“Hey, is everything all right?” I asked.
Isaac waved off my concern. “Stop being dramatic. Everything is fine.” We were at the front of the line, and Isaac added, “I got the cover charge for us.” He paid, and we slipped into the bar.
“I’ll get the first round of drinks!” I called out. The music made the air around us pulse, feeding the palpable energy in the crowd.
Ryder and I had come as friends, but that faded quickly with Isaac, and when our fingers brushed on the way to the bar, Ryder latched his with mine.
“Yeah?” I asked, leaning close to his ear.
“Yeah, if it’s okay with you.”
I nodded.
“I reserved a table!” Isaac said over the noise. That surprised me. If his goal was to get laid tonight, I figured he’d be out in the middle of the action. But it wasn’t as if he couldn’t go back and forth, and he’d have no trouble hooking up whether he sat it out all night or not. There were willing men all around.
We followed Isaac to one of the half-circle booths. The table wasn’t attached, so it was easy to get in and out and gave us more space. Isaac went in on one side, me on the other, and Ryder sat next to me.
The bartender was right behind us. He was wearing nothing but a jockstrap and looked about twenty-two or twenty-three. He was a twink and exactly Isaac’s type. “What can I get you guys?”
“Vodka tonic,” Isaac said. I waited for him to flirt, but it didn’t come.
Ryder got a beer, and I ordered whiskey.
“Tell me all about you and your pretty boyfriend over here. This is new for you.” He turned to Ryder. “You got the attention of the ever-elusive Dr. Hutchinson.”
“Guess I’m just that good,” Ryder replied, making Isaac laugh.
“And not humble at all, I see. You remind me of Hutch.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment,” Ryder replied, and I rolled my eyes, even as warmth spread through my chest.
“Why the secret?”
“If we told you, it wouldn’t be a secret anymore,” I replied.
“Fine, fine, I know when to keep my mouth shut,” Isaac said.
“Since when?” The three of us laughed at my response.
“So what do you do?” Isaac asked.
Ryder launched into a reply, talking about his shop and about just having moved back home from LA. He absently drew circles on my thigh with his finger as he spoke, and I watched him, unable to keep my eyes off him. And I wasn’t the only one. He hadn’t lied when he’d said he’d look good, and damned if I didn’t want to pull him to me and claim him publicly.
A few minutes later, the bartender was back, flirting shamelessly with Isaac, who didn’t seem to notice, instead telling him, “You can go ahead and bring me another,” before chugging what was in his glass.
Ryder frowned, clearly seeing something was wrong without even knowing him. “Isaac…”
“I can’t,” he replied. “You’re not the only ones with your secrets.”
I nodded, worry turning my blood to mud, making it hard to work through my veins. “I’m always here.”
“I know,” he replied. “I want to know more about the two of you. That seems more fun.”
We talked for a while longer, the bartender bringing more drinks. Isaac and Ryder seemed to get along well, which I liked. Isaac and I didn’t spend a lot of time together, but he was probably the person closest to me.
He didn’t slow down on the alcohol either, downing one drink after the other. My fear grew.
“I’m gonna go dance!” Isaac shouted close to my ear.
I didn’t feel comfortable leaving him alone. One look at Ryder said he understood, and both of us stood, following Isaac to the dance floor.
The second we were out there, Isaac started to move, and men took notice. We stayed close to him, while three guys danced against him.
“Is this normal?” Ryder asked.
“The dancing and the attention he draws, yes. The drinking, no.”
“Somehow I didn’t think so. We’ll make sure he’s okay.”
I liked the we.
Ryder hooked his fingers in my belt loops and tugged me closer. “This okay? Two guys who grew up together are allowed to dance, right?”
In that moment, I didn’t fucking care. We were in a queer bar, surrounded by queer people. We should be safe.
I wrapped my arms around his neck, rutting against his body as we danced. Ryder growled close to my ear, his hands now rubbing up and down my back. I kept an eye on Isaac. For the time being, he was dancing and having fun, though he’d gotten another drink in his hand somehow. Other than that, I just savored being there with Ryder, in public. Needing this with him when I’d never needed it with anyone else in my life.
Isaac was out there close to an hour, Ryder and I never far away. We danced and laughed, and goddamned if I didn’t wish we were home so I could get on my knees for him.