The Better Side of Me - Jerry Cole Page 0,43

he saw that it was, again, Gregory calling. Kirk was going to let the call ring out... but the more he stared at the name, the more he realized how desperate he was to tell someone about what just happened.

Further to that point, images of how upset Lance would be to hear that Kirk had been talking to his ex, pushed themselves to the fore of his mind. He was angry with Lance now. A part of him even wanted to hurt the man, as horrible as that might sound.

It was so unlike Kirk to feel this way too... but Kirk had changed a lot in the past month.

And so, without stopping to think, Kirk answered his ex-boyfriend's phone call, knowing almost right away that he was sure to regret it.

“Gregory... hey...”

***

Gregory was just as repugnant as ever. To be honest, he was probably even more so. When Kirk and he had been dating, Kirk was always aware that Gregory wasn’t very good looking. He’d just been more equipped to deal with it back then. Back then, Kirk had been an out of shape, unconfident, desperate single in his mid to late twenties looking for a place to fit in.

A lot had changed since then.

Kirk was in decent shape now; his chest had expanded; his shoulders had widened and his core had strengthened remarkably. This in turn had led to his dressing slightly better, standing taller and acting with remarkably more confidence. On top of that, he had been sleeping with a literal God for the past week and a bit, which meant that his standards had risen considerably.

“You look good, Captain Kirky.” Gregory’s face was that of a frog; squashed, chubby, and very much built around a pair of large eyes. He smiled a thick lipped smile for Kirk and sucked down a mouthful of the champagne he’d forced Kirk to order. “Single life agrees with you.”

“Actually, I’m not – I mean, thank you. I’ve been working out.” Kirk had almost said he was not single. That would have been a lie. A revealing lie at that.

“Ah, I thought as much.” Gregory’s entire body vibrated as he chuckled. He was a larger man too, with a protruding gut and man boobs, but surprisingly skinny legs and arms. “Where was this dedication when we were dating? Heck, I might still be with you – kidding, Kirky. Captain Kirk the Serious.” He giggled and took another sip of wine. Some missed his mouth and dribbled down his chin, but he just ran his finger across the spill and then licked it clean.

“Should we order?” Kirk asked through clenched teeth. “I’m starving.”

“Sure,” Gregory scooped up his menu and opened it. “I’m guessing that all you’re allowed to eat is a salad. Don’t want to ruin those abs – I'm kidding, Kirky. Gosh, you are serious.”

Why was he here? Why had Kirk answered that phone call? Why had Kirk been so polite, even agreeable, and then said yes to having dinner with Gregory? What the heck was Kirk thinking!

It was Lance’s fault, of course. Kirk didn’t usually like blaming people for his own mistakes, but this one he was only too happy do so. Two nights ago, Lance had come over and acted like a completely different person. He was cold. He was isolated. And worst of all, he refused to say what was bothering him!

Now, the normal thing for Kirk to have done might have been to give it a day or two, call Lance and try and talk things through. But Kirk wasn't normal. He had come a long way since meeting Lance, but the idea of confronting someone like Lance, forcing him to put his feeling out there for everyone to see, terrified Kirk to the core. What if Lance ended things? What if Lance told him he didn’t like being pushed? What if Lance was just trying to come up with a nice way to break things off?

Kirk was a fucking mess. He couldn’t fight the feeling that Lance was getting ready to end things. So, when Gregory called the previous afternoon, Kirk had done the stupidest, most idiotic of things imaginable. He had answered the call and then agreed to a dinner.

“Just something casual, I assure you,” Gregory had postured on the other end of the line. “I miss seeing your face is all, Captain Kirky.”

“It’s Kirk.” Kirk had always hated that nickname. “And that’s fine... where do you want to meet?”

In typical Gregory fashion, the restaurant he