re new in town and I could show you all three of the cool places to hang out if you want. But no pressure.”

?He stared at the paper a moment longer. “Thanks,” he muttered. “I’m leaving now.”

?“Right,” I nodded, trying to act cool. “It was good to meet you, Rowan.”

?“You too, James.”

?His tone made me think otherwise, but I just gave him a nod and headed back toward the beach.

?“Have a good day!” I called in one last-ditch attempt to seem like I was totally unbothered by his rejection. “Enjoy your book!”

?God… why did I have to be so fucking awkward? I was as cool as a cucumber around all the other guys, but there was something about this one that got me all flustered. And it was driving me crazy that I didn’t understand why it was happening.

?But it was probably for the best that he’d rejected me right off the bat. At least that way I wouldn’t have to go out with him for a while, finally drum up the courage to let him fuck me, and then watch him ride off into the sunset with nothing but a shitty text message.

?No, this was probably for the best.

?However, I couldn’t help looking back over my shoulder as I walked away, watching him pack his gear into his SUV and climb in. Even from a distance he was intensely handsome. I could see the sun glinting off those strong shoulders of his. His tank top was tight enough across the chest for me to imagine how hot he’d look without it on at all. And even though he was wearing baggy swim trunks, I still caught a hint of that bulge here and there while we were walking. In fact, I thought I’d caught him staring at my ass. But I suppose I was probably making that up considering his reaction to my advance.

?When I got back to my towel, I was happy to see that nobody had run off with my backpack or my phone that I’d completely left lying out in the open. I turned back toward the parking lot, watching the SUV with Rowan in it head toward the exit. A quick glance down at my phone showed I had no missed messages or texts awaiting my reply. I let out a long sigh, the smile fading from my face.

?I’d most likely never hear from or see him again.

Chapter Five: Rowan

Another ding from my computer.

?A message flashed across the screen, telling me I had yet another email from my boss. I sighed as I clicked to open it. I started to skim it but wasn’t really reading it at all.

?All day long, it had been nothing but email after email from him. First, he wanted an update on that report that I’d already sent to him. When I told him that, he wanted revisions. After those, it was new images and then new formatting, and it just kept going on and on like that all fucking day.

?I was on the edge of rage quitting my entire fucking job.

?But I forced myself to sit back in my chair and take a deep breath. I couldn’t quit. My entire life had already fallen apart and the last thing I needed was to throw my job onto the tire fire that was my existence. Sure, I had a fair bit of money saved up that I’d no longer need for a down payment on a house for Mia and myself. However, that didn’t mean I should just quit my hard-won job and start the countdown toward my inevitable doom. Jobs like mine weren’t exactly easy to come by anymore.

?No. It was best to just do whatever inane fucking thing my boss wanted, and get on with my day. Besides, he was a boomer, and it wasn’t like he was going to learn how to use our software anytime soon. If he were going to, he would’ve done it years ago. So I should stop wishing he would and focus on my work.

?However, that wasn’t the only thing that was bothering me. Work would’ve been a lot easier to deal with if I hadn’t dreamed about that guy at the beach all night. I woke up that morning stressed out and questioning everything I’d ever known. Not to mention I had to do laundry because of it.

?The dream started off simple enough. I was at the beach again, sprawled out on a folding pool chair that seemed far too nice to have dragged out to a public beach. An oversized umbrella was stuck in the sand beside me, throwing a deep shade over the upper half of my body. However, as I looked around, I found I was the only one there. The entire beach was completely abandoned, and I had all the sun, waves, and breeze to myself.

?At least it was until I saw him. It was that same guy, James, that had given me his number. I recognized those blue eyes immediately. He was wearing those same little skimpy trunks that hugged every curve and bulge of his body. I could clearly see his cock shifting side to side as he walked toward me, the thick shaft pushing against the fabric. It wasn’t until he got closer that I realized he was already hard, his cock snaked over his hip in a vain effort to stay under the thin fabric.

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