Page 9 of The Hookup (Firsts and Forever #13)

Afterwards, Hal and Vee went to take care of the paperwork with the officiant and the newlyweds.

Meanwhile, a few of my teammates went to the outdoor bar and started making cocktails, and someone turned on what we’d taken to calling party mode.

Dance music started to play in surround sound, and the pool and backyard came to life with vivid colored lights.

There was even a disco ball, which began spinning and tossing its reflection across the patio.

It was a lot, but the team seemed to enjoy it.

Once our guests returned, the grooms cut the cake, and then Hal took over, cutting slices and passing them around. This was followed by a champagne toast. All of us raised a glass and drank to the couple.

Apparently that concluded the wedding portion of the evening. The newlyweds seemed relieved. They went back inside, and Vee started dancing with three of my teammates.

Hal cut a few more pieces of cake, neatly lining up the plates on the patio table. When he finished, he looked around and smiled when he spotted me. I was standing a few feet away, and he circled me like a jungle cat. I grinned and asked him, “What are you doing?”

“Admiring you from every angle in those form-fitting shorts.” He came to a stop right in front of me and traced the word on my chest. “I wouldn’t have pegged you as an otter. How’d you come up with that name?”

“It fits half the guys on the team. Besides, Austin Otters has a nice ring to it.”

“You’re right, it does.”

His dark eyes sparkled with mischief as he took off my cowboy hat and put it on. I told him, “That looks great on you.”

“And it matches my outfit.”

“I’m curious, is there a reason why you always wear black?”

“Yes, and I’ll tell you about it later. Let’s go have a seat.” He tilted his head toward the gazebo.

I put my arm around him, and we made our way across the yard while dodging partying rugby players.

There were benches inside the gazebo, lining its half-walls.

After I took a seat on one of them, Hal straddled my lap and set aside the hat.

I slid my hand around the back of his neck and gently pulled him to me.

As soon as our lips met, the rest of the world fell away.

A few minutes later, we were pulled back to reality when Bryson announced that dinner was served. He’d ordered pizza for the team as a way of saying thank you, and he and Embry were about to take off.

A chorus of goodbyes and congratulations rang out, and my teammates began to make their way inside for some food.

At the same time, Hal pulled his phone from his pocket and read a text.

“Embry’s tired,” he said, “so he and Bryson are going back to the hotel. He told me to stay here and have a good time.”

“You should definitely listen to him. It’s his wedding day, after all.”

He pulled up another text and murmured, “Aww.” Then he turned the phone to show me a photo of two women in fancy dresses.

“These are my landladies, Yolanda and JoJo. They’re also good friends of mine.

Yolanda is a nurse, and tonight is her hospital’s Christmas party.

I made their dresses, so they sent me a picture of themselves all dolled up. ”

“They look great, and those dresses are gorgeous. Is that the kind of clothing you like to design?”

He sent a reply and pocketed the phone before saying, “My personal aesthetic isn’t that traditional, but I love making dresses for JoJo. She’s the tall, full-figured blonde in that photo. I’ve made several things for her over the last couple of years, and it always means so much to both of us.”

“Why is that?”

“Because she’s trans, so it’s more than just clothing.

It’s a way for her to express who she is.

Obviously, that’s what fashion is meant to be for everyone.

But it takes on special meaning when I get to make something for someone like JoJo, who spent the first part of her life not being able to wear what she wanted. ”

“I can see how that’d be rewarding.”

“It really is. It makes me feel like what I’m doing matters. I do this other thing too, where I donate prom dresses to trans, gay, and nonbinary kids who can’t afford to go out and buy something.”

“That’s really cool.”

“If I had the time and money, I’d design and sew extra special dresses for these kids.

What I do now is scour thrift shops for vintage dresses, update and improve them, and donate several of them to the local LGBTQ youth center during prom season.

Someone else in the community donates suits, so between the two of us we’re able to make a lot of kids happy.

” He lowered his gaze and sighed. “I wish I could do more, though.”

“It always feels like that. I wish I had the resources to take in a hundred horses at a time, but I max out at about eighteen. No matter how much I do, it never seems like it’s enough.

But we can’t let ourselves get discouraged, or lose sight of the fact that we’re still making a difference.

Even if you can’t make custom dresses, I bet the kids really appreciate the ones you donate. ”

Hal murmured, “Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For making me feel better, and for understanding. Even though you and I seem like very different people, you always seem to get it whenever I confide in you about something that matters to me. Also, I appreciate the fact that you take me seriously. A lot of people brush off fashion as frivolous or silly, but you haven’t done that. ”

“I never gave a lot of thought to fashion,” I admitted.

“But what you said about it being a way for people to express themselves, especially in our LGBTQ community? That makes sense to me. And I want to understand it because it’s obviously important to you, on both a professional and personal level.

” I traced the lines of his halter top as I said that, so he’d get my meaning.

“It is. For as long as I can remember, I wanted to dress in a way that was both masculine and feminine. That led to a lot of soul searching. I asked myself if I might be non-binary, but for me personally, it didn’t seem like the right fit. So, I guess I’m just your basic femme gay boy.”

He said that last part jokingly, but I told him, “There’s nothing basic about you.”

His response to that was a passionate kiss. This went on for a while, until I felt him shiver. “Let’s go inside,” I said. “I want to change, and you need a sweater.”

We skirted around the pizza party in the kitchen, and as soon as we got to my room, he pushed me against the wall and went right back to kissing me.

With shaking hands, we stripped ourselves and each other, and as soon as we were naked, we tumbled onto the bed. I figured there’d be time for slow, sensual lovemaking later tonight. Right now though, both of us were totally overcome with need, so the best we could do was trade quick blowjobs.

Afterwards, we climbed under the covers, and I gathered him into my arms. Even though it was muffled, we could still hear music and laughter coming from the yard. Once he caught his breath, Hal asked, “Do you want to go back downstairs and join the party?”

“No. What about you?”

He shook his head. “I want to stay right here, with you.”

When I woke up and realized it was morning, I was deeply disappointed. I’d thought we’d have all night together.

I tried not to wake Hal as I slipped out of bed. But by the time I returned from a quick shower, he was sitting up and looking around, like he was trying to get his bearings.

He mumbled, “I hadn’t planned on falling asleep.”

“Me, neither. What time is your flight?”

He glanced at the clock on the nightstand and climbed out of bed. “It’s in a couple of hours. I’d better get going.”

He grabbed his clothes before hurrying to the bathroom, and I got dressed while he took a shower. When he returned, I told him, “I’ll drive you to your hotel.”

“Thanks. I appreciate it.”

We went downstairs to the kitchen, where we found Vee and Tank drinking coffee.

“Hey, guys,” Vee said. “I was wondering if you were here. I ended up sleeping it off in the pool house last night, after having a bit too much to drink.” When I asked if he wanted a ride back to the hotel, he jumped at the offer.

While I filled two paper cups with coffee, Hal put on a black cardigan and grabbed the garment bag he’d brought over the day before. Vee grabbed a couple of bags too, and he and Tank promised to keep in touch before Vee headed for the door.

When I told my friend, “I’ll be back soon,” I expected him to smirk and tease me about last night. Instead, he looked surprisingly sympathetic. He must have understood that I really didn’t want to say goodbye to Hal, but that was exactly what was about to happen.

Vee talked almost nonstop on our way to the Strip. It turned out players from a few of the other rugby teams had come over, and the party had turned into a wild kegger. I was glad I’d missed it.

Finally, when we pulled up in front of the hotel, Hal told his friend, “Give me just a minute, okay?”

Vee nodded and grabbed all the bags from the seat beside him. “Take your time. I’ll wait for you in the lobby.” Before he climbed out of the SUV, he slapped my shoulder and said, “Thanks for the ride, and take care, man. It was a pleasure.”

Once he was gone, Hal turned to me with a lot of emotion in his dark eyes.

“This isn’t goodbye,” he said, as he squeezed my hand.

“I know it’s going to be hard for us to visit, between your responsibilities on the ranch and my work and school schedule, but we’ll see each other again, even if we have to wait until this summer.

In the meantime, I want you to text and call me.

It doesn’t have to be about anything important. I just want to hear from you.”

“I will. I promise.”

I wanted to keep talking. I wanted to listen to the sound of his voice and hold his hand. I wanted more time! So much more.

He kissed me, one last time. Then he lingered for just a moment with his forehead resting against mine. I touched his cheek and fought the urge to beg him to stay.

But he had a plane to catch, and a life to get back to. We both did.

Hal tenderly brushed back my hair before getting out of the SUV. I watched him walk to the hotel entrance. He paused and looked back for one long moment. Then he raised his hand in a wave goodbye and disappeared through the door.

How could I feel such a profound sense of loss? We’d only known each other a matter of hours. But every single minute we’d spent together had mattered to me.

I’d felt good when I was with him. I felt like a version of myself I’d forgotten about, the Ryder I used to be eight or nine years ago, when my grandparents were still alive, and my heart hadn’t been shattered, and I truly believed my best friend would always have my back.

I’d forgotten what it felt like, that kind of carefree joy. But Hal had reminded me.

A blaring car horn brought me back to the present. I was still sitting there at the hotel entrance, and cars were trying to pull in behind me.

With a sigh, I put the SUV in gear and pulled away from the curb. It was time to get back to reality… although I didn’t quite know what that looked like, now that Hal had upended my world.