by J. P. Oliver
Peter’s eyes narrowed. “Oh, so sex on the first date makes me, what, an idiot? A slut?”
“What?” Travis rolled his eyes. “No, it wasn’t a date is what I’m saying!” He couldn’t believe this. “Look, when you’re at a bar, and a guy sits down next to you and starts asking you what you’re drinking, what your plans are, he’s not looking to ride into the sunset with you, okay? He’s looking for some fun for the night, and only for that night. What did you expect?”
“It was a wine bar, first of all,” Peter retorted, “and maybe I expected a little more from someone who seemed like a genuinely good guy. I guess assholes are really good at masquerading as people who care.”
“For fuck’s sake.” Travis kind of wanted to bang his head against the wall. “Look, piece of advice, you want an actual relationship? Tell the guy you can’t sleep with him that night, but if he wants, you’re happy to go out on a date with him later that week. He says no, you know he’s just looking to pull. Okay? You happy now? You’ve cracked the code now. You’ll figure out all those nefarious assholes and unmask them without having to waste your time.”
“Yeah, the voice dripping with condescension is really making me feel considered,” Peter snapped back. He shoved past Travis, even though there was plenty of room to walk around him. “You’re lucky I don’t punch you. You ever get punched?”
“By a spurned lover?” Travis replied, keeping the sarcasm evident in his tone. “No. A few drinks thrown in my face, though.” He smirked.
“Expect a hell of a lot more of that, then,” Peter all but spat, and then got into his car and drove off.
Yeah, Travis really needed that drink now.
He didn’t even bother going inside his house to change. He just walked down the block to Joe’s. He only lived about a five minute walk away which was helpful when he was drunk and heading home—he didn’t have to worry about driving, and the fresh air on the walk home always helped to sober him up. Usually Lance walked him home as well because Lance was paranoid that Travis was going to wander into traffic someday.
Ugh, he really hoped Lance would be there, even though he knew that he’d get a lecture from him. Just being around Lance always calmed Travis down. His bad decision making abilities seemed to decrease around Lance and he seemed better able to think through things.
He banged open the door to Joe’s, making no secret of his bad mood.
“Jesus, what bit you on the ass?” Nancy asked as Travis made his way to the bar. He could see Lance huddled over there with Jake, Matthew, Davis, and Luke.
“Your boyfriend,” Travis snapped back.
Nancy flipped him off.
He located Lance almost immediately, even if he was facing away from Travis—he was the shortest blond at the bar. Davis was sitting on Lance’s left side but saw Travis coming and immediately got up and moved over a seat. Travis slid into the open spot, nudging Lance. “Boo.”
“As if I didn’t know you were here after that entrance,” Lance said. “Luke, don’t let him order whatever he wants.”
Adam emerged from the stairs, clad in a t-shirt and jeans. He’d probably changed out of his lawyer gear in the office upstairs; it was how it usually went. Travis could agree that Luke was right, Adam looked damn good in his suits, but after wearing them all day it made sense that he’d want to get out of them. The fact that Adam often then changed into one of Luke’s t-shirts had not gone unnoticed by anyone.
“Look who decided to join the party,” Adam said dryly, indicating Travis.
“I wouldn’t bait him if I were you,” Lance warned. He leaned into Travis a little, an old habit of theirs when they wanted to get the other one’s attention. Travis didn’t know how he and Lance always ended up standing right next to each other, but he wasn’t complaining. “What happened?” Lance asked, his voice lowered.
“I took a guy back to my place a week or two ago,” Travis explained. “He wasn’t happy that I didn’t call him. Like it’s my fault he took what was clearly a one night stand as the start of a new relationship.”
“Give the poor guy a break,” Lance replied. “You can be charming when you want to be.”
“Charming?” Davis asked, poking at Travis. “This guy?”
“Oh, shut up,” Travis growled. “How come Lance is the only one ever on my side, huh? Why do you clowns always take the other guy’s side?”
“Maybe because there’s so many of them?” Luke hazarded.
“I’m going to go home,” Adam announced, kissing Luke on the cheek. Travis grinned at the way Luke blushed and ducked his head down. Luke was a sucker when it came to Adam’s affection. “Check on Seth. You guys have a good night!”
Lance and the others waved as Adam headed out the door. Travis cocked an eyebrow at Luke. “Wasn’t too long ago you were causing the same problems I am. Now look at you, all besotted.”
“Maybe I’m besotted because I’m happy?” Luke pointed out. “You should try it sometime. We’re not twenty-one anymore, Travis.”
“Don’t tell him these things,” Jake said, “or he’s going to make some poor sucker actually put up with him for more than a night.”
“Thanks, Jake,” Travis growled.
“Hey, now, Travis has lots of good qualities,” Lance said, loyal as ever.
Travis threw an arm around Lance’s shoulders. Lance was on the small side, with a slight frame, and a good two inches shorter than the rest of the group. It meant he fit quite nicely into the crook of Travis’s arm. “See? Lance is my one true friend.”
Jake rolled his eyes and muttered something that made Matthew elbow him. “Ow!”
“Such domestic abuse,” Travis noted, his voice deadpan.
“We should do something,” Lance added, his voice also deadpan.
“I hate you both,” Jake declared. “Matthew slept with both of you, that means you should take my side.”
“That was almost two years ago!” Matthew protested.
“I mean…” Travis put on a thoughtful look. “That would only work if he was really bad at it, and I enjoyed myself, wouldn’t you say, Lance?”
Never mind that at the time this had occurred, Matthew had slept with Lance, Travis, and Davis all in quick succession, which had hurt Lance and led to Travis punching Matthew at Joe’s the night after. Travis and Lance, ever since high school—thanks, Luke—had made a pact to never sleep with the same men. Matthew had been the one guy who’d managed to get them to break that rule, albeit unknowingly.
Matthew wasn’t even Travis’s type. Call him cliché, but he generally liked his guys smaller than he was, a little more delicate. There was probably something psychological about that, but Travis wasn’t about to examine it.
Anyway, he and Lance had soon forgiven Matthew for that whole thing, especially when everyone realized that Matthew was absolutely one hundred percent stuck on Jake.
Now, it was a great way to get Jake riled up.
Lance put on a considering face. “You know, I have to say, he was a real nine out of ten. I enjoyed myself as well.”
“Only a nine?” Matthew yelped.
“Why are you upset about that?” Jake protested right back at him.
“I mean, it also helped that he felt bad for causing such distress,” Lance went on, and Travis could see the telltale signs that Lance was trying not to crack up: the corners of his mouth had gone tight and his ears were flushed.
“Oh, yes, so much apologizing,” Travis agreed, wiggling his eyebrows.
“You two are impossible,” Matthew accused. “You know full well—”
“That you were head over heels for Jake and sending him cupcakes every day?” Travis cut him off.
“And finding any excuse to visit the garage?” Lance added.
“Oh, man, and moaning to Luke about it…”
“Asking for advice…”
“All right, you two, lay off,” Luke said sternly.
“Yes, Dad,” both Travis and Lance chorused. Travis grinned at L
ance, always his willing partner in crime.
“I’m serious,” Luke said. “Just because you haven’t managed to get your head out of your ass about grown-up relationships doesn’t mean that you have to needle the rest of us about actually being happy.”
“Why do I always get the lecture?” Travis asked. “How come Lance always gets away scot-free?”
“Because Lance is perfectly well-behaved until you show up,” Luke replied.
“I was helping him plan a surprise for Adam’s birthday,” Lance said.
Luke pulled out his phone. “Do you think this will work?” He showed Lance the website for a restaurant in the city.
Travis rolled his eyes. He’d never seen the point in being super romantic or anything like that. When he thought about what he’d want in a relationship, which wasn’t often, he thought about how he’d like someone who understood him to the point where he didn’t really need to do grand gestures to show he loved them. The other person would see it in the little things.
“I like it,” Lance said, just as the door banged open and Adam ran in.
“Shit,” Luke hissed, taking his phone back and stuffing it in his pocket.
Adam wasn’t even looking at Luke, for once. He was making a beeline for Travis. “You have to come with me now,” Adam yelled, sounding out of breath. “I just—passed by your house, Travis—it’s on fire.”
3
Lance was up and out of his barstool before he could even process what Adam was saying. His body seemed to know what to do, even though his brain was slow to catch up. “What?”
Adam was already rushing back to the front door, gesturing for Travis to follow him. Travis scrambled to his feet—and Lance followed.
Shit. How the hell had Travis’s house caught fire?
“What did you do?” Jake yelled, also hurrying to follow. The entire bar, pretty much, was hurrying out to catch a glimpse of this.
“Why do you guys always assume it’s something I did?” Travis asked.
“Maybe because it’s your house?” Matthew pointed out.
“Leave him alone,” Lance said, feeling defensiveness rise up in his chest. Lance didn’t like to think of himself as someone who picked fights. In fact, he was usually the person getting in between Travis and whoever Travis was about to punch. Everyone in their group seemed to think picking on Travis was the new national sport and sometimes Lance just couldn’t take it. “His house is on fire, guys, okay? Can you all just chill?”
“…did Lance just tell us to chill?” Davis echoed, sounding honestly bemused.
Lance ignored him, putting on a burst of speed to catch up to Adam and Travis, who were at the head of the pack. Travis’s house was just down the street, and already… oh shit.
Already Lance could see the smoke starting to billow up into the night air. Shit, shit, shit.
When he got closer, he could see firefighters were already at the scene, doing their best to spray down the blaze with hoses of water. Travis looked like his knees were about to give out.
“I called…” Adam said, trailing off and gesturing at the firemen.
Lance heard Davis, ever out for his potential soulmate, whisper, “Are any of them hot?” This was quickly followed by a yelp of pain. Lance put money on Jake stepping on Davis’s foot.
“Holy shit,” Travis whispered. “How—how the fuck—?”
Lance came up beside him and curled into Travis’s side, grabbing Travis’s arm and looping it over his shoulders. His foresight was rewarded a few seconds later, when a part of the roof gave an awful crunching sort of sound and collapsed. Travis’s knees really did buckle then, and Lance had to plant his feet to keep Travis upright.
“Oh shit, here,” Adam said, grabbing Travis’s other side. Thank God, because Lance was small and not exactly built for weightlifting, and Travis was heavy.
“Let’s just sit you down, okay?” Lance suggested, indicating to Adam that they help Travis sit on the sidewalk.
“Shit,” Travis mumbled, his voice taking on that hoarse tone that meant he was trying not to cry. Lance was ninety percent certain that he was the only one who Travis had willingly let see him cry.
Lance looked over at Adam and jerked his head to the side, indicating for Adam to go. Adam hurried away and went over to talk to one of the firefighters, who seemed to be looking for someone in charge. Lance could also see Luke directing people to leave and come on back to the bar. There was nothing to do here and they’d just get in the way of the firefighters doing their jobs.
Thankful for Adam and Luke’s apparent status as parents of the group, Lance sat down next to Travis and rested his head on Travis’s shoulder. “Just breathe, okay?”
“I don’t understand,” Travis said weakly. His usual gruff bravado was gone. “Everything’s—it’s all in there.”
“I know.” Lance had to swallow around the lump in his throat at hearing how distressed Travis was. “But hey, not all of it, right? Your childhood stuff, that’s still with your dad.”
Travis nodded.
“And we’ll get you new clothes and a TV and stuff; I’m sure insurance will cover most of it. And you backed up your photos on your iCloud, right? So you can access that from any computer.”
Travis nodded again. Lance knew that it still hurt—and he could think of a few items that were irreplaceable, like Travis’s favorite shirt and his collection of movie posters—but it wasn’t as bad as it could have been, and that was what Lance needed Travis to focus on.
“And hey, none of us were inside,” he added. “We’re all okay.”
Thank God this hadn’t happened on, say, poker night, when Matthew, Luke, and a couple others showed up at Travis’s to play poker. It was one of the few things that Travis did without Lance—Lance never had an interest in poker and never would.
There was the sound of crunching gravel as heavy footsteps approached. Lance looked up to see one of the firefighters standing there, Adam at his side.
“I’ve been told you’re the owner?” The man said. He was pretty good-looking, but that wasn’t what got Lance’s attention—the guy looked pretty young, as well.
Travis was obviously thinking along the same lines. “Are you the chief?” He asked, his tone carrying a note of surprise.
Adam gave Travis an are you kidding me look, which Lance felt was rather unfair given that Adam’s sarcasm had on three separate occasions nearly started bar fights.
“Sorry, I left the graying hair and mustache at home,” the guy replied. “Listen, we didn’t know if anyone was home so we sent a couple of guys in, and now that the fire’s pretty under control, we’ve found the source of the blaze. Seems the oven was left on this morning, and a hand towel landed in it and caught fire.”
“Shit,” Travis swore. “I had—ah fuck.” He looked at Lance. “I had a guy over last night and this morning he was trying to be all domestic. He must have turned on the oven and I didn’t even realize; I was rushing out the door to work.”
“It’s not your fault,” Lance said quickly. “He shouldn’t have done anything without permission or should have at least turned it off afterwards.”
“Wait, you two aren’t dating?” The fire chief asked in surprise.
Lance rolled his eyes. It was not the first time they’d been asked this over the course of their friendship. As always, the words produced in him a twinge, like someone had found one of his heartstrings and twisted it. If he hadn’t had any feelings for Travis it wouldn’t have mattered. Bill and Nancy had been asked if they were dating, despite Bill being happily married to Ellen, and neither of them cared.
Then again, neither of them was secretly pining for the other, and Lance was… well.
Anyway. They’d been asked this tons of times, so it was automatic for Lance to say, “No, we’re just best friends.”
“I can’t believe my fucking luck,” Travis muttered, not even really paying attention now that he’d been told about the source of the fire. “Two guys in one day.�
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“Maybe it’s a sign,” Adam said in that dry tone that they’d all thought was genuinely serious until Luke explained to them that “No, it was sarcasm, please don’t take him seriously,” and “Oh my God guys! No fighting in the bar!”
Travis lazily flipped Adam off. Lance focused on the fire chief. “What’s the extent of the damage? It looked pretty bad from here.” Then he winced. That probably wasn’t the most thoughtful thing to say in front of Travis.
“Kitchen’s definitely done for,” the fire chief explained, “and most of the first floor. We were able to contain the fire before it could reach the second floor, but it’s gotten the first floor ceilings so I wouldn’t trust the integrity of the floors up there. You’d need to do pretty much an entire remodel.” He laughed. “Sorry, look at me, talking like a contractor. Point is…” The man’s face grew serious again. “It’s not as bad as it could have been, and luckily it didn’t spread to another house, and nobody was hurt. But it’s a lot of damage. It’ll take time to rebuild.
“But if you want, you can arrange something with us. A couple of my boys can go in and test the floors, maybe help retrieve some valuables that you don’t want to leave at the mercy of weakened floorboards. A contractor will do those things for you, too, if you want. I know some guys, but that might take a few days.”
It was evident to Lance that Travis wasn’t in the mental space to be thinking about any of this. Well, just like people wondering if they were dating, it wouldn’t be the first time he took the reins, and it wouldn’t be the last.
“Thank you,” he said, standing up and pulling out his phone. “If I can get your number—we’d appreciate that.”
He got the phone number for the firehouse and some additional information. “I’m Tom, by the way,” the guy added at the end, “and feel free to call, even if it’s a non-fire-related thing.”