Page 22 of After Hours

It took a round of Cokes and a bunch of back-and-forth chatter to finalize the plans for my boyfriend to move in with my twin brother. The thought of asking Oscar to move in with me hovered in the back of my mind, but I knew it was way too soon. I watched him smile and talk with Wy and dreamed of a future full of plans for us.

“This calls for a celebration,” Wyatt said after upgrading his apartment reservation to a two bedroom on the rental app. “We should go out.”

When friends usually said, ‘go out,’ they meant somewhere to drink and party. I never really hit the clubs. Back in the day, Wy and I hung out at one of the more remote lakeside rec areas with groups of our fellow idiots. “Like, for pizza?”

Wy set his jaw. “No, I want to go to a club.”

“Do you really think that’s a good idea?”

He stared at me for a long moment before he nodded. “I’ll get a soda. I’m feeling good, strong, you know? I want to have fun.” He hopped up and did some weird, funky, horrible dance moves. “Hey, let’s go to a gay club. You have to know some, right Z? I wanna test out the whole bisexual thing.”

I looked between Oscar, who looked nervous, pink, and adorable, and my brother, who looked a bit like an idiot but happy. “Okay, let’s hit the Blue Eclipse.”

***

The rideshare car dropped us off a block from the club, so I wrapped my arm around Oscar’s shoulders for the walk to the door. I suggested that he leave his cozy cardigan at home, but I regretted it when I felt him shivering against me. He’d get too hot inside, and a sweater wasn’t really clubwear anyway. Not that I wanted him to dress sexy and attract a bunch of other guys’ attention. He’d do that anyway.

He had on a dark blue henley and my favorite jeans, and I couldn’t help dropping my hand to his waist when the bouncer checking IDs at the door waved us in. Stake my claim. Maybe I did have a little bit of caveman in my after all.

Wyatt bugged me for half an hour about what he should wear to his first gay club experience. Eventually, he believed me when I told him I wasn’t a fashion guru and that he should just wear whatever he felt comfortable in. That made Oscar tease me about bringing his cardigan until I jokingly suggested we all just stay home in sweatpants.

My brother stepped up on the other side of Oscar and scanned the room. A group of men danced under the colorful lights in the middle of the room while the DJ played thumping club mixes. More lined the bar under neon lights. A few tables scattered around the edges. It was the middle of the week and kind of early, so the crowd wasn’t overwhelming. “I’m gonna get a soda,” Wy said. “I can get you guys one, but if you want beer or something, you’re on your own.” His smile stayed in place, but tension lined his eyes.

“Soda’s good. Let’s stick together.” Oscar followed Wy, and I brought up the rear with my hand on Oscar’s back. I wondered if I could get him out on the dance floor. Dancing at clubs wasn’t my thing really, but he deserved the full experience. I deserved to have him in my arms.

“Oh my gaga!” A shrill voice blasted over the sound of the music from a couple of feet away. “No way, are you guys twins?” A skinny blond in a baby blue V-neck waved his friend over. “Micah, look. Twins!”

Wyatt raised his eyebrows at me. He looked like he was on the verge of hilarious laughter. Instead, he turned to the cute pair. “Yeah, we’re twins. My brother’s taken though.”

Oscar tightened his grip on my arm, so I stuck my fingers in his back pocket. “Yup. My boyfriend’s all I need.” I smacked a kiss on his pink cheek.

Micah’s friend seemed honestly crestfallen as if he thought he’d get to be a part of some kind of incestuous three-way. I glanced at my brother, who just looked mystified. As soon as the two men drifted away, he leaned toward me. “What was that about? Are gay twins extra cool?”

Forget the music and dancing. Watching my brother figure the club out was fun on its own. “They probably read too many twincest erotica stories.”

“Twin…” His mouth dropped open. “Eww! Ick. No, that’s fucking weird, bro.”

“I agree.”

Oscar shook his head. “So do I! Definitely ick.”

Wyatt turned around to mock scowl. “Hey, I’m not that bad. I mean, not for you, but I’m not hideous or anything. After all, I look just like your boyfriend.”

Before I had a chance to tell him to cut it out, Oscar shook his head again, curls bouncing. “Nope. You look nothing like him to me.”

Sodas in hand, we walked a circuit around the dance floor, checking out the crowd and getting a feel for the place. We got quite a few interested looks – twins were rare enough to warrant a second glance anywhere, I guessed – and a burly bear of a man stared at Oscar for so long it made him extra clingy. I didn’t mind at all.

I pulled him tight against my front, wrapped my arms around him, and swayed to the music before glancing over at my brother. “What do you think, Wy? How’s your first gay club experience going?”

“I don’t know. I mean, some of the guys are pretty hot. I’m bisexual, though, I think. Does that matter?” He actually looked nervous about it, like someone would kick him out if they found out he also liked women.

I bumped his shoulder with mine. “You’re free to be whoever you are, Wyatt. If someone judges you for that, they’re not worth your time, right? This is an LGBTQ+ friendly place.”

He nodded once. “I think I’m going to try dancing.”

“Okay, let’s go!” Despite his playful protests about not knowing how to dance, I shuffled Oscar forward onto the dance floor. I wasn’t an expert either. I just knew that it felt good to have my arms around him and our bodies pressed close. We swayed and rocked together as one song blended into another.

Occasionally, another man danced up behind me or him for a while, but I shifted us around, so no one got the idea we were looking for a third. Having Oscar in my arms was like a dream come true, a dream I didn’t even know I was dreaming. Thoughts like that were cringe-worthy cheese, and I did a mental eye roll at my sappiness. I couldn’t deny it, though, so I just held him closer and enjoyed every inch of his body rubbing up against mine.

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