Lately, though…Marcus had started wanting a little more privacy. Like right now. Still, he couldn’t ignore his brother on the street or he’d have his balls broken over it for weeks.
With a growl, Marcus slowed to a walk on the sidewalk, throwing up a middle finger at his brother on the other side of the avenue. “I’ll see you later, J. I’m late.”
“Get over here, you mutt. Late for what?”
He plucked the tickets out of his back pocket and waved them at Joey. “Does bailing on me ring a bell?”
Joey blew out a cloud of smoke and grimaced. “You going alone?”
Marcus hesitated. For a split second—and that was all took.
“A girl, huh?” Joey called, raising an eyebrow. “It must be serious if she’s willing to sit through Monster Jam for you. When do we meet her?”
“Never.” Apprehension pressed down on Marcus’s sternum and he backed toward the train station. “Go take a fucking shower. I can smell you from here.”
Joey flipped him the bird. “Ahhh!”
“Ahhhh!” Marcus yelled back.
As soon as he ducked into the shade of the LIRR overhang, Marcus stopped and pressed his back up against the concrete wall, pigeons rustling overhead in the rafters. Breathe. Just relax. You’re just hanging out with a friend. Even if Joey ran into him with Jamie, there was nothing going on. Nothing ever would go on.
Marcus couldn’t buy his own bullshit, though.
There was something about Jamie Prince that announced he was batting for the same team. It wasn’t flashy or obvious or probably even intentional. There was just something about the knowing eye contact, the confident smirk, his clean shaven, well-moisturized skin. Joey would know, in no uncertain terms, that Jamie was gay. It wasn’t like his brother and father hated gay people—lifestyles different than their own were just other. And they weren’t comfortable with other. Not growing up and not now.
More than that, though, his family would never believe Marcus was hanging out with Jamie simply because he liked and admired him as a fellow human being. They would assume something else—and that something else broke Marcus out in a cold sweat. Because if his family called him out, he wouldn’t be able to pretend that everything was continuing at the status quo anymore. That he didn’t think about Jamie way, way too much.
Like basically nonstop.
“Hey.”
At the hesitant sound of Jamie’s voice, Marcus’s spine shot straight and he clonked the back of his head hard against the wall. “Jamie Prince.” He readjusted his hat and performed a quick check for any gaping wounds of blood. “What’s the good word?”
“Are we just going to pretend you didn’t just concuss yourself?”
“You caught me.” Wincing, Marcus leaned forward and braced his hands on his knees. “Jesus, that fucking hurt.”
Marcus peeked up to find Jamie observing him curiously through his glasses, arms crossed. Might as well admit Jamie looked extra nice today and Marcus had thought nothing could beat Jamie in red lifeguard shorts. But in jeans and a white T-shirt, Jamie wasn’t just good looking, he was comfortable being that way. Most guys their age wore loose jeans. Jamie’s weren’t tight, but they were a size smaller than men typically wore. Just tight enough to make him kind of intimidating. As in, I’ve made it easier to check me out—you’re welcome. His shirt was so lived-in, it had the opposite effect. Made him and the cut muscles of his arms look…touchable. He wore a ball cap, too, but his was facing forward and advertised the New York Public Library. Stray ends of his dark hair stuck out around the sides and made Marcus’s fingers flex.
“Are you going to live, Diesel? We’re going to miss the train.”
“Shit.” Marcus pushed off the wall and they started toward the platform. “You were worried about me a little bit there. You can admit it.”
“If you died, I’d miss the chance to cross Monster Mash off my bucket list.”
“Monster Jam—and I’ll make you another bet.”
“Seeing as how the last one worked out so well, how could I pass?” They reached the platform just in time for the train to arrive and stepped into the air conditioning, finding seats in the middle of the car. “Details, please.”
Marcus had never sat this close to Jamie before and he wasn’t sure what to do with his hands, so he folded them and wedged them between his knees. “If you don’t have a good time watching cars get crushed by big-ass trucks, I’ll…” Marcus tried to think of something Jamie probably wanted more than anything in the world and landed on it right away. “I’ll stop asking Andrew to assign me the chair next to yours.”
Jamie’s gaze shot to his. “You must be pretty confident.”
“Oh I am.” Marcus’s grin was short lived. “You can’t lie and just say you hated it, though. I’ll know if you’re lying.”