He was flying by the seat of his pants.
I decided to help him out. “Like, a juicy secret, or a dirty secret?”
I took a sip of my bitter gin and tonic, the ice cubes clattering around. The angelic guy blushed. Even though it was dark in this bar, it was so severe that I could see it from across the table.
“J-juicy,” he said, barely able to keep it together.
Sitting across from the two of us — who were both as big as football linebackers, took guts. I wanted to flirt with him, but I also felt this pang of a need to protect him; to help him out.
“Okay, juicy,” Jake said, taking a sip of his Paloma.
I bit my lip, not knowing what was going to come out of his mouth next. That was always the deal with Jake — you never knew what he was going to say in a certain situation. Though his bantering was fun most of the time, in delicate situations like this, it got to be stressful.
Little did Jake know that the stunning guy sitting across from us with the innocent, boyish features was exactly the same guy I’d hinted to him about on the boat earlier. And due to Jake’s challenging attitude, we were at risk of scaring him away.
It was like being in the presence of a rare yet skittish beautiful bird. He’d just landed on my shoulder. And any sudden movement or harsh word would send him flying away forever.
“A juicy secret… let’s see…” Jake mused, leaning forward. “Does it have to be a real secret or a rumor?”
“Real, for sure.” The angelic guy said.
“What’s your name?” I asked him, stalling for time.
“L-Luke.” He said with a nervous little stutter.
That one syllable lodged its way in my brain. It seemed fitting for him; the gentle L was in alignment with his soft nature, and that long u sound complimented the gentle slope of his cupid’s bow.
I longed to feel that spot with my lips…
“Well? You want a free drink or not?” Luke asked Jake.
I didn’t like how Luke wasn’t looking at me. I longed for his attention.
My eyes moved down to his hands, which were trembling ever so slightly.
He was nervous.
“I’ve got a secret,” I offered, wanting to help Luke out. To shield him from my brother’s barrage of questions. “I’ve got a crush on someone.”
“Ooh!” Jake exclaimed, turning to focus on me so fast that his drink sloshed in the glass. “Are you going to finally tell me what his name is?”
I was looking at Jake, but I was really watching Luke carefully out of the corner of my eye. I was looking for it — then I saw it.
There was a stiffening in his shoulders; a tightness in his jaw.
He was… he cared that I was interested in someone.
“That’s it. That’s my secret.” I declared, turning my gaze back to Luke. “Is that good enough for you?”
“That’s one, I guess…” Luke said, his false bravado faltering.
God, he was so adorable.
Trying to hide his sheepishness, he swept my empty glass away. “That’s a drink for you, Adam.”
I was nearly knocked out cold when he said my name. I worked hard not to betray my interest; I knew that was vital to keeping Jake in the dark.
Keeping things private.
But all of my nerves felt like they were on fire. And I longed to get Luke alone; I needed to know more about him.
Jake leaned back in the booth, his presence next to me getting more and more annoying by the second. I needed an excuse for him to go away; to leave me alone with Luke.
“Well,” Jake began, “I used to date that girl over there,” he gestured to the bartender.
Her eyes flickered up to our table in the soft light, and then she quickly turned away.
“But you probably already knew that, didn’t you Luke?” Jake said with a grin.
Luke had turned pale.
It took me a few seconds, looking back and forth between Luke and my brother before I understood. My brother’s triumphant, Cheshire Cat smirk. Luke’s evaporating confidence.
Jake had caught Luke being a decoy for his ex-girlfriend, and Luke was too innocent to know what to say next.
“So I get a free drink now, right?” Jake said, his eyes dancing with delight. “You promised.” Then he pushed the empty glass over to Luke, who was turning as red as a tomato.
“Y-yeah. That counts,” he said, his voice tight. “Do you want the same thing?”
I said yes, but only because my mind was busy thinking about how much of an idiot my brother was. He was sitting there, happy to have won something, completely oblivious to how uncomfortable he was making Luke.
Luke couldn’t get out of the booth fast enough. He dashed off to the bar.
As soon as he left, I felt the table grow cold; like walking away from a warm campfire and back into the woods.
“You scared him away,” I growled at Jake.
“What! What do you mean?” He asked with concern.
“Not everyone likes to— to do that arguing thing that you do.”
Jake’s face fell. “But that’s no fun.”
“Ugh… never mind.” I said sullenly.
Jake began to prattle on about an upcoming trip our family was taking. I was doing everything I could to look like I was paying attention to him, and sneakily stealing glances at Luke.
Once he’d gotten up from his seat, he’d gone directly behind the bar and talked to the woman that Jake claimed was his ex-girlfriend. I’d never seen her around at family events, so she couldn’t have ever been that important to him.
As I listened to my brother talk, I couldn’t help but feel resentment curdling in my gut. He had a nasty habit of treating people like they were disposable sometimes; a habit that most people overlooked as soon as he became the life of the party.
From the look on the bartender’s face when her eyes fell on my brother, he’d done a number on her heart.
Then there was movement
