Frank seems a little stumped for the first time in the conversation, like he wasn’t expecting Luke to clap back so effortlessly. Luke recognizes it, too. His lips curl into a gloating smile as he folds his arms across his chest, the motion more bored than intimidating.
“You know, I feel sorry for you,” Luke continues. “If something as simple as a man with painted nails can piss you off so much, your life must be really sad. Or maybe it’s something else that’s making you angry, Frank. Jealousy, perhaps?”
“Fuckoff,” Frank suddenly snaps, more aggressively than necessary for the simple barb, his cheeks going crimson as a vein pops on his forehead. It’s almost like Luke touched a raw nerve, poking too closely at an open wound.
There’squitea dramatic implication floating in the air with Frank’s unexpected reaction, and I can feel the shock reflected on my face as I grapple with it.
“Yeah. Jealousy sounds right.” Luke gives Frank that little devilish smile I’ve seen him do so often when he’s going to be a dick on purpose, and now I’m even more curious about where this is going. “I mean, for a man who claims to hate gay people as much as you do, it’s pathetic how infatuated you are with their sex lives. But we both know it’s more than that, don’t we?”
Frank reacts faster than anyone registers, shoving Luke backward with blind fury. Luke comes crashing against mychest, slamming against me with enough force that I’m sure he’d have been knocked flat on his ass if I hadn’t been there. It knocksmeback a step, even though I’m built like a brick wall.
“Don’t fucking touch me,” Luke shouts at Frank, enunciating every word. His face twists into a mask of pure anger. I’ve never seen him so incensed, and I instantly grab hold of his arm to keep him back when it seems like he intends to pounce on Frank; consequences be damned.
“Or what?” Frank snickers, getting right into Luke’s face once he sees how he’s being restrained. “You’ll sic your boyfriend on me?” Frank nods at me with the word, and I freeze. I can feel Luke’s body go rigid in my grasp.
There’s no way Frank actually knows about us. We’ve been overly cautious about doing anything romantic or too touchy at work, and Frank can’t have found out about our trip to Detroit over the weekend…right? There’s no way he knows the truth and is just throwing out what he thinks to be a demoralizing taunt.
But as I study Frank’s face, something in his expression makes me wary. It’s more than just a sinister insult thrown at random. When his eyes meet mine, I can see the unmistakable sign of gloating. The kind of look that screams, ‘I know something.’
My face flushes against my control, but I try to keep my expression unreadable. I won’t give Frank the satisfaction of a reaction, even if I am slightly panicking now. Do the others suspect that he might be telling the truth? I’m terrified to check, especially if doing so might give me away.
Did I really just get outed by Frank on a Monday morning? My heart is racing, my chest going tight. I think I’m going to be sick.
Luke shifts in my grasp, snapping me back to the present, and I realize my grip on his arm is too tight, hurting him. I instantly relax my hand, but don’t let go, fearing what might happen if I do. Glancing at his face, I’m shocked to see his expression is dark. If flames could shoot out of his eyes, I’m positive Frankwould be charred to a crisp at the level of anger radiating off him. It’s a little terrifying to witness.
Frank has the audacity to look triumphant. Like he knows he’s won.
“All right, Frank, really? That’s enough,” Marcus suddenly interjects, stepping forward. “Leave him alone.”
“No one asked you, Hoffman.” Frank turns his attention to Marcus, making him flinch with a single look.
Still, Marcus doesn’t back down. “Your bully tactics might have been impressive in high school, but it’s a little pathetic that you’re still using them when you’re in your thirties. Don’t you think it’s time to grow up?”
Frank opens his mouth to reply, but Luke interrupts him before he can get a word out.
“Careful, Frank,” he says stiffly, his piercing gaze unwavering as he locks eyes with the other man. His expression carries a deadly promise. “Push me too far and see how unhinged I’m willing to become. It won’t be me who gets hurt in the end. Not this time.”
I can see the instant that Frank loses his cool with the thinly veiled threat. Something in his expression snaps from simply angry to deadly. Luke doesn’t seem to register the danger or might actually believe that Frank is more intelligent than resorting to outright murder in broad daylight. I don’t have the same reservation. When Frank starts to move, I pull Luke back by his arm and physically step between the two of them like a human shield, barely registering that Marcus plants himself beside me, shortly followed by Ben and Eric, the four of us standing firm like a fortress in front of Luke.
Frank hesitates, glancing between us with unadulterated fury. He’s not prepared to go up against everyone, even if his face betrays how he’d love to try. Nick and Henry also seem to register that this is escalating out of control and make the smartcall to grab Frank and pull him back with placating words of reason.
“Listen to your friends, Frank,” I say with a strange swell of confidence. “Before you get yourself in trouble. Aren’t you on parole for assault right now? Wouldn’t want to get your ass thrown back in jail over a few petty words.”
Frank stills, his eyes glued to me, and I can almost see his brain calculating the risk of my words against his desire to cause physical harm. Like maybe the satisfaction of beating my ass would be worth the consequences of ruining his probation. But he manages to regain some self-control and grins at me instead, almost like he’s gleeful to have found a new adversary. My heart drops at the promise of threat in his eyes.
“Watch your back, Carlson.” He looks over my shoulder with a scowl. “We’re not finished here, Shaw,” he adds icily before simply turning to stalk away, Nick and Henry on his tail.
Oh,fuck.
“Holy shit,” Marcus sighs like a deflated balloon, all bravado gone now that the confrontation is over. I don’t blame him. My hands are shaking. “Holy fucking shit. We’re gonna die. That’s it. Frank’s definitely going to murder us now. It was nice knowing y’all.”
Ben and Eric pat me on the back in either congratulations or condolences since they both look like they’ll be expecting my funeral any day now. As if they didn’t jump into the fray when the time came for it and may also be looking at the same fate.
This is fine. Totally chill. I’m officially on Frank’s kill list, but it’s cool. Am I in shock? I feel kind of numb.
“Ethan?” Luke asks from behind me, and something in the way he says my name makes me freeze. I turn and find him frowning, his cheeks flushed slightly pink. His glance shifts between me and my friends. “Why did you….”
The unfinished question hangs in the air, and Luke drops his gaze to the floor. He’s visibly tense, clenching and unclenching his hands at his sides. If I didn’t know better, I’d think he was embarrassed.
