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6
Maddox
I was warm. Safe.
It was a strange thought to drift toward consciousness with, but I liked it.
Something hard dug into my ass cheek, though. Did I fall asleep with my phone in my pocket?
“You keep squirming, you’ll make it worse.” Drowsiness filled Onyx’s voice.
Not a phone. An erection. He was playing big spoon, and less awake than I was.
How much longer could I lay here, wrapped up in him, enjoying the warmth? If men like Onyx fell for men like me, I would’ve entertained fantasies like this on multiple occasions.
No, wait, I did anyway. Except in the fantasies, I didn’t pull away reluctantly and get ready for the day. I made sure Onyx woke up, pinned me to the mattress for being a squirmy brat, and fucked me until we were both spent and the sheets had to be changed.
I liked that daydream. Too bad this morning I picked climbing out of bed before he finished waking up.
While Onyx and Alys were getting ready, I went out long enough to grab coffee and breakfast—Alys was getting full-on, coffee-flavored coffee, after yesterday’s news. I was back in time to make sure they were caffeinated for their days.
I didn’t work full time. Rather, when it was needed, I put in the long hours for composing, and game sound effects, but there wasn’t a constant call for me to be available at AcesPlayed. Onyx and Alys were working today, him at the shop and her at a makeshift office she’d set up in his kitchen, and the last thing either of them needed was me hovering around, being bored.
That left me with a couple of options—watching the clock like a kid waiting for the school bell to ring, so Alys and I could go take pictures, or getting the space at Aubrey’s ready for our afternoon session.
Not really a tough decision to make. After I wrapped up morning admin tasks and made sure Alys ate lunch, I headed to Deacon’s Derelicts and D’Art.
I was borrowing a few pieces of furniture that Deacon promised would set the eclectic music mood. Adam was waiting to help me bring it to Aubrey’s, and set things up.
Aubrey and Deacon were close for years. Best friends and all that, except that Aubrey wanted more and Deacon loved other people. Ever since she told him how she felt, the two seemed happier to keep their distance. She would fake her way through gatherings where we were all there, but the tension tended to run high when she did that.
I’d be sad forever if a rift like that grew between me and either Alys or Onyx.
This entire town was like a soap opera sometimes. I liked to call it The Days of Main Street. I’d floated a few variations past a panel of me—The Mains of Our Streets and The Streets of Our Lives—but I had a clear favorite.
My prop furniture was gathered together near Deacon’s back door. As we assessed where to start, I heard murmurs from down the street. Snatches of muttering. Back in town… With… Ridell… She led him… Spader… Slut.
Fucking hated rumors. Especially the ones about Alys and her asshole ex, Don Spader. I’d never met the guy, but half the town talked about him like he was their savior and the other half knew him for the piece of shit he was.
But I hadn’t heard people talking about him and Alys for years.
I followed the sound, to tell off whoever was spreading the bullshit, but the owners of the voices were gone.
“We doing this, man?” Adam called.
Yeah.
He helped me haul it next door. There was a set of chairs that were all plastic and metal and curves that screamed 1960’s modern, a teal vanity with gold trim that I was pretty sure I’d seen in pictures my parents had, a disco ball, and a couple of other random pieces.
We saved the best for last, though. A gorgeous full-length mirror with a gilded frame and hand carved roses around it. It wasn’t modern, but it had the perfect Alice in Wonderland vibe to it.
“Are you recording all of this as you go?” Adam asked as we rearranged furniture again and again, trying to get it to frame the shot well. “Or just film photos?”
“I could record it. Do you want me to?” That would be fun—documenting the contest creation process.
Adam nodded. “I was thinking if you had the footage anyway, I could stick it on my channel.”
“Sure. Cool.” One of the things I liked about Adam was he appreciated the randomness as much as I did. He was still looking for a long-term flavor for his YouTube channel, and in the process, he tended to feature the most awesome stuff.
