Page 47 of Romance Languages

This was the goal. This was everything I wanted. I could go home with Dylan and check off every item left on my list. I would have a night to remember, and he seemed like the guy who’d take me to brunch in the morning.

He waited for my answer, and his confident stare slipped a bit as the seconds ticked by.

“I, uh—I drove tonight, so my friends are depending on me for a ride home. Maybe we can hang out another time?”

“Yeah, cool. Can I get your number?” He handed me his phone to enter my number. As I typed in the numbers, I knew I’d never hear from Dylan again. The window had closed.

He called me so I’d have his. I held up my phone to show I got it, but I knew that I’d never contact him.

And so our flirtatious banter devolved into who could find the exit first.

“I’m gonna get another drink,” Dylan said. “It was good talking to you.”

“Same.” I held up my beer and watched him go. I took a beat before I returned to be grilled by my friends.

“What happened?” Amos asked when I rejoined the group, the question on everyone’s minds.

“He was nice. He owns a music shop a few towns over.”

“Is he going to play you like an upright bass?” Everett asked, impatient.

I shook my head no. “We had a good chat, but there wasn’t anything there. Maybe we’ll hang out in the future,” I said with barely mustered enthusiasm.

“I find this perplexing because you both had very positive body language from what I ascertained,” Chase said.

“Not like we were looking,” Hutch said.

“You ran your fingers through his beard, which is a ‘come fuck me’ signal if there ever was one,” Everett said.

“Not like we were looking,” Hutch repeated.

Was that why I like rubbing Seamus’s beard?Ugh, Seamus isn’t here. Lawnmower strip club, remember?

“He seemed into you.” Amos shrugged, getting to the simple heart of the matter.

Unfortunately, things were simple this time. Dylan was into me. And I…was somewhere else.

“He was nice. Maybe we’ll see each other again. Who needs another round?” I pointed at Chase’s empty glass and Raleigh’s empty bottle. “Anyone else?”

I headed for the bar before I could get any more looks of confusion from my friends.

* * *

It seemedevery gay man in New York needed to let off steam tonight. Men danced with abandon, singing along to the music. Every table was packed with groups of bros having the time of their lives. This was what it felt like when a place became thrillingly alive. And yet…I found myself standing just outside the revelry, peeking through the window but unable, and maybe unwilling, to open the door.

I left Remix sometime after one, pushing through throngs of men into the cold air of night. Instead of driving home, I changed course and found myself parked on a familiar curb.

Julian: Can I come in? I’m outside.

I waited painfully long seconds until the front door cracked open. Seamus sleepily grinned at me in nothing but gym shorts.

“Hey, Jules. What’s going on? You go out tonight?” he asked with his bright smile, a salve from the weirdness of tonight.

“I’m ready to move onto the next session,” I said, breath catching in my throat.

I cupped his dick. He instantly let out a husky sigh.

I closed the front door behind us, walked us backwards to the dining room, got on my knees, and pulled down his shorts. I ran a hand over the outline in his underwear of his throbbing, rock hard dick.

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