Page 3 of Ticket to the Stars: Part Two

“He’snotmy boyfriend.”

“Are you sure? Because that kiss… I mean, I’m no expert on kisses, but that kiss looked like more than just a peck. It looked like a boyfriend-girlfriend kiss.”

“It was not a boyfriend-girlfriend kiss.”

“Why not? The internet thinks it was. They think you’re dating Priest.”

My eyes widened. “The internet thinks what? Where did you see all this? What websites are you on?” I’d looked all night and this morning, and I was only able to find the videos Black Sacrament was tagged under.

And, yes, there were videos of Priest kissing me, but when I found them, there weren’t many comments at all.

“That’s not important,” Cleo quickly said. “What is important is you getting three—”

“Cleo, I have to go. Tell mom I love her, and I love you too, you little jerk.” I ended the call before she could say a word. Mostly I didn’t want to hear about how I had to get three boyfriends to get our mom used to the idea so Cleo could stroll through the front door with her own multiple boyfriends in tow once she got older.

No one could say my life was boring, that’s for sure.

I hopped in the shower after that, trying to rinse myself clean of everything confusing that had happened lately. I’d kissed both Bishop and Priest yesterday, pretty much let it slip that Deacon wanted out of the band, and done my first show for Black Sacrament. What a day. I felt like I was still winding down from all of it.

And so very confused.

Bishop remembered me. He’d known who I was this whole time. And somehow we’d wound up kissing, which only served to make things more complicated.

Was it wrong if I had a crush on more than one guy at the same time? I knew what my little sister would say, but clearly her head had been tainted by those reverse harem books she’d found online somewhere. Real life wasn’t like that.

I mean, sure, poly people existed, but I’d never thought of myself as one of them.

Ugh, see? Complicated.

I was in and out of the shower, and I threw on some leggings and a baggy shirt. I didn’t bother drying my hair; I combed through its white lengths and left it at that.

I… supposed I should go talk to Deacon and apologize for throwing him under the bus. I might not have outright said it, but what he’d told me, he’d said not to speak a word of it to anybody, and I’d used him as a way to get the attention off of myself.

It wasn’t cool. If I was him, I’d be pretty ticked off at me, too.

I pushed out of my room and turned to go towards Deacon’s. I was pretty sure I could hear Bishop and Priest talking in the kitchen, but I was too far away to hear what they were saying. A part of me wondered if they were talking about what happened last night. Whatever it was, they didn’tsound like they were fighting, so I could only assume them talking was a good thing.

Once I reached Deacon’s shut door, I knocked and said, “It’s me.” I listened for a response, but I heard not a single thing. I thought about turning around and leaving, but if I didn’t apologize now, I might not have the nerve later. Best just get it over with.

And that was why, even though Deacon didn’t say anything, I went inside anyway. What I saw when I pushed inside was an empty room, and as I gently closed the door behind me, I heard water running in the attached bathroom. The door to that room was shut as well.

Guess I wasn’t the only one who was trying to rinse off everything that had happened.

I wandered to his bed, gingerly sitting on its edge as I waited. Eventually I leaned back, reclining on his black sheets. Unmade, but that’s just how Deacon was. I closed my eyes and tried to listen to the sound of the water to better gauge when he was coming out.

Minutes passed, and finally the sound of the water stopped. I sat up and angled myself toward the door so I’d see him come out, and, after another few moments, he did.

Deacon strolled out, running a hand through his damp black hair, its long lengths drawn back without the use of a ponytail. Some tendrils were wavier than others, framing the squareness of his jaw and the hard lines on his face. He took two steps out of the bathroom, spotted me, and froze.

Why did he freeze? Oh, no reason.

Except he was naked.

Yeah, like one hundred percent buck naked, his chest on full display, along with a set of vaguely-outlined abs on his stomach and his dick swinging between his legs. Completely naked.

Once I realized what I was staring at—his dick, which seemed awfully big considering it wasn’t even hard… not that I had anything to compare it to, of course—oh, God. Listen to me, rambling.

Anyway, once I realized I was looking at every inch of him, I averted my eyes, lifting them to his face as my skin caught on fire. Literal fire. I was burning up, no joke. “Um” was all I could say. Every other thought in my head had vanished when I saw him stroll out in his birthday suit.

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