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He almost jumped out of his skin when a finger tapped him on the shoulder. His tight muscles relaxed as Jessica’s tinkling laughter sounded behind him.
“Sorry I startled you.”
When he glanced over, she’d tied a short, white apron around her waist.
“Why don’t you hit the road? Tom’s a good guy, but he won’t pay for extra time on the clock unless he approves it first.” She flashed him a grin and pulled her straight brown hair into a ponytail.
Thank goodness.
Matt returned her smile and gave her a small salute before he stepped out from behind the bar.
Maybe he could swing by Robby’s place before he picked up Jimmy. No doubt, his mom would love the extra time with her grandson.
Just an hour or so. It didn’t have to mean anything. After all, he’d promised to introduce Robby toThe Expansebefore the whole kissing thing went down. What better way to convince them both things were totally normal between them?
Satisfied with his justifications, he walked out the front door and nearly tripped over the man sitting in front of him on the sidewalk.
He recognized the unruly brown hair and Oxford shirt instantly. “Robby?”
He looked up at his name and gave a wavering smile when he recognized Matt. “Fancy meeting you here.” Robby blinked twice before accepting the hand Matt offered to pull him up.
Instantly, he knew Robby was wasted. Even without the telltale smell of alcohol, the soft focus of his eyes and his unsure footing gave him away.
Matt felt a pang of worry. Had he pushed Robby into this drunken state? Was it their kiss? Their decision to stay friends? The questions barely had time to register before his awareness focused on something earthier and more consuming.
Robby slung an arm around his neck and leaned against him, his body languid and loose. “I’m sorry to crash your party, but I’m in no shape to drive.”
The man’s body clung so close, he could smell a hint of the CK cologne on his skin. The urge to bury his face into the crook of Robby’s neck nearly overwhelmed him.
He locked his body into a rigid line to resist the compulsion, but Robby seemed oblivious, boneless against him.
“Can you give me a ride?” Robby murmured.
No way he meant the words as dirty as they sounded. He swallowed. “Sure,” he croaked. “Let’s get you home.”
The drive back to the apartment seemed to last forever. Robby’s head lolled against the passenger seat and stared at him with slow-blinking eyes and an unreadable expression. The air weighed heavy in the confined space, prompting him to crack open a window to breathe.
Something had changed, whether they would acknowledge it or not. He hadn’t felt this awareness last night before their kiss. Maybe not ever.
He stuffed it down as he helped Robby to his front door and eased him down to the sofa where he’d slept the night before. “What’s going on, Rob? I thought you didn’t drink.”
Robby didn’t look at him. “I didn’t plan on it. Just sort of happened. ‘Course, that wouldn’t fly with Thomas.”
“Thomas?” Jealousy might be unfamiliar, but Matt recognized it right away.
“The guy who leads my N.A. group. Apparently, booze is a gateway or whatever.” Robby shrugged. “I wasn’t looking to use, though. Just…to take my mind off things.”
He bit the tip of his thumb gently and glanced at Matt from the corner of his eye. “I came to see you first.”
Matt shook his head, trying to dislodge his immediate thoughts of Shawn. His addiction. His death. Robby had given him too much information—and not enough. He took the easiest route. “You came to my bar? I never saw you.” Closing Time had a steady stream of people all day, but it never got so crowded he could’ve missed his friend.
Robby dropped his hands to his lap, lacing his fingers together. He scowled as he spoke. “You were probably too busy with your lady friend.” Blinking, he relaxed his features and smiled, but it didn’t look like it happened naturally. “But, hey, it’s cool. It’s not like you knew I was coming, and, uh, you’re trying to figure things out, right?” Even with the corners of his mouth turned up, his eyes were hard. It was very un-Robby-like.
Obviously, his friend had caught part of his heart-to-heart with Patty. “I guess we must have looked pretty intense. I was talking with Jimmy’s mom. We have a…complicated relationship. I think I mentioned it last night.”
“You said she hated you.” Robby’s eyes narrowed. “That was not hate I saw. The woman looked like she wanted to have you for dinner.”
“Yeah.” He shifted in his seat. “Well, I’m not on the menu. At least not for her, which is the problem we keep coming back to.”
