The loud, pulsing music of the pub greeted Elijah the moment he stepped inside. He slipped the keys of his Bugatti into his pocket and made his way through the crowd, who were all lost in the rhythm and energy of the night.
He hadn't driven his car tonight—he didn't want to get stuck in traffic later, especially now that he had someone else staying with him at his condo. Elijah shook his head, remembering the annoying son of his godfather.
When he spotted his friends, he immediately approached their table. They were lounging on a round sofa, bottles of alcohol lined up in front of them.
"Elijah, bro! You made it!" Jacob greeted him with a fist bump. Elijah smirked in response.
"Of course I did," he replied arrogantly as he dropped himself on the seat beside Jacob, legs spread wide while his eyes roamed playfully over the girl sitting on Jacob's lap.
The girl flushed at the way Elijah looked at her, her grip on Jacob loosening slightly. Jacob noticed.
"Damn, you just got here and you're already trying to steal my girl?" Jacob snapped with mock offense, tightening his hold on the girl's waist.
Elijah only laughed and threw a wink at the girl, who blushed even deeper.
"You're such an ass, bro!" Jacob said, annoyed.
"Relax, you look like you're about to cry," Elijah teased.
Jacob flipped him off and turned his attention back to the girl, choosing to ignore him.
"Oh, Elijah, didn't expect you here," a new voice chimed in. Elijah turned his head and grinned when he saw their team captain, who, like Jacob, had a woman clinging to his side.
"Looks like your period's over, Cap. You're partying again?" Elijah said with a mocking tone.
The captain rolled his eyes. "Get the hell away from me."
He was clearly annoyed again—any trace of a good mood now gone thanks to Elijah's mouth.
Elijah just laughed. His teammates shook their heads as they watched. Elijah was known for being annoying and cheeky—no one ever really knew when he was serious about anything. But when the tables were turned and he was the one being teased, he was quick to snap back. He had a short temper and a low tolerance for jokes at his expense.
He grabbed a beer from the table and took a long drink. While sipping, his eyes wandered to the rest of the group. Everyone was preoccupied with either girls or alcohol, which made Elijah sigh.
Fuck, I want to get laid tonight.
If he were a regular guy, picking up someone at the pub would be easy. But Elijah wasn't regular. And with his teammates around, it wasn't that simple.
It wasn't women he wanted to sleep with.
He wanted guys.
How he wished his teammates weren't here tonight so he could flirt with whoever he wanted. But Elijah wasn't out to them yet. So maybe next time.
He took another gulp. His sexuality was something he found hard to talk about. Sure, he was out to his parents and his sister—but to everyone else? Not yet. Especially with all the rumors going around about him being a womanizer.
He could live with being labeled a playboy. But a ladies' man? That's just inaccurate.
He didn't mess around with peaches. He went for pumpkins.
Elijah didn't mind people knowing he was into guys, but he also didn't feel the need to announce it. He just didn't like confrontations. If he were to openly flirt with a man here tonight, there would surely be a scandal—especially since he was well-known.
And he didn't want to explain himself to anyone.
When it came to his teammates, he didn't want them to know. He was sure their perception of him would change. If they were just strangers, he wouldn't care. But he saw these people every day. Sportsmanship mattered to them. If his sexuality ever became a wedge in the team, it could ruin the bond they had. So for now, it was better to keep things private. Avoid drama. Avoid conflict.
Only one person on the team knew the truth—his best friend, Lhiam.
Speaking of which, where was he?
Elijah scanned the area, but Lhiam was nowhere to be seen. He turned to Jacob.
"Bro, where's Lhiam?"
"Out back. Said he needed a smoke," Jacob replied without looking up from the girl he was talking to.
Elijah stood up and headed toward the pub's backdoor. As he stepped outside, the cold night air hit him, and so did the sight of Lhiam leaning against the wall, a cigarette between his lips.
Lhiam glanced at him and gave a small nod. The corner of Elijah's lips curved up at the sight.
Elijah pulled out a cigarette of his own, lit it, and took a drag. Then, in true Elijah fashion, he blew the smoke right in Lhiam's direction.
Lhiam shot him a glare and waved the smoke away from his face.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" Elijah asked, his mischievous grin never leaving his face.
Lhiam didn't answer. Instead, he stared blankly at the wall, clearly lost in thought.
That piqued Elijah's curiosity, but he didn't push it. He just smoked quietly beside his friend.
Eventually, Elijah pulled out his phone and snapped a photo of himself—side profile, cigarette in hand, the smoke curling in the air. He made sure the angle was right before posting it to his story.
Not even a minute later, he already had over a hundred views.
He grinned as message after message came pouring in. Most were from women, but a few were from his previous male hookups.
Jean: Up for tonight?
Cid: Blow smoke on me, pleaseeee
Litch: Miss you inside me :(
Elijah bit his lower lip, unable to hide the amusement and arousal—as he read the messages.
Sorry boys, not tonight.
He shook his head with a smirk and backed out of the chat, about to close the app when a name popped into his mind.
He tapped the search bar and typed:
avi Zein Martinez
Elijah smirked as Ravi's face flashed in his memory—the look he had when Elijah pretended not to know his name.
The truth was, he did know Ravi's name. He just liked teasing him. There was something oddly satisfying about seeing Ravi get flustered.
When Ravi's profile appeared, Elijah immediately sent a friend request. His grin widened when he saw Ravi's profile picture—it was a beach shot.
Ravi was shirtless, though only his face and collarbones were visible. A red hibiscus flower was tucked behind his right ear, highlighting the fairness of his skin. Sunlight danced across his features, and his eyes stared straight into the camera—inviting, captivating.
Elijah's mouth went slightly open.
He's really pretty.
"Fuck," he muttered under his breath.
But his quiet admiration was interrupted by the soft cursing of Lhiam beside him. Elijah turned and noticed that Lhiam had smoked through all his cigarettes. Frustrated, Lhiam raked his fingers through his hair.
He looked at Elijah, as if about to ask for another stick—but Elijah beat him to it.
"Dude, that's enough. What's going on with you?" Elijah's voice carried concern.
Lhiam sighed deeply and leaned back against the wall, eyes drifting upward.
"Remember the person I told you about?" he asked quietly.
Elijah nodded. There was only one person Lhiam had ever confided in him about.
Lhiam looked at him with a heavy expression and a broken smile.
"They came back."