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Dash: It is. You two make it complicated.
Me: Just because he talked to you doesn’t mean he’ll do the same with me.
Dash: Shit isn’t like it was.
Dash: You won’t know until you try.
Dash: Besides…
Dash: If you two finally figure your shit out and get with Elic, maybe it’ll be my turn for love.
Me: You’re suddenly ready to settle down?
Dash: Won’t know until I try. ;)
Fucker. I loved him though.
Dash was trying to make a point. There had been many nights when we were home where I had to fight with myself to stay put and not drive to Casper’s. He was always the one who came to me. I let him play this game for years.
Was Elic who we needed to finally figure things out? Elic wasn’t a toy. He wasn’t meant for this act alone. I had a feeling Elic was put on our paths for a much bigger reason. It went beyond saving him from being injured further. Or helping him get on his feet again. With the way I felt about him, and how Casper obviously did too, Elic was meant to be a big part of our lives.
Fuck it. What was the worst that would happen? Casper would tell me to leave? I scoffed. That was par for the course with him. I’d go in expecting the worst while hoping for the best.
My phone vibrated again.
Dash: You better be walking to your car. I left him in a good mood. At least as good of a mood Cas could be in without having just fucked you.
Me: Yeah, yeah. I’m going.
Dash: Uncle Dashie for the win!
I laughed. He was the lightheartedness we needed in the band. No matter how bad a day was, Dash was there to brighten it. I’d lost count of how many times he’d held me while I poured my heart out over Casper. When my tears soaked his shirt because I couldn’t have who I really wanted. Dash would dry my tears, get me on my feet, and make me smile.
Grabbing my keys, wallet, and sliding my shoes on, I descended the stairs and set the alarm before opening the garage door so I could back my car out. Starry was at the main house with Elic. I didn’t have to worry about letting her out.
With the sky a clear inky black while tiny pinpricks of stars danced overhead, I decided it was the perfect evening to drive my 1970 Oldsmobile 442. It was a work of art with how well it was restored. Red paint covered the beauty as well as a black stripe down the side. The convertible top was as dark as the night, as were the seats. The top was down since it was in my garage. I started it, reveling in the feel of the powerful big block V8 under the hood. My hands coasted over the steering wheel as my feet vibrated where they rested on the floor. Fuck, I loved this car.
Casper liked to tease me and say the car didn’t fit me. He did it to rile me up. I knew for a fact he thought I looked hot in it by the way he’d have to adjust himself every time he saw me behind the wheel.
I eased the Olds out of the garage, closing the door behind me, then I took the car up my driveway to the road. Flying under the radar, I wasn’t in this, which was kind of the point. If I was going to Casper’s to try to get him to finally admit his feelings for me, I needed to pull out all the stops. That meant driving the car that gave me a boost and put a smile on my face. This was my feel-good car.
Rush hour was well over when I entered the city. Luckily, Casper didn’t live too far in, and I pulled into his garage in no time. They knew me here as well, if not better than they knew Casper. At least I was friendly to everyone and would smile and ask them how they were. Casper wore a perpetualfuck-youscowl.
The elevator ride to Casper’s penthouse had my heart beating against my rib cage while the key ring spun around my finger, the silver keys catching the low light with every rotation. I had the codes to get in but wouldn’t just barge into Casper’s home. I’d knock. If he ignored me, then I’d let myself in. I made it here without turning back or talking myself out of it. I had to see it through.
My knuckles rapped on the thick wood of his front door. Fuck, I couldn’t believe I was doing this.
“Jesus fuck, what?” Casper yelled while he swung the door open.
God, he was gorgeous. Athletic shorts riding low on his hips, not a hint of boxer briefs beneath them. His hair was wet, and his muscles stood out beneath his shirt. If I had to guess, the talk with Dash irritated him and he had to work out his frustration in his home gym. Of course, he showered afterward, which was why he smelled faintly of expensive body wash. It was a brand I’d bought him forever ago that he kept buying and using. Every time I scented it on him, I smiled inside. For all the distance he put between us, I knew he cared about me. It was the little stuff like this that proved it to me. Now to get him to admit it to my face.
“Sorry,” he muttered when he saw me. “I was expecting Dash to be back. Are you okay? What about Elic?” Panic rose in his voice, so I stepped forward and put my hand on his arm to calm him, but he pulled away like my touch burned, and took a step back.
His rejection hurt which made trying to hide it more difficult. “We’re fine. I came to talk.”
“Not you too. Go home, Reed. There’s nothing to say.”
Taking advantage of the gap between him and the doorframe, I pushed past him into his house. I wasn’t going to stand in the hallway and have this conversation. Not that there was anyone to hear us, but still.
