The Best Friend (Red's Tavern 1)

Red pulled in a breath, his expression darkening for a second. For once, it seemed like I’d pushed one of his buttons. “Okay. Maybe there are one or two guys who would move to Amberfield for me, if I asked them. But the point is, they haven’t.”

“And Mitch did that,” I said. “For me.”

“He did.”

“I just don’t know how to handle being so damn in love with him,” I said.

“Live a little, Bailey,” Red said. “Hell, don’t close yourself off to anything. Fuck Mitch, if he’s willing. But that doesn’t mean you have to stop going on other dates, too. Play the field.”

“I guess I should do that,” I said. The thought of dating anyone else sounded ridiculous right now—there was no way I’d want anyone like I wanted Mitch—but at least dating would be a good way to keep myself honest.

“Just talk to him, too,” Red said. “Always be real, and always be yourself.”

I wished such a simple thing didn’t sound so impossible.

“I believe in you,” Red said. “Now get your ass out of here, before I have to start charging you rent.”

10

Mitch

I still remembered looking up at the bleachers when I was down on the football field. Evan came to every game, so long as it didn’t conflict with a Mathletes thing. Sometimes he’d hold up a sign that said “THE PRICE IS RIGHT” after I made a touchdown, and once he even started the crowd chanting “Mitchell Price!” over and over again.

Sometimes I felt like I had to win just for him. Like even if nobody from my family was out there in the bleachers, Evan always was. Someone who loved me was out there.

I wished I’d had the balls to kiss him like he deserved back then, too.

Apparently my addiction to Evan had started to bleed into the text messaging realm, too. I stared down at my phone, tapping out a message to him.

>>Mitch: Hey, quick question.

>>Evan: What’s up?

>>Mitch: What did you wear today?

I was already blushing. I hadn’t texted like this… well, maybe ever. But it was early afternoon, I was home alone, and I was horny as hell. And that meant I desperately wanted contact with Evan.

It was my day off and I’d been trying to do anything to distract myself. I’d already watched recaps from last night’s football game. I’d done some deadlifts. I’d cleaned the whole house. Tonight I was taking Zach to the airport, and then Evan was coming over. I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about it. I knew I was excited as hell, but I wanted to make tonight fun for him, too.

I stared down at my phone, waiting for Evan’s response. When my phone finally made the sound, it may as well have been like winning the lottery.

>>Evan: Lol. What am I wearing? Why do you ask?

>>Mitch: Just trying to picture you, that’s all.

Another couple minutes passed before a photo came up. It was a selfie. He was alone in his classroom at the end of the school day, wearing a simple, lavender-colored collared shirt and grey slacks. His sleeves were rolled up and he had the Amberfield High lanyard around his neck.

It was simple, but of course I perked up just seeing Evan’s smiling face.

>>Mitch: You look like such a teacher.

>>Evan: I’m doing something right.

I held out my phone, snapping a photo of myself from where I was sitting on the couch. I’d just finished showering after my workout. My hair was faintly wet and I was still shirtless. As I sent the photo, my cock throbbed. This was turning me on so much, even though he’d seen me shirtless a zillion times.

He didn’t respond for twenty minutes. I’d never been the type to be glued to my phone, but now I felt like a damn teenager, waiting for him. I’d been idly palming my cock through my shorts, not even trying to jerk off, just needing some sort of contact.

>>Evan: I just got home. Your body is fucking unfair.

>>Mitch: So come over and have your way with it.

My heart beat hard as I sent that final text. I was officially flirting with my best friend. There was no doubt about it. It was one of the hottest things I’d felt in a long time.

>>Evan: Ugh.

>>Mitch: What?

>>Evan: Nothing.

>>Mitch: Doesn’t sound like nothing.

>>Evan: You just made me get hard.

Christ. I couldn’t possibly be more turned on reading that. I was having the same effect on Evan that he was having on me.

>>Mitch: Well, I’m glad.

>>Evan: But it’s also unfair.

>>Mitch: It isn’t unfair.

I sent him a photo of my very obvious hard dick, outlined in my baby-blue boxer briefs.

>>Evan: I’m losing my mind.

>>Mitch: I want you to. I’ll see you tonight.

I was floating on cloud nine. I felt like I could do this forever with Evan. I’d never been comfortable flirting in my whole life, but with him, it was starting to get addictive.