Chapter Twenty-Nine – Useless Corrections
Brad's text had been short and simple. And it put Lyn in quite a tizzy because he definitely didn't have time to run through his entire hair routine or surrender the little time available to the minutiae involved with his personal grooming regimen.
The island had many things to offer and apparently Brad was in the mood to hike to the highest peak around. That meant hours of walking, so even the three hours he had promised might not be enough. Lyn chose the proper garments for the job and donned reliable hiking shoes with efficient motions.
Alexander's eyes were following him as he got ready.
"Are you going to give me a speech about the dangers of over-exerting myself?" Lyn brushed away the stubborn hair getting in his eyes.
"You're young and in perfect shape. I am confident in your ability to over-exert yourself without any unpleasant consequences." Alexander stared at his phone. "Your trip up and down should last two hours and forty-five minutes. If you're not back by noon, I'm coming for you."
Lyn checked his watch. The demon was quite generous, allowing him at least one hour and ten minutes of Brad's companionship outside of the time taken up by their hike.
"Do you have appropriate hiking shoes?" he inquired, giving Alexander a smug smile. "You might have to climb a bit."
His friend lay on his own bed for a change, but he was stark naked and looked scrumptious from head to toe. A thought crossed Lyn's mind, the same as had done so last night. He never played unsafe, so he had everything in order, and Alexander was a doctor, so—
So his mind was running away with him because he wanted so damn much to taste his best friend to the fullest.
Alexander wiggled his toes and his eyebrows at the same time. "Don't worry, Lynton. I trust you to carry me if my feet give out."
"You're much heavier than me. That's not an option," Lyn warned, stacking a third hydration pack over the other two, just in case.
"Then come back before noon. The sun is going to be merciless after that. I'm not kidding," Alexander warned in turn.
"Okay." Lyn hiked his backpack over one shoulder and leaned in, driven by instinct.
It was too late to take it back, although Alexander waited, his eyes wide open and unblinking. Eh, what the hell? Lyn gave his own personal demon a long kiss, but without tongue. "Be good, okay?" he said, trying to play it off as a joke.
Alexander caught him before he had the chance to move away. His long tapered fingers were smooth and cool around Lyn's neck; and his lips were as good as ever, so Lyn had to open his mouth and receive the naughty tongue looking for trouble.
Their kiss lasted long enough to give him a semi. His eyes moved to Alexander's cock, which was already standing at attention like an overeager toy soldier.
"I can barely wait to blow you," he whispered, pulling away with unconcealed reluctance.
"Do you have an oral fixation, Lynton?" Alexander said, letting him go with the same amount of reticence.
"Not usually. My fuck buddies prefer fucking," Lyn said matter-of-factly. "I guess you just have a freaking delicious cock."
"So stay and blow me," Alexander suggested, grabbing his shaft and wiggling it in mock temptation.
"I can't leave Brad hanging," Lyn said curtly.
"Ah. Between my cock and Bradley, you're still choosing him. I need to make the damn thing more appealing. What would work?"
Lyn had a few ideas, but if he didn't leave now he risked being late, and he was always on time. Punctuality had been drilled into him by his mom from a young age. For all her flaws, she'd had just the right amount of good traits and habits.
"Nothing," he said hurriedly. He stood straight. "How do I look?"
Alexander seemed ready to shoot a few daggers at him with his eyes but then his generous mouth stretched into a smile filled with satisfaction. "Perfect."
Lyn narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "You worry me, Alexander. No one's perfect in your eyes."
Alexander shrugged and rolled over on his belly, stretching like a lazy cat with nothing to do all day. "There's a first time for everything."
Lyn shook his head. "I'm off, then. I hope you're not going to mope around the place in my absence. Get up, do something. I really don't understand how you have that kind of body if you don't move it."
"Oh, I move it." Alexander was on his feet so fast Lyn quirked an eyebrow. "You could stay to watch me while I work out." He even began an arm stretch to show he meant business.
This time, Lyn was the one to roll his eyes. "Well, I suppose you wouldn't be a demon without tempting me endlessly. Save yourself for workouts later, though," he said, his lips twitching. "Just saying."
Alexander's low and sexy chuckle followed him out the door. Lyn couldn't help smiling.
***
The exertion was real, Lyn thought while climbing behind Brad. Hiking on a tropical island was also a different animal from what he was used to, which meant that soon he'd have to ask for a break to change his t-shirt. The humidity was higher, too, and it made Lyn think with low-key desperation about the state of his hair.
Lyn had to admit he was grateful when Brad decided they needed a rest. With the same nonchalance that was his birthright, Brad took off his sleeveless tee; he hadn't bothered to put anything else on and took deep gulps from his hydration pack, pouring some on his head, too.
"Are you still cool all over, Iceman?" Brad grinned and grabbed the hem of Lyn's shirt.
Lyn snorted. "You haven't called me that in forever."
"I always thought it suited you," Brad said with a chuckle. "I always thought you might become a monk. I asked Alexander about a suitable nickname for your secondary class--"
"Secondary class?"
"Yeah. First, supposedly lawyer. Second, monk," Brad explained, while he helped Lyn out of his t-shirt.
They were both shirtless and alone in the woods. Lyn couldn't help feeling like his skin was prickling up in goosebumps. Suddenly, Alexander's warning about Brad and what his friend wanted from him no longer seemed so strange.
Lingering feelings, right? He told himself, trying to add a mental scoff at the end. After all, he was here to excise Brad from his soul forever; maybe he needed Alexander's scalpel to do it.
"Anyway," Brad continued chatting away, "I had no idea what to call you, so I went to Mr. Encyclopedia himself."
"Alexander? Bad choice," Lyn commented. "Couldn't you just google something?"
"Right," Brad said dryly, while his eyes lingered on Lyn's chest a moment too long.
It made Lyn itchy to look down at himself, too. He knew how careful he was about his appearance and how much work he put into looking his best. If there was something Brad didn't like, he would agonize over it for days or more.
"Anyway, he told me I should call you Bernardo Guy or something like that."
"Gui," Lyn corrected Brad, without thinking. "Why the hell would he tell you to call me that?"
"I know, right?" Brad snorted. "I shouldn't tell you stuff like that, 'cause we're all friends, but sometimes, I really thought His Majesty enjoyed the hell out of putting you down. Goes to prove that not even the richest dudes in the universe have everything they want. I suppose you were better than him at studying, and that made him eat his heart out."
"Well, good thing you never called me that, I suppose," Lyn said, frowning and blinking.
"Yeah, I had the sense to ask someone else. That dead old fart wasn't a monk. He was one of those scumbags burning people at the stake. All bad and shit."
Lyn was about to argue and correct Brad some more about the nuances concerning the inquisitor in question, but this friend of his wasn't the guy who badly needed correction. His lips stretched into a smile as an idea crossed his mind. Alexander better be ready for his return. On second thought, better not. It would make revenge taste all the sweeter to take him by surprise and make him suffer through punishment, protesting or not. Now Lyn really had something to look forward to; no, that was a lie – he had a lot to look forward to already, and this just added to a promising pile of future satisfactions.
"Hey," Brad said, catching Lyn's chin and turning his head, "is that a hickey?"
Lyn froze, while Brad's face stretched into a smile.
"You dog. And you're keeping it all on the down low like usual."
That damn Alexander and his sucking habits. Lyn shot one hand to his neck and rubbed it. "Stop it, it's not a hickey. A bug bite, more like."
Brad shook his head and crossed his arms, drawing Lyn's attention to his perfect biceps and pecs. "Nah, man, you're not doing me dirty like this. You're so good at keeping secrets, it annoys me."
"That's not what I remember," Lyn shot back. "I used to keep plenty of yours if I recall correctly."
Brad pursed his lips and moved them right and left as if he had a hard time remembering anything like that. "Yeah, man," he admitted, smiling again. "You really carried me through college like a champ. You helped me a lot. Still, that doesn't mean I'm not pissed you never introduce me to your girlfriends. You're not molesting the personnel, are you?"
Lyn gave Brad a horrified look. "What the hell do you take me for?"
Brad smirked. "Just joking. But really, you're annoying."
Before Lyn could react, Brad reached for him and twisted his right nipple. Lyn yelped, not because Brad did it too hard, but because that was one other living proof of Alexander's energetic behavior in bed. His nipples were so sensitive, the newly tortured one felt like it was on fire.
To get back at his friend, Lyn launched his own attack. Although he must have always looked like the weakest of their group, he could hold his own. Brad shouted in surprise as Lyn subjected him to the same treatment, making sure to aim for both of his friend's nipples.
Their laughter and yelps filled the air, making any awkwardness disappear.
***
As the trail opened onto a flat rocky shelf that seemed to have been modeled by the wind and rain to create the perfect spot for admiring the ocean below, Lyn paused for a moment to take in the view.
"Eh, what do you say? Totally worth it, right?" Brad gestured around and dropped his backpack on the ground.
"When you're right, you're right," Lyn agreed.
"But man, you put me through the wringer," Brad complained as he found a spot to put his ass down. "Aren't you a city boy? You hiked up here like we were being chased by demons."
Lyn shrugged. He had to admit that the thought of having something to one-up Alexander with had put quite a spring in his step. "Maybe by one," he said.
"Really? What's not working?" Brad asked, squinting at him.
"What do you mean?" Lyn sat by Brad's side, accepting his friend's silent invitation.
"In your life. You got everything you wanted, right?"
"I love my job. The workplace's great, too," Lyn said. "I put in the work, I'll make partner by the time I'm forty."
Brad nodded and seemed to lose himself in his own musings for a while. "And after that, you're settling down?"
Lyn had no idea why Brad was bringing that up. It felt like a conversation they'd had many times before, Brad a bit too curious about why Lyn wasn't hooking up, wasn't dating, all that jazz. And when Lyn had told him why—
"Pardon my French, but you don't look fucking happy," Brad continued.
"Ah," Lyn let out. "I suppose I've never been good at that. Unlike you. You're great at being happy. It's why we're friends."
He risked one look at Brad and stopped, dead in his tracks. Something foreign glinted in Brad's eyes. It reminded him – only a bit – of that horrible night when everything had fallen apart.
"Happiness is something you make," Brad said quietly, uncharacteristic for him. "Fuck, Lyn," he added in a surprisingly honest tone, while hanging his head low, "but it's not always easy."
"I suppose," Lyn mumbled, not knowing what was happening, and how they went from laughing and fooling around to having what threatened to be an honest conversation. "What's eating you?" he asked pointedly, brushing the back of his hand against Brad's cheek in what he intended as a gesture of playful friendliness.
"I guess I can't be sure," Brad replied. "I mean, I've had this feeling ever since I decided to get married that I should talk to you, ask you if it's okay."
Lyn frowned, showing his confusion. "Do you need my blessing for your getting married? I'm an inquisitor, remember?"
"Stop joking, man. I'm serious. I know I'm not as good with words as you and Alexander have always been, but I'm trying to get this off my chest here."
"Okay, I'm listening," Lyn said quietly.
"I knew you'd say that." Brad hooked one arm over Lyn's shoulders and pulled him close. It didn't matter that they were sweaty and tired. This felt like their old friendship. Lyn could live with that.
"Bella is an amazing woman," Lyn started. "She's smart, beautiful, and she likes you well enough not to kick your ass for ditching her and her parties. I'd say she's a keeper."
Brad chuckled and brushed his chin against Lyn's temple for a moment. "You don't have to sell her to me. I know she's great."
"Then what's the issue?"
Brad pulled away, groaning. "If I could name it, I could solve it, right? I love her a lot."
Lyn remained silent, waiting for him to continue.
"But I don't know if she loves me as much as I love her."
Lyn closed his eyes for a moment. "What makes you say that? You two are like halves of a whole. You fit to perfection. Wait, do you have trouble in the bedroom?" He had no idea how to put it so he didn't sound like an idiot. What did he know about straight relationships? What did he know about relationships, in general? He only had fuck buddies.
"Nah, everything's great on that front. But," Brad continued, "you know her family has money, right? I mean, it's all over the place, you can't miss it, like with Alexander."
"She does seem well-off, I suppose," Lyn continued, still unsure what Brad was trying to hint at. And wasn't wealth something Brad had to have on his list when it came to his chosen life partner? He didn't want to be rude, so he didn't mention it.
"Yeah, she is. Her family, too. So, for them, I'm like this guy from the street, you know?"
Lyn groaned and squeezed Brad's shoulder. "Come on, dude, your family's fine, too."
"Not in the same income bracket, though," Brad argued.
"You can't possibly get all hung-up about something like that, buddy. It's the twenty-first century. Royals marry all sorts of people and no one gives them shit for it. Maybe a few tabloids, but we're not talking that level of wealthy, right?"
"Right," Brad admitted. He closed the distance between them to give Lyn a hug.
"Look at the bright side," Lyn joked. "If you haven't already signed an airtight prenup, in case of a divorce, you can take her to the cleaners."
Brad guffawed. "Always the lawyer, Lyn. So glad you're my friend. How's rooming with Alexander?"
The sudden change of topic surprised Lyn. "It's absolutely fine."
"He's not giving you a hard time, is he?"
Brad was unusually close, so it was hard to avoid staring at each other.
"No, none of that. He's the perfect gentleman."
One who liked coming all over Lyn's balls, but that wasn't the type of detail to disclose to a straight guy getting married.
"You know what's weird as heck, Lyn?" Brad continued, his voice dropping low.
"What?" Lyn asked, caught in Brad's gaze like a fly in amber.
"Never in my life, but like never-never, has anyone looked at me like you used to in college."
Lyn pretended to be busy drinking from his hydration pack, taking his time to weigh Brad's words. Where was this conversation heading? He didn't know and it unsettled him. Unbalanced him, even.
"I miss that," Brad continued. "It's like I was at my best back then." Thankfully for Lyn, his friend's eyes moved away from him to stare at the amazing view stretching as far as they could see.
"Right," Lyn said with a snort, determined to save himself. "You were a heartbreaker, hooking up left and right, you only cared about partying, and you hated studying."
"Yeah," Brad said in a melancholy voice, "those were the days."
"Come on," Lyn groaned for show and caught Brad's shoulder briefly. "We're not old and gray enough to start reminiscing about the times when we didn't have knee pain or something."
"Ah, damn," Brad said, dropping his face into his hands, "am I really ready for this step?"
"You are, buddy," Lyn assured him. He had no idea, really, but that was what Brad needed to hear. "You're not going to miss anything from your bachelor life, if you can call it that. I remember quite distinctly that more than every now and then, even in college, you thought your days of hooking up were over. Whenever you met someone you liked."
"Are you and Alexander going to throw a bachelor party with strippers and bad booze for me?"
"Perish the thought," Lyn joked.
"We might have to do something, though. Just us, the guys. Luke might strip." Brad snickered. "That guy loves getting naked and swinging his dick around."
"Where have I encountered that same behavior?"
Brad turned his head to meet Lyn's eyes. He was the same goofy guy whose moods changed like the weather. It was a good thing that they had only fair weather ahead for the wedding and the rest of their vacation.
"You like me doing that, though. I wouldn't be half the exhibitionist I am without your encouragement," Brad said.
"When have I ever encouraged you to do that?"
"Not with words. Silently." Brad closed his eyes and sighed. "It's so good to have you here, man. I fucking love you."
Lyn said and did nothing as Brad caught his face in his hands and pressed a small kiss on his cheek, right next to the corner of his mouth.
It happened too fast for him to react. Brad got up and stretched. "We came, we saw—what comes next?"
"We conquered," Lyn supplied right away.
"Yeah, we definitely conquered this peak. Ready to go back?" Brad looked like a man who had all his problems solved. Lyn couldn't tell whether he had contributed in any meaningful way or not.
Was Alexander correct in his assumption that Brad took him for granted? Lyn didn't think so. But he had always been blind when his crush was involved.
It didn't matter, anyway. Even Brad's touchy-feely habits and the kiss no longer triggered the same impossible longing in his chest. In a way, it was stranger and more unpleasant this way, because that spot his friend had always occupied remained hollow.
Lyn touched his chest for a moment and accidentally brushed across one nipple, which reacted right away. Oh, yeah, that reminded him. He had a heretic to put in his place.
TBC