Page 21 of Bad Call

“Get laid? Yeah, me too. Better luck next time.”

Casey hadn’t ordered a drink, so he stood and grabbed his phone like he was going to leave.

“Wait!”

He paused. “What?”

“We’re both here, and I’m starving. We might as well eat.”

Hesitantly, he sat back down. The tension between us grew awkward as we stole glances at each other, wondering what we were supposed to talk about to fill the silence. To ease my nerves, I pictured him naked, remembering his lightly furred chest, hard and toned with muscle. His flat brown nipples, and the way his throat worked furiously as I swallowed him. I wondered what he was thinking about. Probably the last time he ran into me at the sporting goods store. His eyes moved down my body.

“Burgundy,” I blurted.

“Excuse me?”

“I’m wearing the burgundy pair. That’s what you’re thinking about. Isn’t it? Which color jockstrap I’m wearing?”

His cheeks reddened. His discomfort pleased me to no end. “I was not!”

I laughed and gave him a smug smile. “Yeah, you were.”

“You really think highly of yourself, don’t you, Blue?”

“Apparently, so do you. What was it you said? My mouth was made for sucking cock?”

The look on his face was priceless. He was all bluster, gearing up like he was going to try denying it.

“When did I say that?”

“The night we met. And if you say you don’t remember, you’re a fucking liar.”

“You’re a conceited ass. I would’ve said anything because I had my dick inside you.”

“Oh, so that’s something you say to all the guys? I get it. Do you also text them at night when you’re lonely in bed?”

“I don’t know what I was thinking. We have nothing in common, and actually can’t fucking stand each other when we’re dressed. All we do is argue. In fact, I’m not sure you have any redeeming qualities. You’re argumentative.”

“Well-versed,” I countered.

“You’re conceited.”

“No, I’m self-assured.”

Casey snorted. “Deceitful, obviously.Andrew,” he sneered.

“Creative and discreet.”

“Abrasive.”

“What you mean is that I leave a lasting impression. I’m unforgettable.” Casey gave up and just laughed. “See, you know all my best qualities, and you’re still here. That means you like me.”

He breathed out a long-suffering sigh. “Why me? Do you know how many gay men there are in this city? Why are you hell-bent on making my life miserable?”

“I like you.” I was stunned at how easily the response slipped out. I actually did like Casey, despite everything.

“All this because of my face? My cock?”

Well, that too, but… “No, it’s that feeling you give me.” He looked horrified, his eyes going wide, and I realized he thought I was about to profess some sort of undying love or some shit. I leaned in closer, dropping my voice to a whisper. “When you creatively insult me on the field and yell at me, when you look at me like you can’t stand the words coming out of my mouth like you are right now, it makes my dick hard. You’re the only man I know who treats me like gum stuck to the bottom of your cleat.” I leaned back in my chair, trying to affect a casual pose. “And also, sometimes you can be funny.”

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