Chapter 4

And it seems like he’s the one in charge now. He tells the guys to get dressed – I almost forgot that we were in the middle of Strip Bowling. He doesn’t look at me as they all change from their bowling shoes to their snow boots. He says nothing to me as they put their coats back on and he ushers them out the door. I’m left lying on the floor.

I’ve recovered some strength and I sit up. I’m all alone now. I feel humiliated, used and abandoned. I know I have nothing to be ashamed of. I could have been a musclebound weightlifting freak and I would still have been outnumbered and overpowered. I did nothing wrong. I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. This shitty town. I stand, pull up my underwear and go lock the doors.

It takes me half an hour to get dressed and clean the place up. It’s not quite closing time, but fuck it. This night is over. I slot my bowling shoes in the empty size 10 cubby and search for my socks. I can’t find them anywhere. Nor can I find my boots or the book I was reading. Assholes. Why take my boots? They won’t fit any of them. And my book? I’m disappointed that Nico would allow them this final insult. I go to my backpack and pull out my Nike high tops. I sigh. These were for inside, not outside. And I still have no socks. I have to walk home in two feet of snow. The high tops do not lace as high or tie as tight as my snow boots. Snow will get down in there. And with no socks either… It’s hardly better than walking home barefoot. Sigh. I slip my tacky bare feet into my sneakers and pull on my coat.

When I get to the door, I see the same pickup truck again pulling into the parking lot. Shit. What now? Did they remember all of the spots on my body they haven’t tickled yet? The door is locked and there’s no way I’m letting them in. The truck pulls into the same spot it occupied for most of the night. Just the driver’s door opens and Nico steps out alone. He makes his way to the door and sees me standing inches away from him but we’re safely separated by a locked barrier. He smiles at me and I feel a little flutter from deep down inside. But no. I’m mad at him. When he was done doing what he had to do, he left me lying there. Naked and humiliated. He didn’t talk to me. He wouldn’t even look at me. And he let those assholes steal my stuff. How can he be friends with those fuckers?

He waves and shouts, “Can I come in?”

He says, “It’s just me. I took those assholes home.”

I fold my arms across my chest.

My resolve breaks. I unlock the door. He enters and quickly locks up behind him. “I have something for you,” he says. “Can we sit down?”

Great. What else could possibly be in store for me? What hell have I not yet experienced? We move over to the row of plastic seats and Nico takes off a backpack I hadn’t notice he was wearing. He unzips it and pulls out my book. “This belongs to you.”

I take it, but still say nothing.

He looks down at my feet. “Hey, you’ve got shoes. Those are some cool kicks. I like them.”

“You can’t have them,” I snap. “They’d do you no good. They’re too small for you. Unless you want to steal them out of spite.”

He looks hurt as his smile falls. He puts a hand on my arm and I feel a sizzle from his touch. “Cody, I’m not here to steal shoes I didn’t know you had. I’m not here to hurt you at all.” He reaches back into his backpack and pulls out my snow boots. “I couldn’t help but notice there were no other cars in the lot. I figured you walked. I wanted to offer you a ride home. And return your stuff.”

“How’d you get it back?” He looks at me and for the first time I notice a flaring red bruise on his jaw. Now I touch his arm.

He scoffs, “You should see the other guy.”

“Why are you friends with them?”

“I’m not, really. Cal is my cousin and I’ve spent the last eight years trying to keep him out of trouble. Trey is Cal’s friend and he tries to get them into trouble.” He picks my right foot up off the floor and sets it in his lap. He works the lace and slides my high top off my foot. “I really do like these kicks. They’re cute. I mean…I like them on you. They look good. You look good.”

“Trey and Cal made high school hell for a lot of guys, but they never targeted me. What made tonight special?”

He reaches in his backpack again and pulls out a pair of socks. “Opportunity. It was nothing you did. They didn’t know you were back in town after four and a half years or that you work at the bowling alley. When you mentioned that you were the only one here tonight, I saw Trey’s eyes light up and I knew I’d have to do damage control.” He puts a sock on my naked right foot and massages me tenderly. It’s nice to have a sock on again. And Nico’s attention and touch are even nicer.

I close my eyes, enjoying the foot rub. But then they pop open. “It was you!” I exclaim.

“You are why they never bothered me in high school. You steered them away from me. Why?”

He switches to my left foot, removes the shoe, adds a sock and digs gently into my arch. “You seemed like a nice guy. I actually wished we could be friends. That never worked out, but yeah. I kept them clear of you for four years.”

He protected me. Wow. “Based on what? You and I have never spoken to each other before tonight.”

“Based on the fact that your green eyes make my knees buckle and have since the nineth grade. Based on the fact that I always wished we had the same gym class so I could catch a glimpse of you with your shirt off. Based on the fact that you are ridiculously cute, adorable and beautiful.”

I blush. Suddenly it’s hot in here. Needing to look away, I look at my feet. “Those aren’t my socks.”

“I know,” he continues the foot rub. I have no idea what Trey did with yours and he wasn’t up for answering questions after I beat the shit out of him. Did he throw them out? Were they hiding in his pockets to be kept as souvenirs? Who knows. I stopped by my apartment and grabbed a pair of mine.”

Hearing that my feet are in a pair of sexy Nico’s socks makes my spent cock stir back to life. He works my boots onto my socked feet and laces them expertly. “I’m hoping that despite having your boots back, you’ll accept my offer for a ride. It really sucks out there.”

“Yeah. Thanks.” I look him in the eyes, “Can I ask you something?”

“Could you tell I always had a big crush on you too?”

He nods again and I blush again.

He tells me about his college years and his job in Marketing with a local company. I tell him about my college years and my failures of the last eight months. Somehow he makes me feel good about it. After all, those events brought me back home and now here we both are. Plus, he admires the fact that I want to write my own novel.

He says, “I have a proposition for you. Move in with me.”

I shake my head, “I couldn’t afford it.”

“I’m not looking to split expenses. I don’t need a roommate. I want you.”

“Oh.” I remind him, “We’ve never spoken before tonight.”

He waves a dismissive hand, “Did you know your college roommate before you moved into your dorm?”

“People place ads and take strangers in for roommates all the time. You’re no stranger. And I live only a few blocks from here. You can visit your parents whenever and keep this job part-time while you write your novel full-time. We can get to know each other better.”

“I think you’ve had the chance to get pretty acquainted with me tonight.”

He laughs, then apologizes, “Hey, turnabout is only fair play. I am up for any revenge you may want to take on me.” He winks and flashes me his irresistible smile. “I’m sorry about everything tonight, but honestly, I’d love to do some of it again. In a totally kind, controlled and consensual manner, of course.”

My dick pricks up again. We stand and he drops both of our backpacks to the floor. He grabs me and kisses me. I’ve never kissed a boy before. It’s wild. It’s thrilling. I’ve always felt an inexplicable desire for Nico, but I never really thought about it. I never analyzed it and labeled it. Actually, I never understood it. It was just there. It existed and it was undeniable. Whether I wanted to want him or not, I couldn’t help it…I just did. And now with his hands in my hair and his tongue wrestling with mine, my whole body tingles. Is it biology? Is it chemistry? Whatever it is, it feels like the most natural thing in the world. No mental analysis needed. My body knows. This is the right thing. I am physically responding in a way I never have before with any other human on the face of the earth. The right person for me happens to also be a boy. This boy. Nico. My dick casts the deciding vote as it strains against my jeans.

My hands work their way under his snug t-shirt and I can’t believe this isn’t a dream. My fantasy has become my reality. The kiss goes on and we press into each other. It is immediately clear that Nico too is all in. His vote has also been cast. And that casted vote comes in the form of his own erection which is pressing into my hip. I feel goosebumps on his skin where my fingers do an exploratory dance. He giggles and I stop because I don’t want to be the reason the kissing ends. We keep kissing. His tongue that swirled another part of my body to ultimate ecstasy just an hour ago is now swirling against my own tongue. He tastes good, he smells good, he feels good…

We eventually come up air. We both have flushed cheeks. We both have the biggest, stupidest grins on our faces. He picks up both of our backpacks in one hand and takes my hand in his other, lacing our fingers together.

We head out to his truck and I lock up behind us. “Take me home, Nico. To my new home.”

He starts the engine and looks at me, “I hope you’re not tired. You got me all horny and worked up. I have so many plans for you in my bed tonight. We might not get to sleep at all.”

“I might have some plans for you myself,” I say.

He grins, “I was hoping you would.”

His truck cuts through the snow like it’s nothing. As he drives, he asks me, “What’s your hook?”

“For your novel. What’s the first line? How will you hook your reader and make him want to read more?”

I think about that. Eventually I turn to him and say, “How about, It was a dark snowy night but three men found their way to the bowling alley.”

We stop at a red light. He stares at me for a minute and we both bust out laughing.