“Looks great. Very matchy matchy,” Dylan lied, swallowing hard as he awaited Kaiden’s reply.
“You think?” Kaiden turned to face the mirror, leaning in close and studying his eyes.
It was then that Dylan noticed the slightest glint of pink on the corners of his eyes, lining the standard black eyeliner.
“Not too subtle?”
“Definitely not.”
“Good. I didn’t want to go too pink but thought a splash of color would be nice.”
“The perfect amount of splash.”
“Alrighty, let’s get going before you claim I take forever again.”
“I wasn’t going to say anything.”
“You were thinking it.” Kaiden gave Dylan a judgy side eye.
“I’d never.”
Kaiden nodded, teasingly knowing his friend all too well, then gestured for Dylan to walk up the creaky steps first. Much to Dylan’s relief. Not that he believed in monsters, but this way, the shadows wouldn’t grab him with Kaiden right there. Though then he’d have to rescue his friend, which would be damn near impossible if shadow monsters were real.
“You are such a baby,” Kaiden said, practically reading Dylan’s mind in a way only Kaiden ever could.
“Basements are universally creepy. You’re the outlier here, not me.”
“Uh-huh. I’ll ask my sister if she has any spare pacifiers.”
“It’s not too late for you to drive yourself,” Dylan said with a chuckle.
“I take it back, oh brave one, master of all bravery in the world.”
“Damn straight…” Dylan playfully shrugged. “Adjacent.”
The pair breezed through the house, speaking to no one and stopping for nothing until they reached the car. Dylan always followed Kaiden’s lead when it came to family drama stuff, having no real understanding of family dynamics anyway. Then again, seeing how Kaiden’s house worked, he wasn’t sure their family had much understanding of the dynamics of family, either.
Dylan pushed the musings aside and cranked his car a few times before heading downtown.
Chapter Five
Kaidenand Dylan stood outside of Himbos, waiting on Rus. While Kaiden did his best to avoid eye contact with folks making their way up and down the busy downtown streets, Dylan held onto a lamppost, casually twirling around it. There wasn’t a worry on his face as he scrolled through his phone, absentmindedly dangling on the post.
As Kaiden crept further away, he studied his friend. Always a bit envious of Dylan’s carefree nature. Dylan finally looked up from his phone, laughing and searching for his friend. Kaiden stopped in his tracks as he nearly slipped the corner of Himbos club into the alleyway beside the building. It was the perfect hidden nook to avoid passersby.
“What’re you doing all the way over there?” Dylan cut through a crowd of strangers.
His steps were effortless. There was a gracefulness in the way he weaved between each person, not disrupting their flow or being deterred from his own. When Dylan reached Kaiden, he snatched him by the arm and pulled his friend away from thealleyway.
“For someone who spends so much time perfecting his look, you sure do tend to hide it every time we go out.” Dylan grinned, his goofy expression further illuminated by his big white teeth and devilish, finely trimmed beard.
It was true, Kaiden put a lot of effort into his image. His corset vests were the most expensive part of his wardrobe, and up until recently, he often had to have them taken in or replaced when his sizes changed. But they gave him confidence that he didn’t know how to explain to Dylan.
Unlike Kaiden, Dylan let it all hang out. His tight stomach and perfect abs were almost always on display in some type of crop top. In fact, the only time Kaiden had seen him in a full-length shirt was for very formal events like the recent fundraiser or if he spotted Dylan in a work uniform. Even those he’d occasionally modify.
“You’re going to be the envy of every guy here tonight.” Dylan interlinked his arm around Kaiden’s. “In fact, if you’re not careful, I’m going to spend the night cockblocking the hotties coming to sweep you up. Can’t have you ditching me too early.”
Kaiden snorted, rolling his eyes in the process, but allowing himself to be pulled over to the lamppost and overcrowded street.
