Don't Stop Me Now by Queen boomed from the Jeep's speakers. Logan, Miguel, and I found ourselves singing along to the lyrics as I drove the car at a steady thirty miles-per-hour, glad that they hitched a ride and kept me company throughout our pied-piper operation.
Armas stayed quiet at the back, nervously looking at the growing horde at our tail, but Miguel and Logan shot a few that got too close for comfort.
"This is target practice!" Logan said, using his rifle like an air guitar as the music swelled, letting out a slew of curses and spat at the vectors' direction. Even I joined in, throwing a middle finger to their path.
We lost them on the road to the highway going out of town.
I didn't want them to accidentally find the mansion where the others were, even though the house was way south of the village. I killed the Jeep's engines and the radio, watching as the vectors ran and disappeared up the exit ramp toward the highway.
"Tonight, I'm gonna have myself a real good time..." Miguel sang softly from the back.
"Hyenas, you say?" Logan asked, gaping between Armas and me. "Damn. We have vectors, and now we got wild animals."
"They kill vectors, so that's good enough for me," Miguel said.
"And us, dude. That's gotta be some magic universe shit," Logan said, shaking his head and throwing his middle finger up the sky. "Fuck you, Universe! Come and get my damn ass."
"Careful what you wish for," I mumbled, laughing.
"Yeah, I wish I could bitch-slap some sense to it. What did humans do anyway to deserve this?"
"Destroy the planet?" I said, shrugging.
Miguel paused. "Yeah, well, we're good at that, too," he chimed in, "But I was just living my life, cooking meals, living paycheck-to-paycheck, and then they throw wrenches on us innocent folk. What kind of god does that?"
"I wouldn't know," I said. "There are good gods, there are jealous gods, and there are malevolent gods or something. I don't pay attention much to religion. The only thing every god has in common is the ego. Big, big, egos."
"I think the others are done loading the supplies by now. Should we head home?"
I looked at my watch and smiled, relieved that the night was almost over. "Yes. Finally. I want to sleep for a day."
We watched as the tail end of the horde disappeared up the ramp, waiting for another couple of minutes before starting the engines and headed back to the main road where the others were. We drove out of West Point within the hour, going back to the mansion.
I felt content that no one died tonight. No. Content would be the wrong word. I was beyond ecstatic! There were a lot of things that could have gone wrong, and for the first time, I was happy our plans went off with a good run, even though I stumbled upon an armed soldier and a mad pack of hungry hyenas. I took every victory I could get!
I almost cried, but I didn't want anyone seeing me like that. When we got back to the mansion, Luke gave me a tight squeeze on the shoulder, told me how great everyone performed today, even managed to compliment Aria fro being level-headed in treating Armas's leg. In turn, I praised Luke for stepping up to the plate.
Luke gave me a sheepish grin. "I owe it all to you. I guess that talk this morning worked wonders."
I smiled. As we sat there, sipping a steaming cup of jasmine tea that Miguel prepared, I felt Luke's hand on my lap. I let it rest there for a long while.
——
I couldn't sleep.
I wanted to be out of town when we reached the mansion, but everyone had been awake for more than twenty-four hours. I saw Miguel almost nod off to sleep while he was brewing the tea for us, a "welcome home" brew that he claimed we duly needed. Nobody complained to have a cup.
First, we had to hunt down Nat and Bobby for stealing our supplies. Then, We were barely escaping New York, saw the entire city blew up with millions still inside, had to watch as survivors jumped to their deaths off the bridge, and had to contend with a school filled with vectors and hyenas. Sleep deprivation was the last thing I had to worry about moving forward.
One day, and what a fucked-up day it was.
We had to stay overnight just to get some proper rest. No one wanted to fall asleep with a rifle in hand and ended up shooting themselves. Since Felipe didn't go to the campus, he volunteered to keep watch.
And here I was, lying in the mansion's guest room, unable to sleep. It was already past two in the morning. I had been lying on the bed for more than an hour, trying to count sheep again. One sheep. Two sheep. Three sheep...Crap! Miss again.
I scratched my back. I slapped my neck, felt a sting of a mosquito, or maybe it was just my nerves. My adrenaline was probably still pumping, too excited to go down. Perhaps I should be on watch, hoping that the boredom would lull me to sleep, and I could wake Felipe up to cover for me. But it was already too late.
Since no one wanted to sleep in the master bedroom (where the dead man was found), many crammed into the mansion's other bedrooms. Alfie and Armas took the big couches in the living room, which were still very comfortable and roomy. The Katingers, Miguel, and Henry took the boat's three cabins. Luke and I teased Yousef for sharing a bed with Aria in the teenager's room, while Margot and Felipe took the young girl's room.
I wasn't alone in the room.
In the guest room, I was stuck between Luke and Logan.
It was a California king-sized bed (the owners spared no expense in making their mansion massive), so it could fit three people with more legroom to move and turn about. Here I learned that Luke moved a lot in his sleep, sometimes punching me on the side, which reminded me not to sleep next to him in the future, and thereby avoiding future bruises. Poor Logan Hardy was a heavy sleeper and a massive snorer, sounding like a broken motor, tempting me to put a pillow over his head to muffle the noise. The two of us had many sleepovers when we were young, but I didn't remember it was this bad and loud. Or maybe I had forgotten.
The two men slept half-naked. We were all down to our shirt and boxer shorts, not wanting to sleep in our tactical vests and the trousers' rough fabric. I tried to argue against it, but my reasoning was not based on logistics or sense, though Luke and Logan didn't seem to mind. They all wanted the bed and a comfy night of sleep, and if we slept with the uniforms on, it was a guarantee that we'd have a sore body tomorrow. I couldn't argue against that.
I felt a hand reached out for my right arm.
It came from Luke, who was lying on my right side.
I froze. Maybe he was dreaming of something, accidentally moving closer toward me. A moment later, Luke's hand wrapped itself around my torso, just below my breasts, burying itself under my left side, and Luke pulled me toward him. Heat swarmed my back—his body heat—and I laid their limply, not knowing what to do.
On instinct, I patted his arm gently like a simple-minded idiot, as if saying, good job, bro. Stupid. I didn't think Luke minded much since he was asleep the entire time, breathing deep and warm against the nape of my neck. I looked at Logan if he noticed, but he was also deep asleep, snoring boorishly.
I had never cuddled with a man before. Well, maybe one time with Peter. When I was fifteen, he surprised me with a cuddle, leading to kissing and other stuff. That was the moment I knew I was gay. Of course, Peter freaked out, yelled at me for being casual about the entire thing, and even stopped talking to me for a whole month. Then after a few days, he came crawling back to me, suggesting other fun activities we could do together.
Luke cuddling me felt nice, and I couldn't help but let out an idiotic grin. Maybe I could finally sleep after all. No more counting dumb sheep and the alphabet for hours.
I was asleep.
Almost asleep.
A tentative touch and that was all it took to bring me back to consciousness again. It was still dark. I only closed my eyes for twenty minutes based on the clock next to the bed. I felt the touch on my left nipple, gentle and cautious. I gasped, and the touch stopped.
I didn't move, staring at the window, and watched as Logan's chest rose and fell as he continued to snore.
The touch returned, putting pressure on my nipple, twirling it between their two fingers. I felt a kiss at the back of my neck, soft and tender, moving down to my shoulder. It was as if I was touched by the melted wax of candles, prickling against my skin. I felt a ghost of a smile escaped his lips as he gave me another kiss at the side.
Luke scooted, firmly pressing the gap between us closed, and there I felt his other arm snaking underneath me, sweeping me up to his arms until I could feel his lips on my neck. I let out a moan, not knowing if I was supposed to, but then his fingers let go of my nipples, going down to my upper thighs. He squeezed, felt a little good about myself as I let another moan escaped. With his other hand, he tilted my chin back, and I met his lips. I laid there, my back against his chest, slowly kissing him.
We went on for a long while. I had promised him a night, didn't I? Back on the boat? And maybe he never forgot, and I let myself enjoyed how his hands wandered around me as if I would disappear, and he had to make up for what little time we had left.
My mind went somewhere, unable to reel it back as all I focused on was this man's lips, felt like I was going to explode deep in my stomach as my breathing grew ragged, but he didn't seem to mind. I turned to face him fully, and he wrapped his arms around my body, sliding in the insides of my shirt and across my shoulders. He gently stroked the naked line of my spine with his thumbs, goosebumps breaking me apart. I took a deep breath, curled my arms around his shoulders, and brought him as close as possible. I ran my fingers through his thick hair, caught the soft brushes of his stumbles against my chin and neck, pulled a little of his hair back, and grinned when it was his turn to moan finally.
Luke drew back slightly, his hand sliding down into my waistband, and gave a firm squeeze of my ass. He guided my hand to his front, felt the hardness growing there sprang free. I realized—with a greedy surprise—that I was doing this to him, and now that I had touched another man again since god knew how long, I didn't want to let go. Without saying it, Luke wanted me to do what had to be done, so I did. Another groan let out deep in his throat, and he kissed me again, though only for a brief moment.
The hem of my shirt was almost up to my neck, exposing my chest. He bent down and licked my nipples, and I leaned back, placed my free hand against my mouth, and muffled another noise. His hips started moving against my hand, and I let him, pulling back and forth a little harder, wanting him to hear him more, and what my touch did to his entire body.
I leaned back again and bumped Logan's arm with the back of my head.
Logan suddenly let out a throttled groan but then went back to snoring again. I had completely forgotten he was there. Logan's hand shot out and found my head still resting against his arm, afraid that if I moved, he would wake up and found us in a tangled mess.
But with a quick shove, Logan threw me back away from him, seemingly annoyed and grumbling under his throat as he turned so that his back now faced us.
Logan let out a loud fart, and Luke stopped kissing my chest. In the darkness, I could tell he was looking at me. He had forgotten he was there, too.
Logan farted again. Louder.
I smiled, trying not to laugh, but Luke let out a soft chuckle, and it wasn't helping. He started kissing me again, but I held him back with my fingers.
I nodded to Logan. "We're not alone," I whispered.
"He sleeps like a rock," he said. "Please. Don't make me stop now."
I sighed. I didn't want him to, but it would be really awkward when Logan found us in awkward poses. I could already see the horror growing in his eyes, the slew of curses, and maybe a run for the door as if the room was ablaze. I felt ashamed, and the growing thing below me grew limp. I wasn't as excited now at the prospect.
Luke pulled the blankets off, swung his legs out, walked toward the bathroom with a prominent strain in his underwear. He motioned for me to follow him. I turned to Logan, listened to his snoring, and recognized it was the same. He was still asleep. I followed Luke to the bathroom.
Yes, I was turned on, and could you blame me? I hadn't had a man on my bed for a whole year. That was too long, and I had no reason to continue being a monk even if the entire world was going to shit around us. I needed a night I could relax.
And relaxed, I did.
Luke was already naked when I went inside the bathroom; His clothes laid scattered on the floor around him. I could only see him through what little light was streaming from the windows, and I liked what I saw. Even though a week had passed, he was still in good shape.
Luke's eyes were on me, and it never strayed away. I felt his intense gaze pushing me into submission. He had his hand down there, biceps bulged and glimmering with a little sweat. It was then I was determined to make him sweat even more.
"Kneel," he said.
I did, and I took him in my mouth hungrily and as quietly as possible. We failed with the latter.
I tiptoed back to the bed first while Luke cleaned up in the bathroom. I was careful not to disturb Logan as I pulled the covers back and slipped through the sheets.
As I settled on the same spot I was before, listening to the faucet in the bathroom running, I felt Logan's hand against my cheek.
I froze again, not knowing what Logan was doing. But I didn't have time to think about it when he drew them back and slapped me. I gasped in shock.
"You better have brushed your teeth," Logan said. I turned to him, my jaw growing wide open, but saw that his eyes remained closed. "I don't want to smell any cock breath on you when I wake up tomorrow morning."
My eyes grew even wider. Logan was awake the entire time. He peered with one eye open, a grin forming in his lips, stifling a laugh.
Then, he asked, "So...how was it?"
I was out of words. But I surprised myself when I said, "Long overdue."
He nodded, understanding. I thought about apologizing, and it was at the tip of my tongue when he interrupted me.
"Next time, warn me. That way, I'm far away."
"I will," I whispered. "Sorry."
"Hm. Don't be. You got laid. I didn't."
"Were you...I mean, like the entire thing..."
"Awake? Yeah."
"The entire thing?"
"Hmhm," he nodded. "I didn't want to interrupt you two, but if he started fucking you, then I might. I can't stand a bed rocking while I'm trying to sleep. I have enough of that with Carson at parties. That's why we have an agreement not to bring girls into our rooms if we're too drunk to drive home." He paused, then frowned. "Had. I mean."
I had no words. I was too stunned that he wasn't offended at all. He was laid back as if it was something he'd expect to find during breakfast. Granted, I was new at this whole thing. I had only shared such intimate moments with one man (and now two). Maybe Logan had too many. I didn't know what his predilection was. Then again, for his attacks on me at school almost within the lines of homophobia, it never fazed him that right now, just feet away from him, I was doing the thing he told me he was disgusted at seeing. Was all that an act? Some pretense he projected to his friends?
I thought about Logan getting laid. Maybe he needed it after Natalie, but I didn't try to broach the subject, knowing Nat's death was still fresh in everyone's minds. We became friends again, and I didn't want Logan to hate me and push him off. People tend to deal with grief somehow, and I thought Logan was pretending that Nat didn't exist. I let him be.
Most of the women here were already taken, and I didn't know if Logan and Aria had a thing. It seemed to me that Aria was quite taken of Yousef and knew what the two were doing in their room. They were alone, unlike me. They had privacy, and a part of me felt a little jealous about that. Maybe Logan could go for Tessa, but she was a lot older, and I didn't know if she would go for a high-schooler.
I shook my thoughts away, feeling a little ashamed that I was thinking of Logan's sex life, and to my horror, found myself growing beneath my waistband again, and my thoughts were far from Luke, but to the man staring at me.
"Bren, good for you for tapping that," he said, breaking the silence. I saw him grinning broadly. He extended a fist out to me, and I bumped it with my own. I hid my smile as I mentally tried to tell the thing below my pants to fucking quit it. I felt more ashamed about it now. It was so wrong to think of your supposed friends sexually. Ever.
Logan spoke again, "And Bren, if you and Luke are going to do that again, at least warn me. I don't want to get blue-balled just watching you two."
The faucet stopped running. I heard Luke dressing up in the bathroom. Logan turned around until his back faced me again, not adding any more of what he said.
I didn't say anything, afraid that it would only make things too awkward. Luke came back to bed and wrapped his arms around me again, giving me a gentle kiss on the forehead. Logan didn't stir on the other side of the bed, back to his snoring.
"Good night," Luke said.
"Good night," I said back.
This was one of the most awkward sexual encounters I had ever had. Here I was, sleeping with a man I barely knew for a week, next to a guy who might become my best friend again. Everything was fucking confusing.
With everything that had happened, I finally fell asleep in seconds.