Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 85167 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 426(@200wpm)___ 341(@250wpm)___ 284(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 85167 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 426(@200wpm)___ 341(@250wpm)___ 284(@300wpm)
But before he reached the salvation of the bar, Driver grabbed his wrist and pulled him in another direction.
“Let me go.”
No reply. Driver brought him into the back room, which might as well have been a storage closet, and closed the door behind them. A second later the lights flicked on. “What do you think you were doing?”
“I was dancing.”
“No. You were trying to make me jealous.”
The thought had never crossed Tam’s mind. “Please,” Tam scoffed. “Get over yourself.”
Driver stalked forward until Tam pressed against the wall at his back. “No one else gets to touch you.”
Like hell. Tam pushed Driver away. “You have no right to dictate my life. I will dance with whoever I want to, whenever I want.”
“Tam.” The way Driver said his name it sounded like a threat. Which just put Tam’s back up and stiffened his shoulders.
“You lost the chance at something real because you are too much of a coward to admit there’s more between us.”
“I...”
“I know you feel it too.” Tam fisted Driver’s shirt. “Why can’t you say it?”
With a step back, Driver said, “I’m leaving town. You know that.”
“But you don’t have to. You can stay. Your friends are here, your family.”
Driver’s head whipped side to side like he was trying to shake something out of his head.
“Why? Why can’t you? Tell me.” Tam rested his palm above Driver’s heart and those mysterious tattoos.
Driver’s jaw clenched so hard, the muscles bunched visibly. At his sides, both fists tightened until his knuckles were white, but not for a second was Tam scared. He lifted his chin and waited. But nothing happened. A minute passed and Driver did nothing, said nothing.
No words of denial, no explanation. No apology.
Nothing.
“Fuck you,” Tam whispered. He turned to the door, but before he could open it he heard the whoosh of another door opening. He looked over his shoulder to see Driver leaving through the back, right before it slammed shut.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Tam waited for ten minutes, though it seemed like years. He slid to the floor and hugged his knees, fighting back the tears. He wouldn’t cry for this, no matter how much it hurt. It was nothing compared to what he’d suffered through, what he’d survived. As each second ticked by the secret hope he’d protected withered away.
The floor was hard and the door had ridges that dug into his back. Even though his feet ached from wearing heels for too long and all he wanted to do was crawl into bed and forget, he didn’t move.
It was like he was stuck in limbo. Waiting for something he couldn’t name.
As much as he wanted to, he couldn’t hate Driver for abandoning him at Stage Left. Clearly, he was running from something. And whatever he was afraid of, it was stronger than the fragile bond they’d created. The walls shook with the music from the front room but it felt like Tam was in a black hole, only endless silence and emptiness surrounded him. He’d been there before, many times. He knew the way out.
When the last whisper of hope finally faded, Tam stood. The main room throbbed with life and energy. It smelled of alcohol and sweat. Every other soul in the place was oblivious to the turmoil in Tam’s heart.
It helped.
He slid up to the bar and found an empty stool to prop himself on.
“Hey, sugar, you okay?” Brandon leaned against the bar and met Tam’s eyes.
Tam twisted a lock of his hair. “Fine.”
Brandon pressed his lips together, then set about mixing a drink. Tam pulled out his phone, but he couldn’t face calling Ansel or Z for help. They’d come, he knew. They’d drag their boyfriends out of bed and pick him up. And if he asked, they wouldn’t even make him explain. For a day or two.
Eventually, they would force it out of him and he’d spill every last secret. It would fill him with shame. The threat of it already made his cheeks heat. No, he couldn’t face that embarrassment. Besides, it was way too late to rely on them. They all needed to be awake in a few hours for their day jobs. While he’d been staring at his cell, Brandon finished the cocktail and placed it on the bar for Tam.
“Wanna talk about it?”
Tam glanced at the tall glass with a lime wedge, then at Brandon. He was classically handsome with a hint of rebel in his eyes. At first glance his tattoos made him seem hard and wild, but when you looked closer and noticed the theme, the entire image softened. His brown eyes were filled with compassion as if he understood exactly what Tam was feeling.
“Were you together?” Tam asked, not quite ready for the answer. Asking the question had taken a slice out of him.
Brandon winced, then shook his head. “No, not like you’re thinking. And not for a very long time.”