Chapter Seven – What Are We Doing?
As much as he liked to imagine that by now Alexander was gripped in the throes of a well-justified panic, Lyn discovered quickly that he was himself instead, feeling annoyed by his own strange doubts. Why had they done that? Alexander had made it sound – and feel – like the sort of decision one made on the spot, just because it was fun and didn't matter much.
It had to count as an argument as good as any. Lyn chuckled and shook his head as he patted his body dry. It hit him too late that he would have to walk out of the bathroom completely naked since he had surrendered his – wet – underwear into Alexander's unworthy of trust hands. Well, not completely naked, he decided, grabbing another towel and wrapping it around his waist.
Dinner was, indeed, hours away, and those hours he would have to spend with his college nemesis. Looking back, most of his reactions to what seemed to be Alexander's natural way of being appeared childish in his eyes now. A keen observer, Alexander could identify what was wrong with someone with a single glance, and he was honest, too. Lyn had hated him for it, but it had never been Alexander's fault that Lyn suffered from so many faults, after all.
In a way, the challenges Alexander had put in his path had made him stronger. Maybe he'd have to consider thanking the guy. Lyn snorted at such a weird idea; no way in hell he'd do that. Alexander couldn't stand sycophants and he was quick to judge a lot of people for being one. Since he was rich, good-looking, and great at everything he put his mind to, he was among the popular guys in college. While Brad envied him openly for it, despite being pretty popular himself, Alexander acted like he never acknowledged his privileged position and stubbornly hung out only with Lyn and Brad as if the rest of the world didn't exist. If he thought about it hard enough, Lyn couldn't recall seeing Alexander openly display his romantic conquests, either. But Brad had secretly shared with him that Alexander was famous among the girls for having a monster cock and the technique required to do honor to such an amazing sexual organ.
Lyn had seen and felt the monster cock in question only minutes ago and could vouch for the girls' assessment. Not that he hadn't seen it before, but it had happened so briefly that Lyn didn't believe it counted.
"You look like a porcupine." Alexander was standing in the door leading to the deck in the back, leaning against the doorjamb. He had a pair of shorts on, which Lyn considered a small mercy given their peculiar present circumstances.
"And you look like a wet Labrador."
Alexander snickered. "At least I'm not a labradoodle."
"Wow, people do change," Lyn noted with a smirk. "I was today years old when I learned Alexander Montgomery III can tell a joke. A lame one, but that's okay. The effort it took him to get it out must have cost him a lung."
To his surprise, Alexander's easygoing smile from earlier hardened. "Funny, I don't remember you ever making too much effort to get to know me, although we've been friends for twelve years."
"Count only the four years of college we were together."
"Right," Alexander said curtly. "Because after that, you ghosted me."
Lyn scoffed. "It's not like you went looking for me, right? I mean, Brad found me."
"Of course," Alexander admitted, his face turning into an impenetrable mask, his usual go-to strategy in college when something or someone made the mistake of annoying him.
Lyn took a deep breath. Getting into a fight with Alexander would only complicate things unnecessarily. No matter how many words had been left unspoken between them, it didn't matter now. What mattered was not making a mess of this vacation. Brad would be heartbroken if Lyn or Alexander left because they just couldn't get along.
"Okay, I'm sorry," he said. "That was uncalled for. I didn't look for you, either. So, truce?" He stretched out his arm, offering his hand.
Alexander took it and held it. Lyn made eye contact with him, hoping his apologies seemed sincere enough.
And that was enough to count as a challenge in Alexander's eyes, of course. Lyn grunted as Alexander pulled him close and stared into his eyes from only inches away.
"What?" Lyn asked, without giving up on the staring contest. "Are you going to kiss me again?"
Alexander released him just as fast as he had pulled him closer. "If you want me to forgive you, you'll have to kiss me first." He tried to walk away after that mic drop moment, but Lyn caught his arm.
"Alexander, what are we doing?"
"Right now? I suppose we're fighting."
"No, we're not," Lyn contradicted him, "because if we were, I'd do this."
During college, Lyn had never truly considered building muscles or getting to know the basics of self-defense, but that had changed once he passed the bar. Now was as good a good moment as any to show Alexander that he wasn't the same skinny, easy to hurt guy from eight years ago. He skillfully tripped Alexander, making him drop to the floor. He climbed on top of him to assert his victory, but his adversary had some aces of his own hidden up his sleeve.
Which meant that Alexander just as skillfully snuck his hands under Lyn's towel grabbing his ass. Someone had a pretty strange obsession.
"Are you an ass man?" he asked.
The towel fell aside and Alexander only gripped Lyn's ass harder. "If by that you mean your ass, yes."
"I didn't realize you'd turned into someone keen on teasing people," Lyn said with a snort.
Alexander's eyes glinted with mischief. "Who said that I'm teasing you?"
Two could very well play that game. Lyn grabbed Alexander's chin, pinching it for good measure, and leaned forward, forcing the asshole's smile into a kiss. His reputation as an experienced gay guy was put to the test, so after indulging in Alexander's pleasantly flavored mouth, he moved away before full satisfaction. In the process, he pulled at Alexander's bottom lip with his teeth, biting it playfully.
"Still not freaked out?" he asked, without changing his position. His limp cock was resting against Alexander's belly and it felt nice. If the guy were someone else, Lyn might even get hard. His cock began to stiffen, only to prove to him that the brain couldn't dictate to it what to do.
"Why would I be freaked out?" Alexander asked. He really enjoyed playing with Lyn's buttocks. Could it be he hadn't seen any action in a long time? But how did that work with the recent divorce? Maybe Alexander had been such a pain in the ass that his wife hadn't wanted to sleep with him for years. It wasn't an entirely impossible scenario.
"Because," Lyn said and grabbed first one of Alexander's hands, then the other, to pull them forward and away from his ass, "what you're doing right now with me is pretty damn gay. And you're not gay. Unless you discovered your new sexuality after college and divorced a man, not a woman."
"No, that didn't happen," Alexander corrected him. "I was married to a woman. And I haven't touched a man's butt until now."
"Wow. I would accuse you of lying, but since I know you're a shameless self-entitled ass that never lies because he thinks he's never wrong, I can't."
As always, he didn't understand Alexander at all. The strange handsome man he held trapped underneath him was the same impenetrable enigma as always.
"Should I ask you why are you doing this now?"
"No, not now," Alexander said, putting on a serious expression. "Ask me at the end of this vacation. After Bradley's and Isabella's wedding."
"Okay," Lyn said with a shrug. From experience, he knew there was no point to insist asking Alexander the same thing more than once. The asshole was like a rock; nothing moved him once he got something in his head. "However, if you expect me to jerk you off every waking moment, think again. I'm not here to entertain you."
"Of course, you're not," Alexander said matter-of-factly. "Although," he said, letting his voice drop a note, "I don't mind if you use me to rub against the way you are now."
Lyn winced and got up immediately. Alexander didn't move, choosing to remain on the floor and look at him from below.
"You're pitching a tent," Lyn said in a clipped voice and turned on his heel to walk away. He needed to look his best for dinner, which meant that he needed to do something about his hair. Unlike other people, he didn't wake up all dashing and strapping and dazzling. He had to put in the effort.
"Are you embarrassed?" Alexander called after him. Lyn chose to keep his mouth shut but flipped the bird at his strange friend. "I'm a doctor. The human body has no secrets for me."
"Well, mine in particular does, and I intend to keep things that way," Lyn said his final word and closed the bedroom door behind him to make the ass understand he needed a bit of privacy.
Once inside and away from the other's curious eyes, he took a look at his cock. As much as he disliked Alexander, his cock was thinking only one thing: the asshole was a good-looking guy, with a perfect body that could serve well under the right circumstances.
No way, Lyn realized. He wasn't thinking of giving Alexander a dicking, was he? Mutual masturbation was one thing, while having actual intercourse was a whole different kettle of fish. His fuck buddies tended to be on the dainty side, short even, like El. Lyn had never fucked a hunk like the one he had left on the other side of the bedroom door, wearing nothing but a pair of thin shorts and showing his erection proudly as if that thing had only blessed a few chosen people on the face of the planet.
He shook his head. Alexander had somehow turned into a big tease, and he was most likely in a funk because of the divorce and all that. According to Brad, Bella's friends could very well be open to hooking up, and Alexander would easily choose one of them. Yeah, this strange episode of jerking off and whatnot would remain just that.
Although, Lyn thought with a bit of regret, he hadn't gotten the chance to have his cock handled by Mr. Perfect. Well, in life you had to live with losses. What could you do?
***
"You are going to burn a hole in that mirror," Alexander warned him, hovering close by, much to Lyn's annoyance.
"Hush," he warned his roommate while examining himself in the mirror again. He unbuttoned the top button of his off-white silk shirt, wandering if that was enough to ruin his look. "You know, I'm surprised I can see your reflection in the mirror. Ah, wait, you're a demon, not a vampire. Your kind is more difficult to spot in the real world."
Alexander smirked, making Lyn only the more conscious of his proximity. He stared stubbornly at his own reflection, but it was difficult not to steal a glance or two at the other.
"Do you really have to put so many products on your head?" Alexander asked. He raised one hand as if he was about to ruffle Lyn's hair.
He froze on the spot. "Touch my hair, and I will end you."
"Uh, okay," Alexander said and dropped his hand. He didn't move away, still too close for Lyn's comfort. "Are you okay with spending the rest of your life in prison for killing me, though?"
"I'm sure the fashion police will be quick to consider my actions a reasonable use of force. I'll walk away scot-free."
Alexander smiled. It was a slow, lazy smile that made Lyn frown only because he had to control his facial muscles to prevent them from breaking into a smile of his own.
Lyn decided that his looks were good enough to appear effortless, while letting anyone with a good eye know that it took time and precision to look this good and turned to stare at Alexander. His eyes went wide. Since he'd been so busy perfecting his hair and attire, he hadn't even spared the demon a look, save for crossing eyes with him in the mirror.
"Are you going to go to dinner looking like that?"
Alexander shrugged. "We're on vacation. And what's wrong with the way I look?"
Lyn grabbed the ass by the front of his rumpled linen shirt. The loose pants could be given a pass, but there was no way he would allow Mr. I-have-a-five-hundred-dollar-shirt-but-I-can't-be-bothered-to-iron-it to accompany him looking like he'd just got out of a bus from Bumfuck, Nowhere.
"Do you have something else? Tell me you do."
Lyn checked his watch quickly. There was still time, but he didn't want to risk burning a hole through one of Alexander's staggeringly expensive shirts by being too damn pissed at the fucker. No, there was no risk; he used a portable steamer when traveling.
He began unbuttoning Alexander's shirt quickly since there was still no reply from him.
"Oh, I like where this is going, but aren't we supposed to go to dinner?"
"Shut up, tease," Lyn warned him while taking the shirt away with him and searching his luggage for what he needed. "Be thankful I'm not using the steamer with you inside your wrinkled shirt."
"That sounds like a medieval torture," Alexander said, using his more serious tone.
"The only reason I'm not doing it is because I believe you'd enjoy it. Since it would remind you of home. You know, hell."
He could be very efficient when he needed to be. Alexander watched him, crossing his arms and grinning as if there was some strange reason to experience delight while watching someone ironing wrinkles out of a shirt. Not matter how skillful he was, Lyn doubted that he was remotely more interesting than watching paint dry.
"Stop staring at me. Do something about your hair."
"No."
Lyn turned with the steamer in his hand. "Do you want me to force you? Brush it at least."
"No, mom, the other kids will laugh at me and my cowlick style."
Lyn had to purse his lips hard not to laugh. "That has never happened to anyone in the history of the universe. But okay, leave it as it is. At least save us some time and put your shoes on."
Alexander stared at his toes. "I was thinking of not wearing any."
Lyn thought he was going to choke. "I'm leaving you home if you intend to walk out of here barefooted. Aren't you a doctor? Don't you care that you might cut your feet and the wound might get infected or something?"
"Okay, okay," Alexander said, raising his hands in surrender. "I'll do it as a favor to you."
A worn leather band around Alexander's left wrist caught his eye. He stared, nonplussed, as he tried to figure out why it seemed so familiar. When he remembered, he felt a jolt of unfamiliar emotion, an unexplainable tenderness that had no reason to be in the same sentence with Alexander.
"I'm sure you have a Rolex. Wear it," he said while returning to his task.
"I left it at home," Alexander replied. "And wearing shoes is the only concession I'm making, even for you."
"Fine, whatever. But please, nothing horrible like flip-flops."
"Despite what you might think, I do employ common sense more often than not."
"Okay, I'll take your word for it. Just hurry."
Was it the same leather band? Had Alexander held on to it for so many years? No, that couldn't be. Because he tended to think of the past too much, Lyn was tempted to believe that others did the same. Alexander might just like wearing that sort of thing and, as usual, he was negligent about his clothes, accessories and whatnot, which had to be why the band looked so worn out.
He took the shirt off the hanger and waited for Alexander, who entered the room with a pair of luxury leather slides in one hand.
"Will these do?" he asked.
"Yes," Lyn agreed. "Come here, let me help you into your shirt."
Alexander obeyed without another word. Lyn could detect the smell of his cologne as he carefully slid the shirt over those broad shoulders. He shook his head. He wasn't supposed to notice details about Alexander when he had Brad to obsess about until the wedding. After that, there would be no more thinking about the past. It was a personal vow. And Alexander was part of that past, too.
"Turn around."
He quickly buttoned Alexander up. After evaluating his handiwork for a moment, he decided that the demon needed to have at least two buttons open at the top. Yeah, he had that rugged charm that women went for. Alexander would definitely be hot tonight, which meant that all that sexy teasing would stop.
Lyn wondered why he felt regret at the thought. Why did he care whether Alexander got laid or not? It wasn't important, he decided, ignoring the bitter taste that suddenly bloomed on his tongue.
TBC