Awkward Love (Stumbling into Love 2)

“You never know, maybe you’ll meet the perfect man or woman at this event, and then you’ll owe us.”

“Pfft. Yeah, right.”

“That’s what I thought too.”

“Yeah, but I’m cooler and smarter than you.”

“Fucker,” Shaw teased, dropping his arm.

He led me backstage, where Elijah was buzzing around, talking to this person and that. He looked up, and his eyes caught mine. “Will! Thank God you’re here!”

“I know you love me, but we don’t want to make our boy jealous. In another world, we would have found each other first, but we didn’t, and Shaw is my best friend. I can’t break his heart that way. I know second best is hard; we just have to play the hand we were dealt.”

Shaw rolled his eyes.

“You’re an idiot. Come with me,” was the extent of what I got from Elijah.

“I’m starting to feel very mistreated by you two. I thought we were friends?”

They didn’t pay attention to that either. Elijah led us over to where a group of people were congregating.

“Can I have everyone over here for a second?” he asked, his voice loud so he could reach everyone in the area.

They all began to walk over. There were twenty-five guys participating in the bachelor auction, including Elijah’s best friend, Danny. There had been some weird vibes between him and Shaw in the beginning, but they seemed to be past it now. They both loved Elijah, even if in different ways, and they’d bonded over that and become pretty good friends.

Shaw stayed beside me as Elijah began explaining how the process would go. We’d be introduced one by one, and we’d go onstage in our everyday outfit and say a little about ourselves. Then we’d go out in our tuxes because, well, probably because it was hot. From there, people would bid on us. After the auction, we’d meet whoever paid the most to spend an evening with us, and plan our date. All the money was going to a local LGBTQIA organization.

I couldn’t believe I was doing this. I turned to look at Shaw, who held his hands up. “I know, I know. I owe you.”

“Big.”

“It’s for a good cause.”

“Helping you get laid by your boyfriend isn’t a good cause,” I teased.

“I need no help with that. I can promise you.”

Really, though, I didn’t mind participating all that much, and since I wasn’t that guy who had money to donate, this was a good alternative. Still, it was a lot more fun to give Shaw shit about it.

“Go. Get dressed. It’s almost time!” Elijah said.

I pretended to grumble as I went to do as told.

CHAPTER THREE

Jameson

“I can’t believe we’re here!” I tugged at the collar of my dress shirt before adjusting my bow tie.

At a bachelor auction. Or a date auction? I didn’t know what to call it.

Where my two closest friends wanted me to bid on a night out with a random dude.

Fuck my life.

“It’s for charity,” Kira said as we took three chairs in the front row. I had no idea how they’d pulled off the prime seating.

“It’s not nice to say that about our friend,” Ali teased. “We’re only helping Jameson get a date.”

“Oh, fuck you,” I said a little too loudly. This guy on the other side of her gave me a dirty look. Oops.

“I’m kidding. You’re not charity, but we are here for a good cause. The center had that fire, and the money will help them get a new and better building.”

Ali was right, but I noticed they weren’t there to get themselves any dates. From what I read, there would be a combination of gay and bi men, so there were options for all of us.

Kira added, “We’re killing two birds with one stone. Ugh, I hate that saying. Who even came up with that? We’re taking on two worthy causes in one night.”

I did my best to give Kira my angriest look, but all they did was laugh. “I hate you. I hate you both. Why is it that the three of us made a pact to make this a great summer where we all tried to live our best lives, and yet I’m the only one you’re both focusing on, hmm?” I sat in the middle, looking back and forth between them, but no one answered. “Oh my God! It’s because you think I’m more hopeless than you guys are!”

“That’s not true,” Ali tried to soothe me.

I crossed my arms. “When this is over, I’m never talking to either of you again.” None of us mentioned the fact that I didn’t just, you know, leave. It wasn’t as if I couldn’t. I didn’t have to be there. I could simply stand up and walk out. Stand up and walk out, I told myself, yet I still didn’t go.

Ugh. I thought I was hopeless too. That didn’t bode well for me.