Page 4 of Tribute Act
He laughed then. “Very.”
He had a nice laugh, and a genuine smile that turned his ordinary face into a much more handsome one. And God, he was into Gav—as Gav approached us, beers in hand, Adam’s stare became openly admiring, hiding nothing. Not the most mysterious guy in the world, this one.
While Gav set down the beers, Adam slid off his stool and tried to make Gav take it. They bickered flirtatiously about who should sit and who should stand and eventually both decided to stand, which was ridiculous given the height difference. I tuned their conversation out, content to sit back and relax. I had no desire to be a third wheel.
When Adam went to get another round of beers, Gav gave me an apologetic look. “Sorry, Nath, we’re ignoring you, aren’t we?”
I tipped the last of my beer into my mouth, then set the empty bottle down and gave him a lazy smile. “Mate, I am totally fine. Honestly, it’s good to see you enjoying yourself. And the truth is, having a few beers and taking it easy is just what I need. It’s been quite a week.”
“You sure?” he said. “I can ditch Adam if you want to go somewhere a bit more chill.”
“I’m sure,” I said firmly. “Go for it with this guy. Seriously. I’ll be fine—I’ve got your spare key so I can head off any time I decide I’ve had enough. I’ll text you if I bail.”
He frowned. “I thought you wanted to hook up with someone?”
“Yeah, and I still might,” I said, though the yawn that followed those words gave away my lack of enthusiasm. “Sorry. I’m so fucking beat.”
“You’ve been working too hard,” Gav said disapprovingly.
“Yup.” I couldn’t disagree. “Oh, look, here comes your boy.”
After the next round of beers, Gav and Adam returned to the dance floor while I slid off my stool and strolled back to the bar for what I’d already decided would be my last drink. I figured I’d stay another half hour, then text Gav. Maybe get a kebab on the way home. You usually got some salad in a kebab after all. Between that and the carrot cake, I’d be halfway to my five a day!
Most of the crowd were on the dance floor now, so the bar was much quieter. As I waited to be served, my gaze slid over the heaving throng of bodies. I couldn’t even pick out any individual guys, much less pinpoint anyone I was attracted to. The crowd was like one big pulsing, breathing animal form.
I turned away, feeling oddly empty.
And that was when I saw him.
He was skirting the edge of the dance floor, making a beeline for the bar. Most of the clubgoers were reasonably dressed up, but not this guy. Worn jeans, plaid shirt, scuffed-up boots, and a beanie. Seriously, in the middle of a nightclub, a woollen beanie.
I didn’t normally go for guys like this, but for some reason, I couldn’t take my eyes off him. As he drew closer, he slid the beanie off and tucked it in his back pocket. His hair was dark—black maybe, or very dark brown. Difficult to tell in this light—and a startling contrast to his pale skin under the UV lights. He had a lean face with longish stubble, verging on an incipient beard. His eyes were what I really noticed, though. I’ve always been a sucker for dark, soulful eyes and his were gorgeous, with a slight downward tilt at the outer edges.
When he was almost at the bar, he glanced at me, and I flushed, embarrassed to be caught staring. He slowed though, meeting my gaze.
And smiled.
For a couple of beats, we just stared at each other, then he subtly shifted direction, joining me where I stood at the far end of the bar.
My mouth went dry and my heart began to pound with nerves and excitement.
“Hi,” he said when he reached me. “Can I buy you a drink?”
“Um—okay.”
So smooth. Fuck.
“What do you fancy?”
“A beer?” Why was I asking him? More firmly, I added, “Corona.”
He gestured for the barman’s attention with a negligent lift of his chin I envied, especially when the barman immediately moved towards him, and with a smile he hadn’t flashed for me all night.
I watched as my new friend gave the order, bantered lightly with the barman, and paid for our drinks. At last he turned back to me, handing me a cold, wet bottle of beer. He offered me the neck of his own bottle, and I clinked mine against it in salute.
We drank then. I only sipped my beer, but he took a long pull from his, his pale throat working as he swallowed.
My cock stirred.