Page 26 of The Bro Pact
I seriously can’t believe that guy thought we were boyfriends.
Do we give off that vibe?
I’m startled out of my internal panic when Ren pops into view through the open driver’s side door.
“Hey, man. Wanna pull around back and make sandwiches? Then we can get right back on the highway after we eat,” Ren suggests, clearly eager to get to the next destination.
I stare at my best friend for a moment, paying a little more attention to what he’s wearing today besides the baseball cap. He’s in a pair of light-wash jeans with a hundred rips in them, and a tight white tank top that shows off his nipple piercing. But just because I can recognize the fact that Ren’s extremely good-looking, and possibly even sexy, it doesn’t mean that I’m gay or bi.
And neither is Ren.
I dart a glare toward the gas station, knowing Justin is on the other side of the dirty glass, probably staring at us like a stalker. “Nah. Let’s go somewhere else. This place gives me the creeps.”
“Okay,” Ren chuckles, completely oblivious. “Like where?”
“I saw a sign for a duck pond down the road. I bet no one’s even there.”
Ren bursts out laughing. “A duck pond?”
“What?” I ask defensively. “You used to love watching the ducks with my mom when we were kids.”
“It’s just so random,” he chuckles.
I shrug nonchalantly, even though I’m itching to get out of here. “It’ll be fun. Besides, it’s only two miles down the road,” I say, pointing in the direction he needs to go.
When we turn down the gravel road, we drive for about a mile before we get to a deserted parking lot across from a quaint little pond. Lily pads float along the slightly green surface and tall grasses line the perimeter.
As soon as Ren parks, my seatbelt is off and I’m up. “I’m gonna make sandwiches,” I declare.
When lunch is ready, Ren grabs our favorite throw and we climb to the roof, laying the blanket down to enjoy lunch in the sunshine.
It’s nothing special, just ham and cheese again, but it hits the spot nonetheless.
Ren finishes first, lying back to stare at the clouds, and I join him shortly after.
It’s become a routine of sorts—spending time up here on the roof—stargazing at night and cloud watching during the day.
“That one looks like an axolotl,” I say, pointing to the cloud straight above him with a big round head and little wispy things coming off the sides.
“A what?” Ren laughs, glancing at me out of the corner of his eye and scrunching his brows.
“Never mind,” I chuckle, not even knowing how to describe the strange little creature.
“Look!” Ren shouts with glee. “There’s totally a dick and balls over there!”
He points, and my gaze follows. I tilt my head to the side slightly until I see it.
“Yep. Sure is,” I confirm.
We burst out laughing, continuing to laze in the warmth of the sun as we watch clouds float by and listen to ducks quacking in the distance.
I feel cozy, full, and content, like I could fall asleep right now.
Ren slips his tank top off and folds his arms behind his head, getting even more comfortable. I glance over, doing a double take as I notice something about him that I’ve never noticed before.
“You shave your pits, dude? Isn’t that kinda gay?” I accidentally blurt out, a little surprised and a lot rude. But Warren just brushes it off with an easy smile like he always does.
“Nah, bro. It’s not gay. It’s manscaping. The chicks dig it, and that’s not all I shave either...” He pauses for a moment as if he’s thinking intensely, and I can’t help but let my gaze travel across his torso that’s starting to glisten with a slight sheen of sweat. His chest is muscular and smooth, and I trace the contours, my eyes snagging on the single nipple piercing that I sat with him through. It hurt too much for him to do the other, so he settled for one. Continuing down his defined abs, I catch sight of dark stubble leading into his jeans.
