“Me too. Stick around though. We’re just gonna eat. Talk.”
“Fuck?” Why did I ask that?
Bowen’s face flushes a shade of pink rarely seen. He shrugs again, his classic avoidance tactic. “Not sure, but I’ll try not to make a scene this time.”
His voice breaking on that last word catches my attention. “Are you embarrassed, Bow?”
“No. Why would I be?”
“Beats the fuck out of me. You should know by now you don’t have to hold back. God knows I subjected you to plenty of women over the years.”
His jaw twitches as he nods. “Yeah.”
He tries to stand, but I grab his wrist and pull him back down. “What’s going on? You’re acting super strange.”
Bowen huffs out a breath. “I don’t know. I’m fine though. I’m gonna shower.”
“Okay, man.”
I watch him walk away, wondering what’s gotten under his skin. Bowen is normally super chill, quiet even. I’ve always been the wild one out of the two of us. The one who forces us to be social with friends. The one with the revolving door of women. Bowen is the guy who keeps us grounded and focused. It was his idea to team up and open our business together, and he tends to the finances. I rubbed off on him in our youth, but as we get older, it’s his influence I’m feeling. I even thought I was ready to settle down finally, but the closer I got to it with Jess, the less I wanted to.
It’s my turn to sit alone on Saturday nights while Bowen gets some action in the romance zone. He deserves it. I just wish the idea of that guy coming over again didn’t make my stomach feel weird.
* * *
ALDIS
I knock on Bowen’s door exactly at six like we discussed earlier today. I’m not exactly sure what Bowen’s vibe is, but I’m going with my usual date behavior and showing up with wine. The door opens, and it’s the hot roommate.
“Hey, come in,” he says. “Bowen will be out in a second.”
“Thank you. Are you joining us?”
“Nah. Gonna go have a beer with the guys.”
I nod, studying the handsome man when my eye catches the climbing gear piled near the door. “This your stuff?”
He nods. “Yeah. I do some climbing.”
“Me too. Where do you like to go?”
“Garden of the Gods when I can get down there. Otherwise, I just go to the gym or some local places. You?”
“Love Garden of the Gods. Does Bowen climb?”
The roommate chuckles. “Definitely not.”
I start to ask about his reaction when Bowen appears in the hallway. My breath catches at the sight of him. He’s still in jeans and a T-shirt, but his freshly shaved face and styled hair are doing it for me. He smiles, glancing at his roommate for a second before approaching.
I lean forward and kiss his cheek before handing him the wine. “Brought this. Goes with anything.”
“Nice.” Bowen looks at the label. “Thanks.”
“Gonna head out,” Hawthorne says. “Have fun tonight.”
“We will,” Bowen answers, his cheeks turning a delicious shade of pink. Fuck, this man is hot. “Come home whenever you want, Thorne.”
He nods, tipping his head before heading out. Once he’s gone, Bowen takes a step toward me, making my heart rate kick up.
“Thanks for coming.”
“Nothing could’ve stopped me.”
He smiles, shaking his head. “I ordered Indian food. That work for you?”
“Happens to be my favorite.” I walk us backward until Bowen is pressed against the wall. “You’re gorgeous, you know that?”
“So are you, Aldis.”
His tongue flicks out to wet his lips, and as much as I want to taste his mouth again, I hold back. “Should we open the wine?”
“Sure. Yeah.”
I follow him to the kitchen, taking the time to notice it all. The decor is simple, tasteful with a major masculine vibe. I pick up a small wooden figure of an elephant sitting on the counter. “This is cute.”
Bowen glances at me. “Oh. Hawthorne carved that.”
“Talented. How long have you and Hawthorne lived together?”
He makes a cute little sound somewhere between a laugh and a word. “Years. I barely remember when we didn’t.”
“How did you meet?”
“In school when we were kids.”
I can see the obvious affection for his friend on his face. “You never dated though, right? You said he’s straight.”
“The straightest.” Bowen’s tone is a little sharp on that one. Hmm. “He’s cool though. He was one of only a few friends who didn’t have a negative reaction when I came out.”
I lean on the island, watching him uncork the wine. “When was that?”
“I was a late bloomer. Took me into my twenties to accept it. It was becoming obvious I wasn’t girl crazy like the others. I told him first.”
“And he was cool?”
“Very. I think he kind of knew. We spent way too much time together for him not to see it. He told me I was still me and still his best friend. Other guys were weird about it. Like they thought I was looking at them or something.”
“Been there.”
He looks up. “When did you come out?”
“Didn’t, really.”
Bowen nods, pulling two glasses out of the cabinet. “You didn’t tell your family?”
“Didn’t have to. They’ve always been really open about sex and stuff, so when I went home, I just told them I liked a guy as if it was no big deal. It was other family and friends who acted weird once they found out.”
“Yeah.” He fills the glasses, handing me one when he’s done.
“How were your parents?”
“Lukewarm. They’re fine now. Thorne’s parents were more concerned than mine. They thought it was contagious or some shit.”
“Don’t you love that?”
“Not so much.” He turns and offers his glass, so I clink mine to his. “They got over it when they saw their son’s interest in women hadn’t faded at all.”
There’s that bitter edge again.
“So, dating background. You been married or serious? Anything like that?”
“Neither. Thorne and I own a business together, and that’s my excuse for not settling down yet. You?”
Chuckling, I lean into his space. “Close, once. We were way too young and too…different.”
“In what ways?”
“Maybe it’s my upbringing, but I’ve always been open to different ways of being in relationships. I think it can be broader than just boy meets boy, marriage, house in the burbs, you know?”
Bowen nods, studying my face. “Like something open?”
I shrug. “Maybe that. I don’t have it defined. He was very by the book. He wanted two dogs, two kids, the best school district. All I wanted was to have sex.” I laugh. “I mean, with him, but I wasn’t so clear on how my future should look.”
“What happened?”
“He got a job transfer to a new city. At that time, I was still in school. It was the break we needed.”