Kyle:As if.
Eric:I can prove it.
Kyle grinned, and wrote,So you’re coming tonight?
He wondered if Eric would make a dirty joke. Most of Kyle’s friends wouldn’t be able to resist that setup. He doubted Eric even noticed the double meaning.
Eric:Wow. You skipped a few steps there.
Kyle fell back against the couch, laughing. He knew he shouldn’t flirt with him, but he couldn’t help it.
Kyle:Obviously you’ve never danced with ME.
For a long time, Eric didn’t reply. There weren’t even dots indicating that Eric was writing anything. Kyle cursed himself for being so stupid.
Eric:Can I call you?
Oh god. That sounded...well, Kyle wasn’t sure, actually. Ominous? Exciting?
Kyle:Sure.
A moment later, his phone rang. He bit his lip, staring at the screen, then answered. “Hi.”
“Hi.” Even that one simple word sent a spark racing through Kyle’s body. He’dmissedEric. It had beendaysand Kyle hadmissedhim.
“What’s up?”
“I just... I wanted to talk about...” Eric exhaled into the phone. “If I go tonight, to the club, I don’t think we should—”
“Got it,” Kyle interrupted. He couldn’t stand to hear Eric finish that sentence. “Hands off.”
“Yeah. I just...think it’s best.”
“Whatever you want,” Kyle managed to keep his tone light, even though his overdramatic heart ached in his chest. “It’s not like there won’t be plenty of men to choose from when you’re there.”
Eric huffed. “I’m not going to be staying late.”
“Do you have a game tomorrow?”
“No. I just...”
“Don’t worry,” Kyle teased. “You can watch the show, dance for a song or two, and still be home in plenty of time to do your pre-bed Tai Chi.”
“I don’t do thateverynight.”
“You’ll have fun. I promise. And if there happens to be a hot guy there over the age of thirty...”
“I’m not hooking up with some random person I meet at a club.”
“I wasn’t talking aboutyou.”
That made Eric laugh, which Kyle always loved hearing. He laughed too, but his eyes began to sting. The truth was that he only wanted to dance with Eric. To feel Eric’s body against his as they worked each other up until they couldn’t stand it anymore. Until they had to hurry off to Eric’s house—or maybe Kyle’s apartment—to tear each other’s clothes off. He could do that with any one of hundreds of men who would be at the club tonight, but Kyle was only interested in doing it with Eric.
Well, he’d have to get over himself. Eric didn’t want him, so Kyle needed to find someone who did. Kyle was not inexperienced when it came to heartache. The best thing to do was to move on as quickly as possible.
“I’ll see you tonight, then,” Eric said.
“If you’re lucky.”