Guys on Top 02 - Guys on the Side (28 page)

After getting out and drying off, Angelo contemplated putting his briefs on again, anticipating more of Corey’s cracks about being shy. But he ultimately decided he didn’t have the confidence to go strolling into Corey’s bedroom naked, so he slipped the briefs on, toweled his hair, then moved on down the hall. He’d not yet been in Corey’s bedroom, but found it easily at the end of the hall on the right.

“All clean?” Corey said when Angelo stepped into the room.

“All clean.”

Corey was propped up on the bed in a pair of boxers, flipping through a book. A big screen television across from the bed was turned on, the volume down low. Angelo moved to the bed and climbed in next to Corey. “What are you reading?”

Corey closed the book. “It’s for you. One of the books I told you about. I can’t find the other one.” He handed it to Angelo.

“Oh yeah, thanks.” Angelo opened the book.

“Nope, not now.” Corey took the book from him and set it aside on the end table. He plunked down onto his side, propped on his elbow. “I want to talk.”

Angelo’s eyebrows rose. “You do?”

Corey nodded. “I want to get to know you better.”

Laughing, Angelo slid onto his side, mirroring Corey’s position. “I was just thinking the same about you when I got out of the shower.”

“Pssht.” Corey waved a hand. “Surely you’ve had your fill of Corey’s world. Pushy, younger ex-boyfriend, wealthy, mentally unstable stalker, best friends with the new boyfriend of the man I used to live with. I’m so boring.”

Angelo grinned. “Okay. What do you want to know about me?”

“Start with family I guess.”

“Well, you know my father passed, I told you that whole story. My mom’s alive, very religious, hot-tempered Irish woman. I have her eyes.”

“Well, then she must be a fox and a half,” Corey said.

“Thanks. Sweet talker.”

“What can I say? I like your eyes. Okay, go on.”

“Okay. I have three younger brothers. One still lives at home. The other two are in other states now.”

“Do you get along?”

Angelo shrugged. “Well enough. They’re little bastards, but I love them.”

Corey traced a finger along Angelo’s chest. “Past relationships?” His gray eyes turned up, looking at Angelo.

“A few,” Angelo said. “Not nearly as...complicated as yours.”

“Been in love?”

Angelo stiffened.

Corey’s eyes widened. “What? Bad subject? Get your heart broken? Happens to everyone, Angelo.”

Angelo fidgeted with the seam of the blanket. “Not to me.”

“What do you mean?”

Angelo looked into Corey’s eyes. Corey’s expression was open and curious, and Angelo realized he wasn’t trying to push, he just truly didn’t understand. “I’ve never been in love.”

Corey frowned, then grinned. “Come on.”

Angelo shrugged.

“Seriously?”

“At least I don’t think so. I’ve loved, sure. Just don’t think I’ve felt that overwhelming thing you see in the movies.”

“Well,” Corey shrugged, “movie love isn’t the best example. Being in love can be hard. And things don’t always get a happy ending in real life.”

“So you have been?” Angelo asked. “In love?”

Corey nodded. “Twice. Not counting my high school soccer coach who was like forty years old and straight that I’d convinced myself I was in love with. So just twice.”

“With Stewart, or course.”

Nodding again, Corey said, “Yeah. And Zach.”

Angelo frowned. “Oh.”

“What are you thinking?” Corey said. “Your face just went all frowny.”

Forcing a smile, Angelo said, “Nothing that won’t come out sounding insecure.”

“About who? Stewart?”

“No. Zach. You just broke up. I guess I didn’t consider that you’d been in love with him. Stupid, I know. But the way you were with him outside here the other day. Just didn’t feel...very loving.”

“Yeah.” Corey sat up, leaning back against his pillows. “The thing is, my love for Zach was being kind of drained away before he ever cheated on me. He pressured me and smothered me and was always pummeling me for reassurance to the point where he got mean sometimes.” Corey glanced at Angelo. “He even told me he hated me on several occasions.”

“Hated you?”

Corey nodded. “I think he meant it, too. When he said it, at least. Part of him meant it. It hurt. A lot.”

“Wow, I bet. That sounds...very unhealthy.”

“Tell me about it. I tried to force myself to keep loving him, thinking maybe it was my fault, that I just wasn’t...giving enough. But once he cheated, I realized that no matter what I did, it never would have been enough for Zach. At that point, I was hurt, but no longer in love.”

Angelo placed his hand on Corey’s thigh. “I’m sorry you were hurt. I don’t like thinking of you in any pain.”

Corey looked at him, silent for a moment. “That’s a really nice thing to say.”

Angelo smiled. “I have my moments.” He turned his head, looking toward the radiator in the corner as female voices came through it, somewhat amplified.

“Ah, that’s Anna, the landlord,” Corey said. “Showing Doug’s apartment.”

Raising his eyebrows, Angelo looked at Corey. “That is
loud!
”

Corey laughed. “Oh, yeah. Because they’re in Doug’s bedroom. I sleep with my meditation music on, and Doug uses a sound machine at night, so we don’t invade each other’s privacy.” Corey held a finger up, leaning toward the radiator—women’s voices talking about parking in the driveway. “Sounds like lesbians,” Corey said.

A laugh tore from Angelo. “You can tell they’re lesbians just by listening?”

“Nah, Anna only rents to gays. She thinks we’re a neat, quiet species or something. We manage to fool her into believing she’s right when she stops by.”

Angelo laughed. “Talking to you is never dull, Corey.”

“Ha, yeah. Dull is the one insult I’ve never been called.”

“So...Doug is moving into Stewart’s place, not the other way around.”

“Right,” Corey said. “Would have been too weird for Stewart to move back into this house, I guess. Can’t believe Doug’s leaving, though, kind of sucks.”

“Okay,” Angelo said, “can I ask you about Doug? You guys seem close. He was ready to go to bat for you the day I came here with Tommy, I could see it in his eyes. But you’re okay that he’s with Stewart now?”

Corey shook his head, smiling. “Every time I tell you something new about my life, I can fucking hear the way it must sound to you. It’s a fucking soap opera, I know.”

“Corey, I listen to people’s soap operas all day long at work. Yours isn’t all that shocking, believe me. And what the hell, I’m interested. It seems very...adult of you to be such good friends with Doug. Or did you know him first?”

Corey shifted to face Angelo, sitting cross-legged. His damp blond hair was drying in waves, and Angelo thought he looked like a very masculine, very sexy angel sitting there in his boxer shorts. “Stewart and I had an open relationship. I met Doug after he’d just moved in. After he’d spent the night with Stewart.”

Angelo’s jaw dropped.

Corey pointed at him. “Ha! Still not shocked, doctor?”

Angelo sat up and shifted to face Corey, clasping his hands on his lap. “Open relationship, huh? How did you...make that work?”

“Very,
very
, carefully. We had rules. And we both had to agree on everything. But in the end, the rules had gone out the window, and we realized we’d become mostly good friends at that point. I’d been seeing Zach pretty regularly, and keeping it from Stewart. Then when Stewart fell in love with Doug?” Corey shrugged. “We just cut our losses, and wished each other well.”

“So then what...” Angelo laughed, raising a finger. “When did...you’ll have to forgive me. I’m trying to catch up here.”

“It’s okay.” Corey laughed. “Take your time. But we were supposed to be talking about
your
life, Angelo.”

“Oh no fucking way.” Angelo shook his head. “This is too good. Okay, tell me then how you became so close with Doug. Just from him living downstairs?”

Corey’s energy grew solemn, but he smiled as he looked down. “Not just that. When Stewart and I broke up, I was in a very dark place. My work was affected. I was depressed, angry. Even though things had turned platonic between us, I missed having Stewart around, and it threw me off balance. And I took it
all
out on Doug.” He looked at Angelo. “I started fights with him. Said
horrible
things to him.”

Angelo nodded. “I understand.”

Corey grinned. “You said that in a psychiatrist voice. That was hot.”

“Cut the shit.” Angelo slapped Corey’s leg. “How did you patch things up with Doug?”

“I didn’t. He patched things up with me. Extended an olive branch that I in no way deserved. He was trying to make me more comfortable, to make things less awkward. And at first, those were my reasons for being civil to him as well. But when the shit started with Zach...when Zachary started getting so crazy with me, it was Doug who kept me sane. We started spending a lot of time together. Talking, exercising, hanging out when Zach and Stewart weren’t around.”

“So you realized you liked him. He became a friend.”

“He is a friend. But he’s kind of more than a friend.”

Angelo’s brows rose.

“Not like that,” Corey said. “Not in a romantic sense. But while I was going through the Zach stuff, Doug kind of became the part of my relationship that was missing. The calm rapport, the easy conversations, the support and acceptance of me. He was mentally stimulating and fun to be around. All the things I was suddenly lacking with Zach. He filled a void.” Corey chuckled and looked at Angelo. “Doug is my guy on the side. Except there’s nothing sexual between us.”

Angelo smiled, but said nothing.

“You think that’s weird,” Corey said.

“No. I was just thinking I like listening to you. I like the way your mind works. You’re very in touch with yourself. And it sounds like Doug is really good for you.”

“Now
that’s
weird.”

“What?”

“Hearing someone be so grownup about my connection to another guy. I’d gotten so used to Zach’s jealousy, it’s just...refreshing. You’re refreshing, Angelo.”

Angelo took Corey’s hand in his. “Likewise.”

Corey took a deep breath and let it out. “So.”

“So.”

“If we keep seeing each other...”

“We keep using that phrase, don’t we?” Angelo said. “
If
we keep seeing each other.”

“Yeah.” Corey’s eyes narrowed. “I’m thinking we should change that.”

Angelo smiled. “To what?”

“Maybe...
when
we keep seeing each other?”

“Yeah.” Angelo nodded. “I like that much better. Continue, but start with that.”

Corey leaned in and gave Angelo a quick kiss on the lips. “
When
we keep seeing each other, you’ll have no problem if I hang out with Doug a lot?”

“Of course not,” Angelo said. “But...”

Corey leaned in, raising his eyebrows. “But?”

Shrugging, Angelo winced. “It’s probably too soon. Never mind.”

“Angelo.
What?
”

Steeling himself, Angelo mustered his courage, and spoke. “If Doug is your guy on the side...then what will I be to you?”

Corey went quiet for a long time, eyes locked on Angelo’s.
Shit
, Angelo thought.
Too much, too needy, too soon.

Angelo broke the stare, looking down. “Sorry.”

“Angelo?”

He looked up as Corey shuffled closer. Corey stroked the side of his face. “Lie down with me a minute.”

Angelo slid down onto the pillow. “Um...okay.”

Corey eased down beside him. He wrapped his arms around Angelo and pulled him into his chest, holding him tight. “I’ve been thinking about this a lot,” Corey said softly in Angelo’s ear.

Despite his anxiety over the outcome of this conversation, Angelo found his arousal stirring. Corey’s breath in his ear, his warm flesh pressed against him, his soapy scent, it was all making it hard to concentrate on anything but wanting to make out with him again. Taking a breath, Angelo said, “What have you been thinking about?”

Corey rolled on top of him, and Angelo got his wish as their lips met in a hungry kiss. Angelo wrapped his arms around Corey’s back and held him tight, opening his mouth, loving the feel of that hard body on his, the taste of his tongue.

Corey pulled back and cupped Angelo’s face with his hands. “I’ve been thinking about you,” he said. “A lot. Thinking about how fucking awesome it would be if you somehow ended up being my main guy.”

Angelo smiled. “What would that mean exactly? Being your main guy?”

“It would mean...” Corey shifted to the side, running a finger over Angelo’s lips. “That if we wanted to give this thing between us a real go, then you’d be my
only
guy. And I’d be yours.”

Angelo’s heart pounded as he shifted to face Corey. “Are you serious?”

Corey nodded. “If you think you can handle all my crazy.”

“Well,” Angelo said, “I am a psychiatrist.”

Laughing, Corey rolled his eyes. “That is a plus.”

“So it’s not just me,” Angelo said. “Thinking this feels so...right.”

Running his palm slowly over Angelo’s shoulder, Corey said, “It feels right to me, too. Weirdly right. Like it shouldn’t be right, but it just...is.”

Angelo laughed. “Yeah. I get that.”

Corey laughed with him. “Yes, I suppose you do, considering I’m a different gender than you’re used to. Which brings up another point. You’ll have to develop a pretty thick skin if you really want to make a go of this.” He met Angelo’s eyes. “If you’re gonna come out to the people you know.”

Angelo shivered and tried not to be distracted by Corey’s touch, especially now that he was finally speaking so candidly. “Thought you didn’t want to talk about that.”

“I’ve pulled my head out of my ass, remember?” He grinned.

“Well,” Angelo said, “in that case, you should know I’ve got a pretty thick skin already.”

Corey’s hand slid down between them, and Angelo gasped when he cupped his erection.

“Well.” Corey smirked. “You’ve got a pretty thick
something
already.”