Page 7 of Lustful Nights

“Okay, okay, I won’t say anything. But why are you working here?” I ask, wanting to know why he’s here. Nick thinks he works at a coffee shop, and this is the complete opposite of that.

“Maybe the real question is, what are you doing here?” he snarks, placing his hand on his hip.

“I already told you; I came to check on you. I never saw you as the type of person who would work here.”

“What’s wrong with working here?” He crosses his arms over his chest, and I sigh.

“There’s nothing wrong with this job, Lennox. I saw you when I was here for a party, realized Nick didn’t know you worked here and just wanted to make sure you were okay.”

“Well, I’m okay.”

“Okay then.”

We stare at each other, neither one of us saying a word. I truly don’t know why I’m here. Yes, I wanted to check in on him,but why am I still here? And why am I noticing the small mole right above his lip?

“Well, if that’s all, I need to head home. I’m exhausted from work.” He steps back toward his car, and, for some unknown reason, I want to reach out and stop him.

“Sure,” I tell him instead, shaking my head.

I watch as he glances at me with his brow furrowed before getting into his car. The engine roars to life and Lennox gives me one final puzzled look before he drives off into the night.

Yeah, he’s not the only one who’s confused.

I walk into the office, taking a sip of my coffee. Probably my fifth coffee of the day. I don’t come in very often, but I’m required to show my face a few times a month. Luckily, working in IT allows me to be pretty flexible with where I have to work. I wave hi to the receptionist and continue striding down the hallway toward David’s office. I lift my hand up and knock once I reach the door.

“Come in,” he yells. I push my way inside, taking a seat on a couch in the corner. “Hey, Jensen what’s up?”

“Nothing, just dropping off my reports for this month. Figured I would show my face.”

“Ya know, letting people work from home sounded like a good idea at the time, but all I did was make myself lonely. Well, sometimes. Elliott still comes in daily and talks my ear off.”

Laughing, I nod my head, knowing exactly how Elliott can be. He’s definitely a Chatty Cathy, wanting to talk to everyone he comes in contact with. “Could be worse. You could still have Bobby coming in every day.”

David visibly shudders, closing his eyes. “Yeah, I’m thankful I don’t have to smell his feet anymore. But thanks for bringingyour reports by. I’ll give them a once over before submitting them.”

“Sounds good, man. When are you leaving for your honeymoon?” I ask.

“Monday. Two weeks in paradise, man. I’ve never been to Hawaii. I can’t wait to lie out in the sun.”

“Well, you’ll have to tell me all about it when you get back. But I’ve got to head out. I’ll talk to you later?”

“Okay.”

As I leave work, submitting my monthly reports brings me a huge sigh of relief. They’re always such a tedious thing I have to do, so once they’re out of my hands I feel so much better. Gripping the handlebar, I swing my leg over my bike and sit on the seat. Scrubbing at my beard, I look around, debating what I should do now. I could head over to Nick’s place, but… my head swivels toward the sunset, and I smile, knowing exactly what I’m going to do.

I pop my helmet on, then push up my kickstand. My motorcycle roars to life and I speed away, weaving in and out of cars, heading down toward the coast. The beach at sunset is always one of my favorite things to witness. I could ride around for hours, watching the oranges and yellows of the sky transform into darkness. Once I’m out of the downtown traffic, I accelerate, letting my bike run free.

The wind blows into my face, and I smile, loving the vibrations from the machine. I make it to the highway sign letting me know I’m about to hit the Pacific Coast Highway. One day, I’ll ride from one end of the highway to the other, but until then, I typically ride around for thirty minutes to an hour before heading back down to home in San Diego.

The sun is setting, so I decide to veer off course and head down by the water. I’ve been coming out here since before I could drive. Back then, my parents would drop me off, or I wouldcatch the bus and then take my skateboard down the hills. My skateboard eventually turned into my motorcycle, but my love of the beach never left me.

There’s something about the ocean that soothes me. The sounds of the crashing waves against the rocks and the smell of the sea air relax me when I breathe deeply. It’s the one place where I always feel myself. My friends know me as homebody Jensen, my coworkers only know brainiac IT tech Jensen. Sometimes I’m one or the other, even both. But there are instances where I wonder who else I am.

I park my bike against the metal railing and jump off, locking up my helmet. Turning left once I reach the sand; I use the walking trail down toward the shore. I find my favorite rock wall and hop up, taking a seat. Lifting my head, I stare out into the water, a sense of calmness instantly overcoming me. I take out my compact notepad, the one I use to make quick drawings. An hour passes by quickly, the sun setting and disappearing over the horizon. I look down at my drawing, a set of soft lips with a small mole right above the right side.Lennox.He’s plaguing every thought I have lately.

Jumping down off the wall, I lift my hands high above my head, stretching out. A gentle breeze hits my body, and I shiver. Deciding it’s time to return home, I hurry back to my bike before taking off and heading toward my house. I pull up beside my car, making a mental note that I need to take that baby out for a spin once in a while.

I unlock my door, kicking off my boots and tossing my wallet and keys on the entry table. My house isn’t big, but I bought it with my own money, and I’ve made it my sanctuary. I always assumed I would be married and have kids by thirty, following in my parents’ footsteps, but that hasn’t been the case.

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