“You didn’t tell me you were coming,” Nick said lightly, the picture of a best friend and nothing more. He seemed distracted, already looking at Brad.
And fuck it, Tyler was sick of it, sick of Nick’s Jekyll and Hyde act. There, surrounded by Nick’s extended family, friends, and Brad, Tyler suddenly wanted proof that the Nick who’d been buried in him to the hilt practically all night long yesterday, the Nick who’d called him sweetheart and whispered filth in his ear, wasn’t just a figment of his imagination.
So for the first time Tyler chose to lean into Nick’s side, turning the casual bro half-hug into a very uncasual PDA, practically snuggling into his side.
He felt Nick’s muscles tense a little, but Nick’s face betrayed nothing. He shot a strange look at Tyler and raised his dark brows a little.
Tyler felt himself blush, but he didn’t pull back.
Nick studied him for a long moment, his expression vaguely pissed off, even though the arm around Tyler tightened, pulling him closer into Nick’s side.
Tyler shouldn’t have felt so damn pleased about it, but he did. He couldn’t help but look at Brad, feeling a rush of satisfaction when he saw that Brad had definitely noticed how close they were. He couldn’t read Brad’s expression all that well, but the prat didn’t look so cheerful anymore.
“Where’s the loo, Nick?” Brad said, giving Nick some kind of meaningful look that Nick didn’t seem to notice because he was still looking at Tyler.
“Down the corridor to the left,” Tyler replied.
Brad glared at him.
Tyler glared back. What? He was just being helpful!
Brad stalked off.
“You look terribly pleased with yourself,” Nick said.
Tyler looked anywhere but at him. “Are you fucking him?” he said before he could stop himself. It was something he’d been wanting to ask for ages but hadn’t, not really wanting to hear Nick’s answer.
Nick glowered at him for some reason. “No.”
Tyler felt the knot in his stomach loosen a little.
“We’ve been just casually dating so far,” Nick said. “But that might change. He’s looking for a serious relationship.”
“Does he know about me? That we’re…”
“Buddyfucking?” Nick supplied for him.
Tyler wasn’t sure he liked the word—something about the way Nick said it rubbed him the wrong way—but he nodded.
“There’s no reason for him to know about you, is there?” Nick said. “He just knows he and I aren’t exclusive yet.”
Yet?
“Do you kiss him?” Tyler said before he could stop himself.
Nick looked as surprised by the question as Tyler was. He didn’t need to say What’s it to you? for Tyler to read it on his face.
Tyler dropped his gaze. “Just curious.”
“Curious?” Nick said, very mildly. “I thought the only thing you cared about was where I put my prick.”
Tyler scowled. “I think you shouldn’t kiss him. What if he has herpes? I don’t want to get herpes.”
Nick’s expression turned pinched. “You’re fucking unbelievable. Figure out what the hell is going on in your head. You seem confused.” He extracted himself from Tyler and turned away—toward where Brad had headed.
Tyler grabbed his arm. “But it’s a legit concern!” he babbled, feeling desperate and possessive, and hating it. What the hell was wrong with him? What had Nick turned him into? “He looks unhealthy! Don’t you think he looks unhealthy?”
A muscle ticked in Nick’s jaw. “Listen, Tyler,” he said, lowering his voice. “You keep telling me you’re a straight guy. Good for you, but I’m a gay man. You want nothing from me but my prick. I’m fine with it—sort of—but I also need things you can’t give me. Things I’ll have to get with someone else. We’re mates who occasionally have sex, nothing more. Don’t fucking mess with my head, okay?”
“But I let you kiss me,” Tyler said, frowning in confusion. “What else could you possibly want?”
Nick laughed. “What else could I possibly want?” He shook his head with a wry smile. “Thanks for putting up with my kisses. That’s very self-sacrificing of you.” He freed his arm from Tyler’s grip and went back to his date. Brad smiled up at Nick and said something, his fingers caressing Nick’s bicep.
Something tight and ugly exploded in the pit of Tyler’s stomach. He felt…he felt upset, upset and angry for no reason at all.
Figure out what the hell is going on in your head. You seem confused.
Tyler sighed, trying to make sense of his emotions. Nick was right. This wasn’t normal. He was…he was behaving really odd lately. Coupled with his recent unsettling realization that he was sexually attracted to his best friend, this possessiveness was just another symptom of the problem. The problem being that he seemed to have developed a…liking for all the gay stuff Nick did to him.
A liking? a voice whispered sardonically at the back of his mind. A craving would be a more appropriate term.
Tyler frowned, blushing. So what did it mean? Was he gay now?