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CHAPTER 3

AN ORGY OF EPIC PROPORTIONS

TOMMY

“Hi, Ma.”

“Thomas!” His mom’s voice was warm in his ear as he walked to his car at the end of the day. “How are you doing down there in that heat?”

Tommy laughed, shaking his head. All these years later and his family still couldn’t believe that a Minnesota boy could be happy settling down in South Carolina. “It’s raining today, Ma. It’s not always hot.”

She tsked . “Tell me how you’re doing. We miss you.” Her voice was muffled for a moment, but Tommy still heard her shout like she was right next to him. “Dan! Dan! Thomas is on the phone!”

His father’s deep voice joined his mom. “Tommy. Come visit your mother. She misses you.”

“I’m busy, guys. Work is picking up right now.”

“You work too hard,” his mom grumbled.

“Susan, leave him alone.”

Tommy climbed into his car. “I’m up for a promotion, so I’m putting in the extra time.”

“Oh darling, that’s wonderful! Don’t forget to stop and take care of yourself, though.”

“I will, Ma.”

“How’s Chuck doing?”

Tommy grinned. “He’s great. I’m actually heading over to his place now.”

“Good,” his mom said. “We love that boy.”

“You do realize they’re both men in their thirties,” Tommy’s dad reminded his wife.

“I don’t care, Dan.”

The conversation turned to updates on Tommy’s older siblings, who all lived within a fifteen minute drive of his parents and were settled down with spouses and a whole flock of children. A year ago, Tommy thought he was on the path to being one of them.

“I’ve got to let you guys go,” Tommy said as he pulled into Chuck’s driveway. “Love you.”

“We love you too,” his mom said. “And Thomas? Take the time to be happy, darling. I know it’s been a tough go, but it’s not over for you, okay?”

Tommy swallowed against the lump in his throat. “Thanks, Ma.”

As he walked up the path to Chuck’s front door, he realized that was exactly what he was doing every time he slowed down, put away his work, and drove to Chuck’s house.

He was taking the time to be happy.

* * *

“Yo,” Tommy called out as he walked into Chuck’s bright kitchen. “Can I ask you for a favor?”

Work had been hell recently. It was like Deb could smell his stress, and she’d been pushing sales in her area relentlessly, creeping closer and closer to Tommy’s numbers every day. Tommy was grinding like he always did—putting in extra hours in the local offices, supporting and driving his staff, pushing sales and customer service, sales and customer service until his head drummed with it.

He knew he had to keep going. Rick was watching them, measuring not only the quantifiable numbers but their effort and willingness to go the extra mile. Tommy needed to show him that he was not only willing, but enthusiastic.

That job was going to be his .

And then there was the retreat looming in the distance. He’d been looking forward to the invite for years, but now that he had gotten it, he was freaking the fuck out over a little bit of swimming.

Swimming in a lake . A deep lake with fish and who knew what else waiting down there.

Chuck was in the kitchen, as usual, dressed in sweats and an old Southeastern t-shirt. He turned as Tommy walked in, a lazy grin on his face. “What’s up?”

“Will you teach me how to swim?”

Chuck looked confused. “You know how to swim.”

“I know, but I have to swim a long-ass way across a lake.”

“Why?”

“For work.”

“What?” Chuck scratched at his freckled nose. “Aren’t you a manager for a rental car company?”

Tommy sighed, feeling his posture deflate. “Yes, but I’m up for a promotion, and I’ve got to impress my boss.”

“By swimming?”

“Yes, asshole. Will you help me or not?”

Chuck looked at him for a moment, and then shrugged. “Sure. How far is it?”

“Half a mile.”

Chuck looked impressed. “Damn, T. You must really want that job.”

“Tell me about it.”

“I swim every morning at the Southeastern outdoor pool. Can you come early?”

Tommy thought for a moment. “That’s when I do Crossfit.”

Chuck let out an amused laugh. “Dude, that’s not helping you become a better swimmer.”

“Fine. How many days a week?” Tommy rubbed a hand across his forehead. “And do I need one of those tiny little suits you guys wear?”

Chuck laughed again, and it shook his shoulders up and down in a way that looked so silly that Tommy wanted to squeeze his face.

“Whatever suit should be fine. Let’s do six o’clock at the outdoor pool, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.”

“It’s a deal,” Tommy said, slapping a hand down on the countertop. “How’d things go with the exterminator?”

“About that,” Chuck started, running a hand through his curls. He lifted a leg and stomped one, two, three, four times in loud, rapid succession. Immediately there was a familiar scratching scuffle under the floor.

“What the fuck happened?”

“The guy showed up, climbed under there, apparently found some holes and boarded them up, collected his two-hundred bucks, and told me I had nothing to worry about.”

“Did you at least get your money back?”

Chuck shrugged. “I don’t want to bother him, you know?”

Tommy stared at him. “Chuck, he told you he was going to do a job and it didn’t get done. You paid him. He should either give you a refund or make it right.”

“It’s whatever, man.” Chuck turned away from him, the muscles of his back bunching and flexing under his shirt as he filled a cup with water.

As if on cue, the scratching under the floor resumed.

Tommy sighed, scrubbing his hands over his face. He’d revisit the conversation later. “What’s for dinner?”

“Beef tacos.” Chuck turned and pointed his spatula at him. Tommy thought he saw something that looked like gratitude in his eyes. “Grab the cheese from the fridge, will you?”

* * *

Ho-ly shit.

They were watching an orgy.

There was an orgy of epic proportions playing out on the TV screen. Damn, he loved Spartacus . Well, it was a little fucked up, you know, with the gladiators basically being the property of some horny rich people. But damn, it was hot. And it was fiction, right? So it was totally okay to be into it.

Tommy set his empty plate on the coffee table and turned to Chuck. “Do you ever think about how sad it is that we don’t have orgies anymore?” He had to raise his voice over the grunts and groans and slaps of skin on skin.

Chuck didn’t look away from the screen. His lashes glowed like copper wire in the dim light. “People still have orgies.”

Tommy’s mouth dropped. “What? Where are the orgies? I’m single, man. I want the orgies!”

That made Chuck look over at him, his expression unreadable. “You want sex with greased up half-naked dudes?”

“Sure,” Tommy said. “Give me all of it. I can never watch this show without getting turned on.”

“Come on, man,” Chuck protested, shaking his head. His freckled cheeks caught the red on the screen, making it look like he was blushing. Fucking adorable .

Tommy gave Chuck a gentle shove in the shoulder. “Tell me you don’t get hard when you watch this.”

Chuck hesitated. “I mean…”

“Ha!” Tommy let out a loud laugh. “Exactly. It’s hot shit.”

Chuck’s warm, higher-pitched chuckle joined him. “Wait, wait, wait. I’m agreeing with you.” He shifted in his seat so that one of his long, lean legs was bent up under him. “I want to revisit the naked dudes bit.”

Tommy looked back at the screen. Yeah, those dudes were super fucking naked. “What about them?”

“You think they’re hot?”

Tommy shrugged. Why was Chuck being dense about this? “Yeah, man. They’re hot. I’d kill for any of those gladiator bods. The quads on those guys?” He let out a low whistle.

Chuck looked like he was thinking about something really hard. His tongue traced his upper lip, and then he said, “You know that your body looks like that, right?”

Tommy knew that he worked hard for his body. It was one of the many things he’d deluded himself into thinking he was doing to make his ex-wife happy. Dumbass , he thought for the millionth time in the past year. He turned back to face the TV. “Hey, they’re going to the colosseum now. Fight time! Focus up!”

He didn’t want to think about everything he’d done wrong in his marriage. He’d been so certain, thinking that money and vacations and fancy dinners were what was required to keep a woman happy.

He knew how wrong he’d been now. The couple’s therapy had shown him that, and while their therapist had reiterated over and over again that their failed marriage was a responsibility he and Courtney shared, he couldn’t help but feel like he was the one who’d fucked up. That it was all his fault.

That was the kind of shit that filled Tommy’s head when he was home alone. It was what he’d think about later that night when he got back to his bare apartment. When he walked around the pile of boxes he hadn’t brought himself to unpack.

It still didn’t feel real that he was alone. That even after everything he’d done to build himself a full life surrounded by a wife and friends, at the end of the day he went home alone.

He fucking hated it.

“I don’t actually want orgies,” Tommy heard himself say.

Chuck looked over at him.

Tommy let out a shaky breath. He wasn’t good at this, the whole saying the shit in his head out loud thing. But for some reason he wanted to try.

“I’ve tried to pick up women,” he admitted. “In the last few months, I’ve tried to go to a bar and find a pretty woman and take her home. But I don’t think I’m cut out for casual. I don’t give a shit what other people do, but I just can’t do it. At this point in my life, I think I need to care about the person before hooking up with them.” Tommy cracked a grin. “Guess I’m going to be sitting on the sidelines until I find someone who will put up with me,” he joked.

Chuck didn’t laugh. “I get it,” he said softly. “I don’t think I want to settle for casual anymore. I want to go all in with someone: the romance, the companionship, and the sex.”

Something in Tommy’s chest loosened at Chuck’s admission. It was good to know he wasn’t the only one who wanted that; who couldn’t stomach a casual connection even if it meant getting off.

Silence settled between them as their attention returned to the combat playing out on the screen.

Tommy tried not to think about Chuck finding a significant other. Not because he didn’t want his friend to be happy, but because of what it could mean for their friendship.

He wasn’t ready to lose that.

* * *

Tommy made it to The Grove right around dusk, exhausted after helping the Johns Island branch move a bunch of cars so they wouldn’t be totally screwed for their morning reservations. His body was stiff after sitting in his car all day.

Next week he’d start swimming with Chuck. He wasn’t nervous, but he still felt nauseous when he thought about wide open lakes and weird fish that could see in the dark.

He knew he’d be fine. It was more time spent with Chuck, and time with Chuck was a good thing.

Tommy found his friends taking up two picnic tables this time, since neither Maggie nor Sage were working. Tommy thought about squeezing in between Chuck and David, but slid onto the bench next to Darius instead.

They exchanged a quick fist bump.

“How are the teenagers?”

Darius shook his head. “Unsurprisingly resistant to my attempts to teach them chemistry.”

Clapping him on the back, Tommy reached out to grab a chip from the tower of nachos, sticking his tongue out at Sage when she scowled at him. He glanced down at the chip, finding a large pile of sliced black olives perched on top. Leaning across the table, he put the nacho down on Chuck’s plate, before grabbing another for himself. To Darius, he said, “I’d pay attention if you were my teacher.”

“We were in chem together sophomore year,” Darius responded, giving Tommy an unimpressed look. “You didn’t do shit in that class.”

Tommy just shrugged. “I already knew I wasn’t going to be a chemist. Oh!” He dug out his phone from his back pocket, quickly navigating to a saved page. “Have you read this one?” He showed the screen to Darius.

Darius leaned forward, squinting his brown eyes. He nodded. “Yeah, it’s a good one. You’ll like all of the details from his time in Persia.”

Tommy was already ordering the book.

A few years ago, he’d ended up with a massive book all about the life of Alexander the Great as a white elephant gift. David had been such an asshole about Tommy probably not being able to read it that he decided to read the whole thing just to spite him.

No one was more shocked than Tommy when he’d loved it. Alexander had been calculating, but human. He’d been a military genius, and yet still opened himself up to lovers. He was driven and successful, everything Tommy aspired to be.

Since then he’d read a few other books, listened to a shit-ton of podcasts, and watched a lot of documentaries. His favorite was about a guy who straight up followed in Alexander’s footsteps, climbing the Hindu Kush mountains on foot and walking through ruins at Samarkand.

“Hey.”

Tommy glanced across the table at Chuck’s raised voice. Everyone around him went quiet, all eyes trained on the red-headed man.

He looked nervous. Tommy frowned, about to jump in and ask if he was alright, but Chuck kept talking.

“So,” he began, his throat bobbing as he swallowed. His reddish brows pulled low over his eyes. “I want to tell you all something.”

David spoke up. “What’s up?”

Tommy couldn’t take his eyes off of Chuck’s face. He watched him lick his lips, watched one of his long and slender fingers scratch the tip of his nose. His blue eyes slid across the table to look directly at Tommy, and he looked scared .

Tommy didn’t know what to do, so he gave him a little nod and a smile.

“I’m gay.” Chuck said the words directly to him, and then his eyes dropped down to the table. “And, well, I wanted you all to know that.”

Oh .

Immediately, Tommy glanced around the table. People looked surprised, but no one looked uncomfortable. Something in him relaxed at that. When his eyes landed back on Chuck, he caught a pink flush on his cheeks. His shoulders were bunched up around his ears, like he was bracing for impact.

Say something, Tommy. He needs you to say something.

Just as he was opening his mouth, Keaton reached a hand out and clasped Chuck on the shoulder. His stiff posture immediately softened, and fuck , it should have been Tommy there next to him. “Thanks for trusting us, Chuck,” Keaton said, obviously sincere.

“We love you and are here for you,” Rebecca added, and everyone, including Tommy, nodded their agreement. Chuck was the glue that kept the group together. Their love for him, their support for him, would never be in question.

Tommy opened his mouth again, not entirely sure what he was going to say, but David beat him to the punch. “Congratulations, man. Is this, um, a new thing?” He winced. “Sorry, is that okay to ask?”

Chuck looked up from the table, and Tommy almost collapsed with relief when he saw he was smiling. It was a bit more hesitant of a smile than Tommy was used to seeing, but Chuck was there and he was smiling, and shit, he looked relieved .

“I’ve known since high school,” Chuck said.

Damn . Since high school ? And all those years they’d been harassing him about picking up girls and asking why he was single. Fuck, even the last time they’d been at The Grove, they’d hassled him about sneaking around to date women. Tommy’s stomach turned. God, was Chuck even single?

“Are you single?”

It took Tommy a second to realize it was his voice he heard asking that out loud. That the first thing out of his stupid mouth to his best friend who’d just done a really fucking brave thing by coming out was are you single .

Fuck, he was the worst .

“Seriously, T?” David glared at him across the table.

But Chuck put a hand on David’s shoulder and looked up at Tommy, blue eyes bright and so fucking clear. “Me being gay does nothing to change the fact that I’m single.”

“But you’re a catch,” Tommy said, honestly confused. He’d never understood how Chuck was single. Chuck was everything a person could want: warm, affectionate, sincere, a great listener. He paid attention to the little things and made whoever was around him feel like they mattered.

Tommy hadn’t been good at that. According to his ex, he’d focused all of his time and energy on the wrong things, and in doing so had neglected those little, essential pieces solid relationships were built upon.

But now Chuck was looking at him curiously, like something he’d said hadn’t made sense.

“So where does one go to find a boyfriend?” David was asking, already looking like a man on a mission. “T’s right: you’re a catch. So let’s find you someone.”

“Chuck, let me know if you want me to tell them to leave you alone,” Rebecca said. “No one says you have to be with someone.”

Chuck did that thing where he bunched his shoulders up and let out a sort of bashful chuckle. “Nah, I do. I mean, I want a boyfriend. A partner. I’m ready for that.” And then he looked around the table at all of them. “And, thanks for being cool. I knew you would be, but still. It means a lot.”

“We’ve got you, man,” Keaton said.

“We love you,” Tommy rushed to say, looking Chuck right in the eye so he’d know Tommy meant it.

“And if anyone fucks with you, they’ve got to go through us first,” Sage added, crunching down on a chip. She was a little scary, if Tommy was honest.

David must like the scary shit, because he proceeded to kiss the hell out of her right there at the table.

Keaton made a retching sound and shoved the back of David’s head, sending them careening to the side and almost tumbling from the bench. Without breaking the kiss, Sage reached blindly over and flicked Keaton right on the cheek.

It was the kind of chaotic comfort that made this group feel like family. He looked over at Chuck, at the way his posture slumped, and for a second Tommy was worried. But when he really examined his expression, it looked a whole hell of a lot like relief.