~ Dex ~
It was Saturday night and Nightfall was packed, sweaty bodies pressing into each other and grinding together in time with the pounding beat of the music. I was making my way to the bar, doing my best to convince myself that it was just another weekend and that I came here all the time. While I did frequent my brother's club, tonight was different. It was Noah's last evening on probation and if everything went well - as well as it can when one is serving the intoxicated masses - he'd get a permanent job here.
And I'd get to see a lot more of him.
Unfortunately, I was looking forward to that idea and not just because I literally owed him my life. I wanted to see him. I wanted to talk to him, I wanted us to laugh together at the same jokes, and I wanted to touch him.
Everywhere.
With my fingers, with my lips, with my tongue.
And that was a problem.
I was emotionally incapable to devote myself to a relationship with him or anyone else. As for a one-night stand: he worked here and things could get awkward. And I wasn't the type to wish him to lose his job just so I could spend a night with him.
There was one small blessing though: he seemed to enjoy my company, but he also kept a bit of a distance. Not only physical, but a mental barrier between us.
Don't get the wrong idea. That was what his body language told me whenever I found myself a little too close to him.
If he wasn't interested in me, than it would be easier to ignore how my body reacted to him. A smile appearing on his face, made one appear on mine. Him tilting his head to the side and exposing his neck made me lick my lips and dream of running my tongue over that sensitive spot. I wondered if that would make him moan. Would he wrap his arms around me?
Pull me closer?
Or push me away and slap me across the face?
I didn't fancy the last option, but it was safer in the long run. My cheek stinging was better than my heart shattering.
The bar was within view now and my eyes automatically searched for Noah's lithe frame. He was pouring a drink for a very attractive, slender blond and... Noah was smiling at him. Not the polite smile he usually gave patrons; a genuine, big grin as if the darkly-clothed youth being there was the best thing that could happen to Noah tonight. He slid the cocktail towards the blond, leaned across the bar and kissed the other guy on the cheek.
What the fuck?
I marched there, willing my fist to unclench, but by the time I reached the bar, Blondie was gone.
"Hey, Dex, what..." The smile fell off of Noah's face as he took me in. I attempted to relax my muscles, but it was already too late. He'd seen how angry I was. And why was I?
I wasn't with Noah; why should him giving a peck to someone's cheek mean anything to me?
"What's wrong?" He asked just as a somewhat drunken young woman plastered herself against the bar and demanded his attention. He made her two cocktails, pouring the drinks way faster than he usually did and he'd barely taken her money, when he hurried back to me.
"So, what's up?" His gaze scrutinizing, I let out a deep sigh and slumped on one of the stools.
"Nothing," I said, but it was too quiet for him to hear me over the thumping music, so I repeated my reply, louder. He didn't seem to buy it. He frowned, looking like he was about to call me on my bullshit, but a client came. Then another, and another. It was maybe half an hour - I was already nursing the second drink that Erik made me - when Noah found the time to talk to me again. I was much calmer and I even tried to invent a plausible excuse for my previous behavior - one that didn't involve him giving away kisses to strangers - but I came up empty.
"Just an off start to the evening," I replied the third time he asked me some variation of why I was in such a bad mood.
"Is it getting better?" He asked.
"It might." I shrugged.
Don't do it. Don't, I ordered myself. But I did it anyway.
"You know, you shouldn't go around kissing clients, Noah. People will get the wrong idea about what kind of business Ash is running here."
At first he seemed confused, his beautiful face scrunched as he pondered on my words. Then his mouth formed into an O and he nodded.
"You mean Callian? The long-limbed blond?"
It was my turn to nod.
"He's not just a client. He's a friend I work with at Marv's Groceries. He came here tonight for moral support, but I barely had time for him and felt guilty about anchoring him to the bar, so I told him to go stretch his legs on the dance floor. It was sweet that he came at all."
I felt like I'd been punched in the gut.
Noah's friend had been here to support him on the night I was supposed to support him. But instead of me doing that, I'd only added to Noah's stress. I'd watched him work over the past half an hour and it hadn't escaped my notice that he'd been sneaking worried glances my way whenever he could. He'd even spilled some vodka because his eyes had been on mine as I'd silently stared at him.
I'd been a total and complete dick.
I wanted to sigh again, to groan, to bang my head against the bar. But that wouldn't help Noah so all I did was say: "I'm glad you have someone looking out for you."
And I meant it. I was happy that even though he'd only recently moved to town, he'd already found a good friend. Especially, when I couldn't be that for him. Not when I lusted after him.
"Yeah, I could use a good friend." He smiled and we parted on those words, him serving drinks and me, sitting on the stool, staring at the beverage before me.
He'd saved my life and I couldn't even be a friend to him when he'd admitted he needed one. And why not? Because I was a selfish prick, thinking about my own feelings. About my own safety. Would it be so dangerous to let Noah nearer, even if just as a friend?
Surely I could do it if I put my mind to it. I could ignore the carnal desire that had appeared so suddenly, it had taken me out of left field. Because even on that faithful first day when he'd pulled me away from the car, I'd wanted to get closer to the breathtaking being, crouched next to me on the pavement.
Maybe Ash was right. Maybe I was confusing first the shock and then the gratitude for something else. Or at least letting them stoke a fire that wouldn't usually burn so hot. Maybe I needed to find a way to step back and view Noah with objective eyes.
I lifted my head and turned in his direction in time to see him gracefully extend an arm towards a top shelf and wrap his fingers around a bottle. Then he turned around, his movements fluid even though all he did was pour some alcohol into a tall glass.
I sighed. No matter how I looked at him, he was still breathtaking.
~ Noah ~
The club was closed and I was finishing cleaning up the bar on my own. Throughout the night, Callian had kept popping up to check on me, the last time leaving with a devilish grin, the type that said 'I know something you don't'. I let him have that one; I was too tired to interrogate him about it. Maybe on Monday. We shared a shift at the grocery store then.
My nape tingled as if someone was staring at my back and turned around to see Ash. He had his arms crossed and was silently watching me. I licked my lips; it was judgment time.
"Come on," he said and turned around, walking towards the door that led to the hallway which in turn led up the stairs and to his office. I followed, taking deep breaths and aiming for quiet exhales. He probably knew how nervous I was, but no need to show more of that, right?
We climbed up the stairs and he headed to the second door to the right. We were going to his office alright. I expected him to enter first, but instead, he stepped to the side and let me go through the door before him.
"Surprise!" The simultaneous shout of about half a dozen people startled me and I jumped back, colliding with Ash's firm chest. A few of them laughed or chuckled and I glanced guiltily behind me. Ash just sighed and stepped past me to join the others. My eyes followed him and it was only then that I noticed the 'WELCOME, NOAH!' banner pinned to the window sill.
"Does that mean I got the job?"
"Yeah, yeah, you got the job," Ash replied. "Congratulations."
"We are so happy you are joining us." Jess gave me a hug and Gracie followed suit.
"It's fun working with you," Erik added, taking his turn to embrace me. Callian was next in line.
"What are you doing here?" I asked as he held me tight.
"Dex found me and asked me to join the party. They even got you a cake. "He nodded towards Ash's desk - usually littered with papers, but tonight covered in food and alcohol bottles.
"Glad to have you here." Mac literally lifted me off the floor with his bear hug and I couldn't help but chuckle and think 'Damn, Kyle would love one of these!'
"I think my brother made the right choice," I heard from behind me and as soon as my feet touched the ground, I turned, prepared to embrace Dex. He had other plans though. His arm was extended to me and I tried not to show how disappointed I was as I shook it.
"Thanks for inviting Callian over."
"You said you could use a friend," was his reply. "I'd like to be that to you as well."
Friend.
Yeah. He had the right idea. We should be just friends. But the same feeling of letdown enveloped me as when I'd turned and seen he was going for a handshake. Before I had a chance to reply, I was offered more congratulations, this time from Dex and Ash's best friend - Caleb.
"Just eat and get out of my office, you lot." Ash was watching us, leaning against a wall, his arms crossed over his chest once again.
"Don't take the stern expression seriously." Gracie was already cutting the cake with Jess by her side, handing her plates to put the pieces on.
"Yeah." Her blond girlfriend agreed. "We pretty much knew you'd get the job, but Ash didn't tell us until tonight so everything you see here is something he arranged on his own."
I turned to face my boss who was stubbornly staring sideways - there was nothing there but the wall - his cheeks lightly pink.
"Oh, Ash, thank you so much!" I cooed and went to give him a hug, trapping his arms between our torsos. He stood silent for a second, then freed his arms, murmured 'alright, alright' and patted me on the back twice.
"Now go eat, Noah."
"Got to do something else first." I released him and took out my phone.
Guess who is Nightfall's new employee
I sent the text to Kyle only - Helen was probably asleep, so I'd call her in the morning - and I hadn't even managed to put away my phone when I got his reply:
Told ya and congrats
"Are we doing a commemoration photo?" Jess asked.
"Darn it, should've done it before I cut the cake." Gracie - who was done with her task - was licking the fingers from the chocolate glaze stuck to them.
"It's not like there was anything written on it," Jess commented. "Ash, would've it killed you to have a sign on it?"
"I got him the frickin' welcome banner; what more do you want?"
"A signed cake, obviously," Mac, who was handing out drinks, replied.
"Really, boss, doing the bare minimum for an employee as good as Noah?" Gracie shook her head, barely suppressing a teasing smile.
"You know I can fire most of the people in this room, right?" Ash glared at them.
"We also know you won't do it," Jess chirped and pecked him on the cheek as she walked toward me. "So, a photo."
I grinned. "Oh, yeah." I could think of a certain someone who'd want to see that.
"Let's see..." Jess looked about. "Where can we... Ah! There!" She pointed at a bookcase. "If we put the phone there, then we can gather in front of the desk and take a photo with the banner in the back."
I handed her my phone and she positioned it on one of the shelves, using a few notebooks to keep it steady.
"Don't move those; you'll scramble them," Ash grumbled from behind us.
"I'll put them back where I took them from." Jess waived at her boss to shut up and we all gathered in front of the desk with me in the center, Callian to my left and Dex to my right, and everyone else around us. My hand twitched and brushed against Dex's. If he noticed, he didn't show it.
"Okay, setting the timer for fifteen seconds." Jess pressed the button, then ran to join us, placing herself between Erik and Gracie and hugging them both. We heard the telltale click that let us know the photo was taken and I went to check on it, whistling when I saw the result.
"We are all in frame and everyone is in focus." I wasn't usually this lucky with photos, but this was a good one. Caleb and I were smiling, Erik, Mac, and Callian were grinning, Ash was adorably pouting - oh, how he'd love/hate this photo! - Gracie and Jess were all lovey-dovey in their embrace and Dex... Well, he was also smiling, but the more I looked at him - and I looked at him more than I looked at the rest of us - the more it seemed like it was forced.
Stupid. Probably all in my mind.
I shook my head to chase the image away, opened the H3llo! app and sent the photo to Kyle before pocketing my phone.
"Come have some cake," Jess prompted.
"Or some of this." Callian lifted his glass. "What is it?"
"A new cocktail I'm working on," Erik replied. "No name yet."
I snickered as I joined them. Both Erik and I loved experimenting and mixing new drinks, but neither one of us was good at naming them.
My phone buzzed several times in quick succession. There were six messages by Kyle and more were coming.
OMG WHY DIDN'T YOU SHOW ME THE BEAR SOONER???!!!!!
seriously, he's so hot, i almost forgot i was jealous that cal is there and i'm not
but damn!
that beard!
and that smile!
and those muscles!
and that smile!
is he on social media?
i'm gonna stalk the shit out of him
I laughed and started typing my reply. Before I managed to send it, I got another text:
DOES HE HAVE TATTOOS?! I bet he has. He's too delicious not to.
His punctuation was better, so he was beginning to calm down.
We'll talk about Mac later, K. Now I have a cake to eat.
I waited for his parting text and it was this:
Oh, man, there's cake too? Hotties and cake and I'm not there. This sucks.
Chuckling, I began to pocket my phone, but Kyle wasn't done.
I'll hold you to that promise.
My eyebrows furrowed. What promise? My eyes scanned the texts and landed on 'We'll talk about Mac later'. It was just something I'd typed without thinking, but I had no doubt Kyle would use this text to gain as much info about my bearded colleague as he could. Probably try to score a few more photos of the bouncer too.
Oops.
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Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed the chapter. If you did, vote, comment... You know the drill. See you next week!
PS: There's a version of this chapter from Kyle's POV. If you guys are interested in what he was up to when Noah texted him, then I might post it as an extra here.