Page 12 of Phantom Faceoff
How the hell did I become a third wheel in my own damn room?
I fish the underwear out of my drawer and chuck them at the oaf, the material hitting him in the chest just as his eyes wander again.
“Wha—Oh. Thanks.”
That’s only the entire reason I invited you over in the first place.
It’s the time of night that Julian usually colors or huddles under his covers watching anime.
I can see that part of him—the Little that thrives on routine—warring with the side that very blatantly wants to get laid.
They’re talking now. Zander rests his hip against Julian’s bed-frame. Julian leans closer from his perch on the mattress.
There’s the slightest flutter of Julian’s eyes mid-conversation. A glance in my direction. His fingers play with a loose string on his pajama bottoms. Repetitively. Anxiously. Another look thrown my way.
He wants permission. To break routine.
I don’t pretend to understand the appeal of this dynamic, but even I can’t deny the swell of emotion that fills my chest.
It almost feels like … pride? Relief? Not just that Jules trusts me with this part of himself, but that he actively wants me included even in situations that don’t call for it.
“You know the rules,” I say softly. Calmly. Firm in a way that draws Julian’s undivided attention.
He stares back. Blinks. Nods almost imperceptible. Shifts his focus from me to the man failing to appear as if he isn’t just as desperate for my best friend as said friend is for him.
It’s honestly quite difficult to watch.
So, why haven’t I stopped?
Julian climbs to his knees, pulls his long hair back into a messy ponytail, and grabs Zander by the neck until their lips connect.
I’m sure I’ve got papers to write and tests to study for, but my feet are rooted. My eyes won’t slide even a millimeter away from the scene before me.
Zander secures his arms around Julian’s waist, eyes falling shut almost in slow motion. His shoulders rise and fall with each swipe of their tongues into each other’s mouths.
He grips the hem of Julian’s over-sized t-shirt, fingers curling beneath and latching onto his skin. The shivers that break out are all too visible, a full body shudder.
“Getting better,” Julian pops away with a laugh. “D—Mal says he’d prefer if we hooked up here. So …”
The look he sends me is pure feigned innocence.
Not that he’s lying, but he’s … teasing? Pushing the perimeter of our boundaries?
“By all means,” I say, uncrossing my arms and forcing my feet toward my own bed. “I’ll drown you out with Sleep Token.”
There’s brief recognition in Zander’s eyes, and maybe for a second I think his taste in music isn’t completely abysmal, but it’s there and gone when Julian steals his focus back.
I turn away, grab my earbuds off the shelf and shove them in … but I don’t connect them to my phone. In fact, I stand there listening to the rustle of clothes and hushed voices until my body aches from the prolonged position.
Under the covers, I squeeze my eyes shut tight. In my makeshift darkness, Zander’s bare back heaves as he drapes across Julian, pinning him down. Each rock of his hips makes the bed creak and groan.
There’s hitched breathing, and my mind supplies the image of large hands wrapping around his partner’s airway. A pressure but not a restriction.
My body responds. Flushes. My boxers tighten and dampen.
I’m not embarrassed to admit that it’s been … a while since I’ve had anyone in my bed. Since anyone has looked at me with heat in their eyes and unbridled arousal in their touch.
Iamembarrassed to admit I touch my cock to the sound of their gasps and grunts. Julian’s high-pitched pleas that he tries to muffle behind his palm. Zander’s ragged pants as the slap of skin rings unabashed through the otherwise silence of the room.
