He'd always been that way, flowing freely from one state to the next depending on what he thought others would like best.
I faked a smile, but it faded visibly as Kayden sat down right beside me.
"Our tickets are right next to each other. Such a coincydink, huh?"
Again my stomach turned. "Yeah. Especially since I've never known you to enjoy football."
"What are you talking about? Guys in tight pants grabbing for each other constantly? Sign me up."
I felt Elliot shift beside me, and shame washed over me as I realized I'd almost forgotten he was there. Fuck. Even after all these years, Kayden had a way of monopolizing things. Only this time I wasn't desperate for him to love me. I was just desperate for him to go the fuck away.
"Kayden, this is Elliot. Elliot, Kayden."
I stubbornly didn't want to introduce Elliot as just a friend, so I left it at the name. He leaned forward and smiled at Kayden, extending his hand to shake. Kayden grasped it in the most falsely delicate way imaginable.
"And this is Mark." He leaned close enough that I could smell the abundance of product in his hair. "Not a lot going on upstairs, but oh good lord, honey, there's so much going on downstairs, if you know what I mean. That thing should be a lethal weapon. I swear he splits me--"
"Nice to meet you, Mark," I said, cutting off Kayden's enthusiastic description of his boy toy's dick. "Sorry, not really interested in what you've got going on downstairs."
Mark just shrugged, his shoulder muscles seeming to take on a life of their own. "More for everybody else."
Kayden gasped, smacking him in one of his large pecs. "Don't you mean more for me? You'll pay for that later, you naughty--"
I tuned them out and turned back to Elliot, feeling way more uncomfortable with this situation than he somehow looked.
"I'm sorry about this," I whispered. "This is the last place I'd ever expect to see him."
"It's all right. Not like you invited him," he said reassuringly. His expression grew pensive and he added, "You going to be okay?"
I wasn't sure how to answer that, and I had a feeling my face gave me away. He squeezed my knee in a friendly, supportive gesture, and I put my hand over top of his in gratitude.
"Oh! I didn't realize you two were together," Kayden quipped. "You're so not his usual type I didn't even think of it."
I was torn between wanting to correct him and wanting to tell him he had no idea what my type was.
"We--"
"--are, actually," Elliot said, surprising the hell out of me. "We've been dating for a few months now."
He moved closer to me, catching my gaze with a silent question as he reached for my hand. I gave the slightest nod and he twined our fingers together, resting our joined hands on my knee.
The strangest thing happened after that. It wasn't just the flutter of my heart or the warmth that flooded through me at the gentle contact. It was the expression on Kayden's face. He looked like he'd just licked a brick of the world's moldiest cheese. He cuddled up close to Mark, half in his lap, and pulled one of the man's arms around him.
Fucking hell. How could one person be so petty and insecure? I had no idea what I ever saw in the guy beyond the physical. I'd loved him once. Now I just found him... sad.
Maybe that was hypocritical, because I definitely didn't find it sad when Elliot took the opportunity to one-up Kayden's obvious displays. I didn't know if Kayden was trying to make one of us jealous or what, but Elliot wasn't having it. When he leaned in to murmur in Mark's ear, Elliot drew himself closer to me and skimmed his lips along my neck, just below my ear. I shivered, gaze darting around to see if anyone was watching, but they were focused on the game.
"Is this okay?" he whispered. "I don't want to make you uncomfortable; it just drives me crazy when people try to pull what he's trying to pull."
I hadn't needed to say Kayden was an ex. Even if Elliot wasn't smart enough to get that -- which he was -- the man himself had made it clear. Still, it was a comfort to know I wasn't crazy. Kayden obviously was doing this on purpose.
"No, I'll take any opportunity to piss him off," I whispered back. "Just don't be surprised if I