Page 78 of Bulletproof
CHAPTER TWENTY
Derek stepped onto his deck, leaned on the railing and inhaled the crisp California air. A welcoming mix of palm trees and desert brush greeted him from the mountains in the distance, reminding him why he loved his home so much. He turned his face up to the sky and wondered if Travis was staring atthe same sky right now. It had only been a week since they’d last seen each other, yet it felt like a year, and his life had a humongous void in it. He closed his eyes and pictured the man’s face and the smile that often held a duality of happy and sad. The image bore a hole in his heart and made his chest hurt.
Noise from inside the house pulled his gaze from the sky. For a quicksecond, he thought it was Travis, but realized he never got the chance to give the guy a key.
“What’s up, bruh?” Jeremy crossed the deck with a bounce in his step, with Alan trailing behind him.
The sight of his friends brought a smile to Derek’s face, and he gave them each a brotherly hug.
“We’re going to Bran’s,” Alan said.
“What for?”
“Pool party. So bring your trunks. Or not.”
“Cool.” Derek needed to get out of the house and stop pining for Travis, although everything reminded him of the man. “Who’s driving?”
“We’re riding.” Jeremy jingled the Harley-Davidson key chain he had picked up when they were in Milwaukee.
“Even better.” Riding always cleared Derek’s head, and he welcomeda moment when regrets and what-ifs disappeared and he thought about nothing.
As the three of them sped away, it held a bittersweet memory. Riding, usually so freeing and uninhibited, made Derek think about the first, and last time he and Travis rode in a competitive race to the Hollywood sign.It wasn’t the last time, he reminded himself. He’d see Travis again. Travis would come backto him. The words had become his mantra. They kept him sane. Otherwise, the reality that he and Travis were no longer together would sink in, and he wasn’t ready to deal with that kind of pain and loss.
By the time they made it to Brandon’s, Derek felt a little better. The three bikes roared as they accelerated up the steep winding driveway that led to Brandon’s estate. It was a magnificentascent into the heavens. Once on the landing, Derek dismounted his bike, pulled his helmet off his head, and removed the elastic bands that held his hair together. He bent over at the waist and shook out his long mane before he looked up at the sprawling mansion in front of him. Brandon was the king of extravagance, and the guy’s oversized home outshined all his indulgences.
Derekpounded his fist on the enormous front door. “The party’s here. Open up!” Since Cam had moved in with Brandon, they no longer walked in and out of their lead singer’s home at will – a request from Brandon to respect their privacy. Derek wondered if he’d have to adopt the same custom with Jeremy and Alan now that those two were together. And he wondered when his drummer and bass player would officiallymove in together.
Cam opened the door and extended his arm toward the other end of the long foyer. “Come on in, boys. Brandon already has the barbeque going.”
Jeremy was the first to reach the French doors that led to the main deck off the first level of Brandon’s estate. As soon as he opened the door, Brandy came running in from outside. She ran through everyone’s legs,barking and wagging her tail in greeting.
“Aw, she missed us.” Jeremy squatted down to pet her.
“She sure did.” Cam smiled lovingly at his dog. “You guys have been with her 24/7 for the last few months. I think she’s bored with just me and Brandon.”
“We’ll come visit more often.” Jeremy, still on the floor hugging the dog, continued to block the doorway thatled to the deck, and Derek wasn’t sure who missed who more.
Spotting Brandon at the barbeque sent a gurgle through Derek’s stomach. He gave the dog a few quick pats on the back. “Hey, B.” Then he impatiently brushed past her and Jeremy to get outside. “I smell chow!” The large patio table was already covered in salads and veggie sticks, no doubt Cam’s attempt to make something healthyto counterbalance Brandon’s love of red meat. Derek clapped his hand on his best friend’s shoulder. “How’s the char coming along? I’m in the mood for one of your signature burgers.”
Spatula in one hand, basting brush in the other, Brandon fist-bumped Derek with his elbow. “Hey, buddy. I made a special burger just for you. Can you guess which one it is?”
Derek didn’t knowwhether to laugh, lick his chops, or cry from happiness when he spotted the ginormous burger dominating the center of the grill. It dwarfed the others around it. Dripping with Brandon’s special glaze, it glistened with deliciousness that made Derek salivate. He rested his head on Brandon’s shoulder and gazed at it. “I love you, Bran.”
“Uh, what’s that?” Cam was on the other side ofDerek, brow raised and arms folded across his chest.
Brandon laughed. “Better back off, Derek, before my guy kicks your butt.”
Three successive splashes drenched them with warm water as Jeremy, Alan, and Brandy jumped into the pool.
“Hey!” Derek yelled, stretching his arms out to shield the barbeque. “Watch my burger!”
“In the pool, MacAlister!”Alan ordered.
Derek slipped his shirt over his head, pulled down his jeans and stepped out of them. “Looks like I forgot my swim trunks!” He vaguely heard Brandon groan as he ran toward the pool and up the ladder. The moment his buttocks hit the slide, he realized he was fucked. Without any water to coat his dry descent, friction burned his butt and the unyielding surface tugged onhis sac. “Ugh!” he shouted as he tried to lift his hips, which sent him tumbling over the side of the slide and into the pool shoulders first. He cupped his crotch under the warm water, letting it envelope him like a soothing tonic to his scorched flesh as he floated weightlessly. A surge of bubbles and splashing made him open his eyes under the water. Big black paws pushed the water around himin large waves as Brandy moved toward him. One paw clunked him on the head and another socked him on the chin. He broke through the surface of the water and quickly swam to the side of the pool to escape. Hanging onto the stamped concrete edge with one arm, he found the dog’s tennis ball nearby and tossed it to the other end, where she happily swam to retrieve it. “Brandy’s trying to kill me!” heyelled up to Cam and Brandon.
“Serves you right for jumping in my pool without any trunks.” Brandon smiled at the dog. “Good girl, Brandy!”
“Sorry about that,” Cam apologized. “She has no manners in the pool.”
