Page 4 of A Different Form of Oxygen
Two
Ben
I went home with the wrong guy last night. The guy I wanted to go home with is the same one I’ve been lusting over for the last year. Either Gavin didn’t recognize me, or he didn’t want to acknowledge who I was. Maybe that’s why he asked me to keep the mask on. A tinge of hurt twisted in my gut when he said he didn’t know me. The memories of his words sting as much now as they did then.“It’s hard to miss someone you don’t know.”
Only he did know me.
At the time, I wasn’t sure if it was part of a game we were playing or if he legitimately didn’t recognize me. His hands didn’ttouch me the same way someone would touch a stranger. The way he kissed me, with such ferocity and passion, felt like something he was holding back for a long time.
I didn’t want to rush him out the back door, but I didn’t need Alex to find him there with me. He was a bit suspicious of me locking the door, but I was eventually able to get him to move his attention elsewhere.
I don’t want to go home these days, because being alone only made the nightmares worse. Alex’s erection presses into the back of me, making his presence noticeable. I pull away from his arms and slide out of the bed. My clothes are sprinkled along the carpet, and I slowly bent down to retrieve each rumpled piece. The shuffling of the sheets and the creak of the bed tell me Alex is getting out to follow me.
“Don’t leave yet, baby, stay here in bed with me a little longer.” Alex runs his hands down my body, no longer bringing the same reaction they had before.
I move away from his touch. “I have plans today, Alex. At least when I leave, you can continue having phone sex with whoever you were on the phone with last night when you thought I was sleeping.”
I pull on my shirt, with my pants still hanging off my hips. He throws his head back on the pillow. “Yeah, whatever. Don’t act like you didn’t already know you weren’t the only one. You aren’t that special, sweetheart. Besides,heat least lets me fuck him. Have fun with your “plans.” I’m fucking bored with you anyway.”
I roll my eyes, not even bothering to respond to him. I head toward the front door, shoving each shoe on my feet while remaining in motion. Alex gets like this after a while, especially when he feels like he’s getting called out or rejected. I’m not sure why I keep coming back. Maybe because he’s the only one who tolerates my limits, but I need someone who will do more than tolerate them.
The mask I wear around Alex is different from the one I wore with Gavin last night. Sometimes when we are together, I close my eyes and imagine what we have is actually real. The kisses, the touches, and intimate moments. But it’s all temporary. Once Alex gets what he wants, he has no more need for me. I rush into my house after pulling into the driveway to get showered and dressed. I wash off the smell of Alex that I used to love being covered in—all it does is make me feel cheap and used now.
Tugging up my skintight jeans, I force them over my toned thighs, and I pull on a short sleeve floral top that hugs my form. I got a group message yesterday from Maverick, saying for everyone to meet him and Casey at Mabel’s Bakery. He was going to ask my best friend Casey to marry him today and wanted us all to celebrate afterward, but Casey couldn’t know about it. I did always love a good surprise.
Especially one that led to my best friend being happy.
I pull up in front of the bakery, spotting a familiar car in the parking lot.Gavin is here. Knowing it would be only Gavin and me sitting at a table, I debated waiting in my car until everyone else showed up. I take my time walking to the door, hit by the Texas humidity. I can feel my thin pink shirt already sticking to my skin. Entering the cool bakery allows me to breathe easier. The aroma of baked bread, fresh coffee, and the mixture of raspberry and orange makes my stomach growl.
My hands spread over the glass case holding an array of pastries, kolaches, bagels, and other baked goods sitting under a heated lamp.
“What can I get you today?” a soft voice comes from behind the counter. I tap my finger to my lips, as my gaze falls to all the options in front of me.
I have to stop myself from asking for one of everything. “I’ll take two egg and sausage kolaches, two vanilla filled fruit tarts, and two apricot vanilla pastries. Oh, and a chai latte please,” I say licking my lips as she slides each item into a paper bag.
“Someone must be hungry today; why not just order the whole bakery?” A warm sultry voice comes from behind me and I know that voice can only belong to one person. That same voice that almost has me buckling to the floor every time I hear it.
Gavin is smiling at me with a gleam lighting his dark brown eyes, watching me curiously as I take the paper sack from the baker. I swallow hard, clasping the food to my chest. “Don’t think I wasn’t tempted because I definitely was. I skipped breakfast this morning so I will definitely be eating every single thing in this bag."
He chuckles, running his hand through his thick black hair that has a sprinkle of gray on the sides. “I grabbed a table in the back; looks like we are the only ones here so far.”
I still didn’t know how to act around him after what happened between us last night. He seems absolutely obliviouswhen we take a seat across from one another at the table and he scrolls through his phone. My hand fumbles with the bottom of my shirt after I set my food on the wooden table that separates me from Gavin. He acts too casual for a person I just hooked up with last night.
“Are you going to eat the food, or just stare at it? You don't happen to have some sort of powers where you can eat with your eyes do you?”
I laugh nervously, having a hard time meeting his eyes. I won’t be able to leave them once I do. “I didn’t realize you were watching me that closely. Did you not get anything to eat? Are you drinking your lunch today?” I point to the coffee cup sitting in front of him.
He brings his drink to his lips. "Nah, I was waiting for everyone else to get here. I’m not a fan of sitting here, stuffing my face alone. But since you are about to eat, maybe I should join you. That kolache does look good.”
His gaze follows my hand bringing my food to my lips. I wasn’t sure if it was the kolache that made him lick his lips or if it was the way my mouth slowly wrapped around each bite as I gently pushed back each piece with my tongue. His hands tighten around his cup, his eyes never leaving me. “I should um…go get that food now.”
He leaves the table, walking back over to the counter. I spin the paper cup around in my hand thinking of my next words for when he comes back. I get lost in thought as I stare down into the contents of my half empty cup. I jump at the chair scratching the floor, being pulled out from under the table.
“Hey, still just us two, huh?” Gavin glances around uncomfortably; maybe he does know it was me last night and that's why his eyes can't meet mine.
I lay my shaking hand over the table. “You weren’t gone very long. What did you think, that they would sneakily walk past you while you were face deep in pastries?”
He laughs, pulling out a lemon tart from the bag. “You never know.”
