Page 4 of Our Time

“You know I hate planes. We’ll be taking my car.”

I know Ryder hates planes but I’m still surprised by the suggestion. “Wait. You want to go on a road trip across the country?”

“Yeah!” He looks at me with a wide smile. “It’ll be amazing! We can stop at random places, stay in hotels, and take turns driving! It’ll be like an adventure, Ben.”

I hate how contagious his excitement is. Being locked away in a car with Ryder for that long sounds blissful, but also like it’ll be hard to keep myself in check. He’s my best friend, but that doesn’t stop my heart from longing for more. I’ve loved him for as long as I’ve known him.

How the fuck did one night change things so much for the two of us?

“Fine,” I say with a long sigh, really playing up the dramatics and rolling my eyes.

“You won’t regret this! It’ll be the trip of a lifetime!”

We step into the studio and find the guys already here. Harrison, Parker, and Calvin are sitting on the giant bed, Calvin artfully laying across the pillows. I’d say he looks ready to take a nap if I wasn’t aware of what was about to go down in the next few hours.

Ryder gives me a peck on the cheek before running over to the bed and jumping onto it with the other guys. I shake my head fondly as I step over to my camera, pulling her out of her case. I run my hand over Beatrice, making sure she’s all ready to go.

I nod at Mia, our other camera operator. She gives me a bright smile. “Are you ready for today? I have a feeling we’ll be all over the place.”

“With these guys? Of course,” I say back, both of us chuckling. “They’re gonna be all over the place, we both know that.”

“I don’t mind. I’ll count this as my work out for the day.”

Jeremy, one of the owners of the studio walks in. He’s wearing gray slacks and a pink polo, always dressed like he’s ready to walk into an office and sit in a cubicle rather than direct a porn scene. “Alright, everybody, who’s ready to shoot an orgy?”

CHAPTER THREE

RYDER

“Holy shit,”I grit through clenched teeth as talented fingers dig into the back of my thigh.

“God, you’re tight today.”

A snicker comes from the corner. “Shut it,” I say in Calvin’s direction. “I was stuck in a squatting position for far too long. My hamstrings are so fucking sore now.”

“You could have easily tapped out,” Calvin says back, “we would have switched positions.”

“In my defense, I knew for a fact that the shot was hot. I’m just giving the people the jerking material they deserve.”

Derek, our resident massage therapist and Harrison’s mate, snorts from where he’s rubbing my hamstrings. “The people will be forever grateful for your valiant sacrifice.”

“Wouldn’t it be hilarious if you went through all of that pain and then Jeremy cut that out of the finished product?”

I let out a long groan. “He wouldn’t dare.”

Someone steps into the room. “Is there any way I can go next?” Oh, it’s Parker. “Christopher texted me and asked me to bring him chicken nuggets. He said the baby is demanding it and if I don’t bring them soon he’s going to do something drastic. Like freezing all my underwear.”

“Oh my god,” I say with a giggle. “Would he really do that?”

“Pregnancy hormones, man. They’ll make you do anything.”

Thank Christ my face is buried in this massage table, that way no one can see the giant, pleading eyes I make to myself. The desire to be pregnant is starting to get out of control. My friends are all mated. They’ve found their person. They’re happy. And with that comes babies. Harrison and Derek, Gabriel and Gunther, and now Parker and Christopher.

I’mjealous.

I’m filled with so much longing I just barely keep myself from choking on the feeling. The worst part is, the person I want isright therewithin arm’s reach, yet somehow so fucking unattainable.

I let out a long sigh, hoping Derek doesn’t notice. It’sfine. I have Ben in my life. He’s my best friend and always will be. That’s enough for me. Seeing him happy and living his life is enough for me. I only want the best for him, even if that means a tiny bit of self-sacrificing from my end.

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