Hidden Play: The Return 《COMPLETE》

Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The small restaurant is tucked away on the outskirts of town. Its exterior is off-putting and bland, but the second we step inside, the energy buzzes with electricity. This place is packed. Men stand all along the bar, leaning against it to claim their spot. Every few minutes they turn around and eye the fresh meat walking through the door. Pun intended. This time, it's Casper and me. Their gazes nearly swallow us whole. We're two, good-looking athletes, and I can't suppress my smirk. Don't be shy, gentlemen. The party is here.

I clap Casper on the back and lean in. My lips brush against his ears as I shout over the music, "I thought there weren't any gay bars in town."

Casper smiles. His dimples create divots in his cheeks, and the shadows gobble up the tiny crevices of space. He tilts his head back, and the heat of his body moves into my space.

"This isn't a gay bar," he corrects. "It's simply the only place that doesn't give a shit if we are gay."

The urge to roll my eyes is so intense they may actually implode. Alright, so not a gay bar; a closeted gay bar. If Casper and I ever get to a normal point in our friendship, I'm going to have to take him to California for a weekend. He's been far too sheltered growing up here. I'll show him what a real gay bar is like, and he'll shit himself from the culture shock.

We find a stand-up table in the corner and maneuver our way over to it. A waitress greets us a minute later, handing us menus and asking for our drink orders. We both order beer. She gives us calculated, sidelong stares. Of course, we thought this out ahead of time. Most underage peers order hard liquor when given the chance. The 'get drunker faster' type of mentality. We figured if we ordered something light, we might just get them without being carded.

"The security guard is checking I.D.s at the door," Casper explains smoothly over the music. "But if you want to check them again..."

He starts fumbling into his pocket, and the calm façade is enough to pacify her. She stops his arm just as he frees the wallet from its denim clutches.

"You're good," she says. "I'll be back in a minute."

I raise a single brow. It seems Casper has a trick or two up his sleeve, after all. I glance over the menu. Whatever sticky concoction was left behind from the last patron is still smeared across its surface. Well, that's about as nasty as stepping barefoot in a pile of dog shit. I grimace and toss it on the table. Where is Gigi with her hand sanitizer when I need it?

"How did you find out about this place, anyway?" I ask, scowling at the sticky plastic.

"Remember that guy I met a few weeks ago? He took me here once."

The wistfulness in his tone tells me all I need to know about his new beau. It's already a thing of the past. I don't want to ask him about it. He's such a mopey cockblock when he starts whining. But he took his turn listening to my fair share of issues tonight. I guess it's only fair.

"Done talking to him already?" I ask, picking at the chipped wood of the table.

Casper purses his lips. "Apparently I'm not anyone's type around here."

Here we go. The bitterness in his words are every bit as much for me as they are for that random dude, and I inwardly cringe. Gigi warned me that building a friendship with him would take time. He's worth the fight, too, but damn if I wish I couldn't just speed up the clock a bit.

"Looks like I'll be helping you find a dude tonight, too," I say and quickly try to change the subject. "So, what's good here?"

"All the meat."