shed the worries and frustrations of his working life. He didn’t have to perform, to impress, to be stern and in control. He didn’t have to be responsible. He could just be himself.
Axel was the first to leave. His wife had just had their second child and he was only there because she had insisted that he not give up his boys’ night out. Jordan had met her a few times, and she was a real doll. He admired and respected her for giving her husband room to be himself because she was smart enough to know that it was the best way to keep his love and loyalty to her.
“I’m gonna head out,” he said. “You guys need to come visit soon. Shay says the baby needs to meet her uncles.”
They all laughed at that.
“Whenever you’re ready, I’ll be there, with bells on, buddy,” Brad said.
Axel rolled his eyes. “I don’t need you scaring my kid, bro. Just bring beer.”
After he left, laughter at his remark following behind him, the twins turned their attention back to the room. Jordan wondered how Brad was able to get back to looking so quickly after his breakup with his girlfriend. He had seemed to be totally in love with her, and yet here he was looking for a hookup, and talking about tapping a man’s ass. Jordan knew he was bisexual, but he hadn’t thought much about it, until Brad’s attention had landed on Bennett. He wondered why he didn’t like that idea.
Not liking where his thoughts seemed to be headed, Jordan broke the silence at the table.
“You okay, Brad?” he asked.
It was a genuine question, not just fueled by his need to get over this ridiculous feeling that was too much like jealousy. He had no right to Bennett, and Brad was free to look where he wanted. His friend turned to eye him warily.
“I’m fine. Why?”
Jordan scoffed at him. “Come on, man! It’s me. You don’t have to pretend you don’t know what I’m asking. We’ve been friends too long for that.”
Brad sighed. “I’m really fine. Do I miss her? Of course I do. Am I a little bit lonely? Yeah. Do I need to relieve some tension…?”
“Hey, hey! TMI, man! TMI!”
“You asked!” he insisted, but the twinkle in his eye told Jordan he was teasing him.
It also meant he was deflecting. Which meant Brad really wasn’t as fine as he said he was. Jordan wished there were something he could do to heal the hurt for his friend. Brad was a kind man with a big heart. Whatever had gone down between him and his girlfriend, he had remained tight-lipped about it, aside from telling them when she’d left him. He didn’t know if Brad would ever share the details with them but he hoped he’d feel better soon.
“So, Jay, what’s between you and the photographer?”
Jordan whipped his head around to stare at Bart, stunned by his question and a little bit panicky that he hadn’t managed to hide his interest. He should have known that Bart would be the first to figure out something was up. He was the least talkative member of the group, but when he spoke, he was always on point.
“What the hell are you talking about?”
He tried to sound confused instead of guilty, though what he had to feel guilty about was anybody’s guess.
“Come on, man! It’s me! You don’t have to pretend. We’ve been friends too long for that.”
Bart echoed Jordan’s words to Brad from a few moments earlier with an expressionless face, and waited patiently for Jordan to answer him. But what the hell was he supposed to say? That he found Bennett very attractive? That he couldn’t stop thinking about the gorgeous man? That he’d jerked off to thoughts of him? He loved his friends and he trusted them, but he wasn’t ready to reveal any of that to them. He didn’t think he’d ever be. At least, not until he understood it better.
“There’s nothing between us,” he said finally, after too long a pause. “We barely know each other. I’ve met the man a total of two times.”
Aaand you can stop talking now. Verbal diarrhea doesn’t look good on you.
No sooner had he chastised himself for running off at the mouth than Bart commented nonchalantly,
“Hmm! The gentleman doth protest too much, methinks.”
Jordan tried and failed to stop himself from changing color at that. Bart had always been the most observant of the group, because he paid attention to people. It