Page 49 of Wingmen

He opened the sliding door and Dustin followed him onto the balcony with hands in his pockets. The air was warm and the sun was sparkling on the river in the distance. They went to the rail and looked down. A restaurant across the street had a patio covered in umbrellas and sun hats.

The silence they still hadn’t addressed hung in the air between them, and Dustin felt like it was becoming impossible to ignore.I forgive youwas all well and good, but they hadn’t actually talked about what happened at Bernie’s.

“Listen…” he said.

Elliot put up his hand. He put his back to the rail and rolled one shoulder, tilting his neck to crack it. He looked beautiful in the sun, and Dustin had to remind himself that that wasn’t a thing he thought about guys, no matter how dark and curly their hair was.

“You don’t gotta apologize again,” said Elliot. “I got mad. It was dumb. And ah…yeah, I am…tested. So that’s…fine. And you know, I heard you. About the other stuff. I’ll think about it.”

He shrugged, like that was that, and went back inside. Dustin sighed and leaned on the rail. He didn’t love Rodriguez brushing off a valid reaction to his own feelings asIt was dumb.But it was an acknowledgment, at least. He didn’t need to push for more right away.

Back inside, he sat on the edge of the dining table and flipped the donut box open. The scent of roasted sugar filled the room and the first one he took out was still warm. He handed itto Elliot, and watched him stretching his shoulder with his arm across his chest as he went to the mini fridge.

“You want milk?” said Elliot, bending to stick his head in the door.

Dustin flicked his eyes away so he wouldn’t end up accidentally staring at his ass. “Sure.”

Elliot poured two glasses of milk then held the donut between his teeth as he came back and deposited Dustin’s on the table beside him. Their eyes met briefly as Dustin took another donut out of the box, and Elliot turned away. Dustin watched him stretching his shoulder again, wincing.

He took a bite. “What’s wrong with your shoulder?”

“Nothing. Went too hard on bench presses. It’s fine.”

“Sure?”

“Yeah, just need to stretch it.”

Dustin eyed him, chewing.You should be careful, he wanted to say.You shouldn’t push through pain.You should ice it and take care and rest it.Buthedidn’t even do any of that shit. He was taking ibuprofen and an extra rest day because he’d gone too hard at basketball on a busted knee. He’d just be pointing the finger again, with three pointing right back at him.

So instead, he said, “They have a masseuse at Force. She’s good.” He set the donut down and brushed off his fingers.

Elliot bobbed his head, chewing, stretching his tricep as he wandered back across the room. Dustin tried not to notice his cheekbones, or the way his hair fell around his face as he tilted his neck to crack it. When he reached the far wall, he turned, stretching both arms over his head so that his shirt rode up and Dustin glimpsed the top of his boxers and flat creases of his abs. As Dustin looked away, Elliot pulled his arm across his chest again, and his eye found Dustin’s across the room. The look landed dark and heavy.

And suddenly, Dustin realized what was happening.

He’d been thirst-trapped.

There was nothing wrong with that shoulder; Rodriguez was just trying to get him to look at him.

Elliot held his gaze a moment, then turned away, and Dustin stared in disbelief. Did he want something to happen again? And was he so bad at communicating that he thought the only way to make it happen was to invite Dustin up to his hotel room under the pretense of donuts and then strut around in front of him like a horny parrot?

Well…yeah. Probably.

Based on what he’d seen so far, Rodriguez wasterribleat communicating. He mightnevercome right out and say he wanted anything from Dustin. The kid who brushed off his own feelings as ‘dumb’? He was obviously as confused as Dustin was, and he didn’t seem to have the language for it either. Maybe he alreadyknewhe was gay. Maybe he’d been hiding it. In which case, Dustin had to do this very,verycarefully, because there might be all kinds of baggage that came along with that.

Hold on… Dowhatvery carefully? He wasn’t going to engage with this.

Was he?

His stomach flipped over.

Maybe?Why did he want to? What the fuck was going on here?

Rodriguez had his back to him, stretching his tricep. Steeling himself with a breath, Dustin said, “Do you want me to take a look at it?”

Rodriguez looked nervously over his shoulder and shrugged. “I don’t know.”

“I need you to say out loud if you do.”