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“Awesome. Don’t stay too late,” he says over his shoulder as he heads towards the door. “See you in the morning.”
“Later.” I watch him as he leaves, and the usual guilt trickles in. I like these guys, and if things were different, I might take them up on their offers and joke around with them during the workday.
But things aren’t different.
Once everyone has left and the car is up on the lift, I check my watch. It’s 5:30, so everyone is probably getting to the gym by now. I cast a glance to my phone on my workbench, but quickly look away. I haven’t checked it all day. Not only because I’ve been busy… but because of what I’m avoiding. I don’t know what I’m going to see on there, but there are some things I’m not ready for.
“Let go, Ty. Try it,” Luca’s voice echoes through my thoughts as the memory of last night seeps in. Luca on top of me, his tongue in my mouth, his lips wrapped around my dick…
“Ugh,” I groan as I squeeze my eyes tight and rub a hand over my face.
Fuck. Why? Why did I do that? Why did I like it? And why did it have to be him? I’ve never done anything with a guy before, and never had any urge to. But his touch and kiss rustled something alive deep within me, and I’ve never just… let go like that before.
But I can’t. He’s fucking with my progress, and for the first time in years, I fucked up a simple takedown. Because of him. I can’t let that happen again.
“Fucking Luca Mitchell,” I mutter to myself as I pick up the wheel wrench and go back to work.
As I work on replacing the completely worn-out rotors and brake pads – how does anyone even let it get this bad? – I push every thought of that fucker out of my head, and just enjoy the complete silence in the garage. The sounds of my tools falling to the bench echoes around me, and the noise from the compressor easily takes over the space with no competing sounds. It’s peaceful, and allows me to focus on my task, and nothing else. Which is exactly what I need.
By the time I finish with the car, it’s almost 8:00. And my eyes slide once more to my phone sitting on my workbench.
The stillness around me is now serving a completely different purpose. Because now that I don’t have a job to do, it’s reminding me of everything I’m trying to forget. It’s just me and my thoughts as I stare at my phone, and that’s a dangerous place to be.
So, I cave.
My pulse thunders in my ears as I pick up my phone and scroll through the screen full of missed notifications. But disappointment settles in the pit of my stomach, as I see that the only notifications are from the group chat.
“Get over yourself, what the fuck,” I mumble, throwing my phone back onto the bench and turning to lower the car from the lift.
I’m not sure why I’m torturing myself over this. It was nothing. Luca is fucking weird, so this is probably just something he does. And now he’ll get the last laugh. Because he knew that would fuck with my head.
Well, he was right…
And as my phone vibrates with a text, I’m apparently in the mood to punish myself even more, because my eyes immediately fly to the screen.
Rosa
Luca and Ty, are you guys coming to the gym tomorrow? We need to figure out how we’re all watching the fights this weekend! Missed you guys tonight
What the fuck? He wasn’t even there tonight? I immediately pick up my phone and scroll through the texts in the group chat from the day. And there it is.
Luca
I won’t be in tonight, guys. First hockey game in my new rec league!
Motherfucker. I could have gone in tonight, because he wasn’t even fucking there. A huge sigh escapes me, and just as I’m about to set my phone down, I pause. I scroll up a little further to the texts from this morning, to a selfie sent from Luca.
He’s in a kitchen, with a huge smile and holding his thumb up in front of a bunch of muffins and cookies.
Got some treats for y’all. Went a little wild last night *cookie emoji*
My eyes roam the photo, as I take in the mess of flour, bowls and utensils on the counter next to the pile of baked goods. Then, I look at him. His hair is a wild mess, his eyes bright and his smile beaming. It’s not the smile he usually gives me. This is a real, genuine, happy smile. But my heart flutters as I realize that I have seen that smile. I’ve seen that one aimed my way more often recently, compared to the cocky, taunting, annoying as fuck grin I usually get.
And he bakes? What the fuck?
I set my phone back down on the bench and work on cleaning up.
Ignore him, forget him. It’s nothing.
