so fucking dumb, and by people, I meant Alex.
He stepped forward like he wanted to touch me but I moved out of his way. “He’s not my boyfriend, Tyler.”
His denial about the subject just pissed me off more. “I think it’s time for you to go, Alex. I don’t have the time or energy to deal with this right now,” I told him.
“I’m sorry if you aren’t happy about that Tyler, but I just found out about Grammy yesterday and dropped everything to be here. He came with me for support because I had no one else to be there, he’s my best friend,” Alex explained to me.
I started to feel a bit sorry for being rude to him but, because I have the worst luck ever, two arms slid around my waist from behind and I felt Riley’s bare chest press warmly against my naked back. He made me shiver when he rested his chin on my shoulder so I could feel his breath on my neck. “What’s taking so long, babe? I’m exhausted,” he purred seductively.
I looked up at Alex, who seemed to be immediately seething in anger at seeing Riley wrapped around me. I couldn’t say I blamed him. If I’d seen anyone half as gorgeous as Riley wrapped around him, no matter what the circumstances were, I’d probably have gone out of my mind with anger and jealousy. Alex was glaring at Riley who seemed to be completely oblivious to the amount of tension in the air.
“And who is this?” Alex’s voice boomed loudly and deeply, something that happened when he got really mad. “Are you seriously giving me shit about bringing my best friend with me when you’ve got someone here hanging all over you?”
It startled Riley, who immediately shrank behind me in fear and began wheezing out short, fast breaths. I was sure he didn’t want to have an anxiety attack in front of a stranger, especially when he found out who that stranger was.
“It’s okay, Ri,” I assured him, wrapping my arm around him comfortingly and ignoring Alex’s question. “Just breathe, hun. There’s nothing to be scared of here because Alex was just leaving, weren’t you Alex?”
Alex looked puzzled at Riley’s reaction, but then again, I still had no idea why Riley reacted the way he did to things except that I was sure something bad had happened to him back in Kansas. “Uh, yeah, I guess I am,” Alex conceded. He wasn’t a bad guy and he could see his presence was upsetting Riley in a way that wasn’t normal. “Can we talk later, Tyler? Alone, please? I have so much that needs to be said.”
I looked at Riley, who was trying to calm down but still breathing abnormally, and I was torn, but in the end, the greedy, selfish side of me won out and I agreed. “Tomorrow night, after the viewing, we can find somewhere and talk, but you need to go now. I’ve got to take care of him.”
Alex reached out and took my hand briefly, squeezing it gently and it was ridiculous how that one little touch erupted a thousand butterflies in my stomach. “I’m sorry for scaring him,” he told me then turned to leave.
I ushered Riley into the house and sat him down on the couch. He was still in a sort of daze so I ran to the kitchen for a bottle of water and hurried back to him. He was more coherent when I sat down next to him and watched as he drank the water greedily. “What happened to you in Kansas?” I asked him finally. I’d wanted to ask for a while but felt as though he’d tell me when he felt comfortable enough.
“Nothing,” he said softly.
“That’s not nothing,” I countered gently, not wanting to agitate him.
“I don’t want to talk about it, okay?” his voiced raised to a warning level so I dropped it and just stayed next to him quietly for a while.
Pretty soon he broke the silent awkwardness. “So, that was Alex, huh?”
“Yup.”
“What did he want?”
“To see me, I guess. My brother called him about Grammy because he used to be pretty close to her so he came
He stepped forward like he wanted to touch me but I moved out of his way. “He’s not my boyfriend, Tyler.”
His denial about the subject just pissed me off more. “I think it’s time for you to go, Alex. I don’t have the time or energy to deal with this right now,” I told him.
“I’m sorry if you aren’t happy about that Tyler, but I just found out about Grammy yesterday and dropped everything to be here. He came with me for support because I had no one else to be there, he’s my best friend,” Alex explained to me.
I started to feel a bit sorry for being rude to him but, because I have the worst luck ever, two arms slid around my waist from behind and I felt Riley’s bare chest press warmly against my naked back. He made me shiver when he rested his chin on my shoulder so I could feel his breath on my neck. “What’s taking so long, babe? I’m exhausted,” he purred seductively.
I looked up at Alex, who seemed to be immediately seething in anger at seeing Riley wrapped around me. I couldn’t say I blamed him. If I’d seen anyone half as gorgeous as Riley wrapped around him, no matter what the circumstances were, I’d probably have gone out of my mind with anger and jealousy. Alex was glaring at Riley who seemed to be completely oblivious to the amount of tension in the air.
“And who is this?” Alex’s voice boomed loudly and deeply, something that happened when he got really mad. “Are you seriously giving me shit about bringing my best friend with me when you’ve got someone here hanging all over you?”
It startled Riley, who immediately shrank behind me in fear and began wheezing out short, fast breaths. I was sure he didn’t want to have an anxiety attack in front of a stranger, especially when he found out who that stranger was.
“It’s okay, Ri,” I assured him, wrapping my arm around him comfortingly and ignoring Alex’s question. “Just breathe, hun. There’s nothing to be scared of here because Alex was just leaving, weren’t you Alex?”
Alex looked puzzled at Riley’s reaction, but then again, I still had no idea why Riley reacted the way he did to things except that I was sure something bad had happened to him back in Kansas. “Uh, yeah, I guess I am,” Alex conceded. He wasn’t a bad guy and he could see his presence was upsetting Riley in a way that wasn’t normal. “Can we talk later, Tyler? Alone, please? I have so much that needs to be said.”
I looked at Riley, who was trying to calm down but still breathing abnormally, and I was torn, but in the end, the greedy, selfish side of me won out and I agreed. “Tomorrow night, after the viewing, we can find somewhere and talk, but you need to go now. I’ve got to take care of him.”
Alex reached out and took my hand briefly, squeezing it gently and it was ridiculous how that one little touch erupted a thousand butterflies in my stomach. “I’m sorry for scaring him,” he told me then turned to leave.
I ushered Riley into the house and sat him down on the couch. He was still in a sort of daze so I ran to the kitchen for a bottle of water and hurried back to him. He was more coherent when I sat down next to him and watched as he drank the water greedily. “What happened to you in Kansas?” I asked him finally. I’d wanted to ask for a while but felt as though he’d tell me when he felt comfortable enough.
“Nothing,” he said softly.
“That’s not nothing,” I countered gently, not wanting to agitate him.
“I don’t want to talk about it, okay?” his voiced raised to a warning level so I dropped it and just stayed next to him quietly for a while.
Pretty soon he broke the silent awkwardness. “So, that was Alex, huh?”
“Yup.”
“What did he want?”
“To see me, I guess. My brother called him about Grammy because he used to be pretty close to her so he came
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