Page 70 of Bump and Run
“Charlie.” Jones stopped to take my other hand and stared up at me. “Can we go into the funhouse? Please, please, I love those silly mirrors. You know, the ones that make you look all funny-shaped and weird.”
Kit grunted. “So lame.”
“Of course, Bashful. I would love to go into the funhouse with you.” I shot a look at Kit, who smirked at me. “Whatever you want.” I leaned down to kiss him.
Jones sighed happily. “First, take a selfie with me.”
He didn’t seem to notice the way Ollie was watching us or the grumpiness of his boyfriend. Or he just didn’t care. Maybe he was just used to them.
I happily pulled Jones against me so he could take a picture, and then I slid my mouth over his again. “I love you.” I murmured.
“Gross.” Kit started to stomp away, and Ollie ran after him. I couldn’t help but watch the way their fingers brushed just slightly as they spoke, and then they disappeared into the crowd together.
“They’re complicated.” Jones tugged on my hand, and we started walking again. “I think Kit cares for Ollie but doesn’t understand how to express his feelings.” We got in line for the funhouse.
I dropped his hand to wrap my arm around his shoulders. It crossed my mind to bring up the way Kit hit Ollie, but that wasn’t really any of my business. Even if it seemed more like abuse than affection. Maybe it was some weird kink I wasn’t aware of. It sounded painful, and I wasn’t into that.
“We’ve decided to join you.” Ollie knocked my shoulder as he walked up to me. “It might be fun.”
Kit popped his jaw. “Doubtful.”
“Kitten, please. Can you at least pretend to have fun?” Ollie sighed as he looked down at his boyfriend.
I was pretty sure my own eyes were going to pop out of my head. “Kitten?”I mouthed to Jones, who leaned his weight against my body. Now I had even more questions.
Kit grumbled something under his breath, but when Ollie touched his arm, his face softened for just a moment. Then he pushed Ollie away and folded his arms across his chest. I didn’t know a lot about Kit, other than his reputation on the track: aggressive, competitive, and mean. He didn’t like to lose and often didn’t. He didn’t seem to have a lot of friends either, and it was easy to see why.
“Stop fucking staring at me,” he snapped, and Ollie held up his hands. “God, you’re always doing that. Just looking at me with those eyes. I fucking hate it. You can’t do that. I’m not worth it. You deserve so much more. Someone who can love you back. Forget it. I can’t be around you right now. Jesus Christ.” Kit shoved past Ollie and disappeared into throngs of people.
Ollie’s face crumbled. His chin began to tremble, and Jones untangled himself from me so he could go to his best friend. I stepped out of the line for the funhouse, so we didn’t hold up the line. Jones hugged his best friend without hesitation, and Ollie easily returned the embrace. I realized now that Ollie wasn’t in love with Jones, if he ever really had been, but he was definitely in love with Kit. Who didn’t return the feelings.
Before I could stop myself, I pushed past Jones and Ollie, threading in between the crowd of people on the hunt for Kit. It didn’t take me long to find him sitting on a bench, his head in his hands. I folded my arms across my chest as I stared down at him and waited for him to notice me.
Kit glanced up, his blue eyes red and watery. “What the fuck doyouwant?”
“To talk to you,” I answered.
He huffed. “Too bad because I don’t want to talk to you.” He gawked as I sat down. “Just make yourself comfortable, Callahan. I wasn’t trying to be alone or anything.”
“I know we don’t know one another, but if you need to talk, I’m a good listener.”
“Hard pass.”
I narrowed my eyes. “You’re an asshole. You know that, right? For some unknown reason, Ollie likes you. You’re upsetting him, which, in turn, upsets Jones, and I can’t have that. Do better, Kit.”
“Go fuck yourself.” He glanced away as his eyes swam with tears. His chin trembled as he avoided my gaze, and I watched as he brushed away the tears that slid down his cheeks.
I nudged his arm. “It’s okay to feel, Kit. It means you’re not dead inside.” I tried to coax a smile at him.
“I want to love him back, but I don’t know how. I don’t know what to do. I’ve never had someone treat me like Ollie does,” he whispered, and this time, when the tears fell, he didn’t stop them. “It’s terrifying.”
I didn’t try to touch Kit or console him. I could tell that’s not what he wanted. I was also a little scared he might try to hit me if I did. “Have you tried telling Ollie that? It might help.”
“No.” Ollie slapped his palms against his cheek to wipe away the wetness again. “He’s just too happy. I don’t understand how someone could go through life like that.Always finding the good in everything. It’s kind of disgusting.”
Jones’s face popped up in my mind. The smile that lit up his eyes, the sound of his laugh, how he blushed when I talked dirty to him. “I know the feeling.”
“But it’s also kind of nice. To have someone like that in your life. Right?” Kit glanced up over at me.
