Rocket Science

by K. M. Neuhold

  “Oh my god, that place is to die for, and there are always super-hot guys there,” Alex adds helpfully, and Theo’s expression finally softens.

  “Hot guys?” he repeats.

  “Ridiculously hot guys. Like, all the firemen hang out there after their shifts.”

  “Way to bury the lead; always start with firemen,” he scolds. “What are we waiting for?”

  Theo throws an arm around my shoulder, and I lean into his embrace as a way of silent apology for lying to him. There’s no point in starting a fight between him and Pax when this thing is never going to last anyway.

  Alex and Theo get along even better than I expected, loudly checking out every man in the restaurant while we chow down on our burgers. When my phone vibrates in my pocket again, my heart leaps into my throat, and my smile from earlier returns. I pull it out, keeping it under the table while I read the message from Pax.

  Pax: Flight just landed, a full week off ahead of me, and I can’t think of anything but you in my bed. Meet me at my place?

  My stomach swoops and flutters, heat rising in my cheeks, my cock growing hard. I glance up to make sure Alex and Theo are still distracted before I type back.

  Elijah: Ugh, I would but something kind of came up

  Pax: What came up?

  I finally bring my phone into full view.

  “Smile, Theo.”

  He gives me a huge grin, and I snap a picture, immediately sending it to Pax.

  “That for my brother?” he guesses.

  “Yup, he’s probably still at the airport, but I’m betting he’ll get down here as fast as he can to see you.”

  Pax: Holy shit, Theo’s in town?

  Elijah: Yup. Meet us at Frankie’s if you want

  Pax: I’ll be there in an hour

  “He says about an hour,” I let him know.

  “Cool. I need to pee,” Theo announces, getting up from the table. As soon as he’s gone, I turn my attention on Alex.

  “Okay, so, here’s the deal. You know Pax?”

  “Your hottie hookup, yes,” Alex nods and makes a motion with his hand for me to go on.

  “The thing is, that’s Theo’s brother.”

  Alex’s eyes go wide, his grin becoming huge. “Holy shit. He doesn’t know you’re banging his brother?”

  I cringe at the crude language.

  “No, he doesn’t. Please don’t tell him.”

  He mimes zipping and locking his lips, and I let out a relieved breath.

  Pax

  I toss my bags on the bed and jump into the shower when I get back to the apartment, hurrying through it so I can get over to where Elijah and my brother are hanging out. As I’m stepping out of the shower, my phone pings from its place on the bathroom counter. I reach for it, expecting another text from Elijah, but find one from Bishop instead.

  Bishop: Hudson is threatening to send out a search party if you don’t send us proof of life ASAP

  I chuckle and snap a quick picture, attaching it to a group text for all three of my friends.

  Hudson: Without a newspaper, we can’t be sure this photo is from today

  Bishop: That’s true, if you’ve been kidnapped, your kidnapper may be sending an old photo to keep us from getting suspicious

  Seph: I for one am suspicious because our Paxton would NEVER go a whole month without seeing us even once

  I grimace, guilt swamping me.

  Pax: Sorry guys, I’ve been busy with work

  Hudson: You’re always busy with work, dude. I’m betting you’ve been busy with something a little more fun

  Seph: Like that adorable nerd you brought over and then went back to selfishly hoarding all to yourself

  Pax: It’s not like that

  Bishop: Leave him alone, guys. If he doesn’t want to talk about it, he doesn’t have to

  Hudson: Bullshit he doesn’t have to

  Seph: Tell you what, we’ll forgive you if you come out with us tonight AND stay out later than nine

  Pax: I can’t; my brother just got into town. I’m headed out to meet up with him and Elijah

  Hudson: Where? We’ll meet you there

  I send them the name of the place.

  Pax: But seriously guys, my brother is SUPER protective of Elijah, so none of that suggestive shit, ok?

  Hudson: So you DON’T want your brother to know you’re giving it to his best friend?

  Pax: I just told you it’s not like that. If you can’t behave, don’t show up just to cause trouble

  Bishop: No trouble, I promise to keep that asshole in line

  Hudson: Oh baby, you know I love it when you talk dirty

  Seph: Enough with the foreplay already *eyeroll*

  Pax: See you guys in a bit

  I stride into the bedroom and toss my phone down on the bed so I can get dressed.

  *****

  Hudson, Bishop, Seph, and I all arrive at the same time. The hard time they were giving me via text continues in person, complaints of how long it’s been since I’ve come around turning into jokes about what must be keeping me so busy.

  “I know I’ve been a shitty friend recently. I promise I’ll do better.”

  “We’re going to hold you to that,” Hudson warns.

  We all head inside, and Theo jumps up from the table to give me a hug.

  “Thanks for taking such good care of Elijah. He’s happy, I can tell,” he whispers as I squeeze him back.

  A mixture of guilt and happiness washes over me. As I let go of my brother, my eyes meet Elijah’s, and he gives me one of those shy little smiles that drive me so crazy, his cheeks pinking. It’s all I can do to not throw him over my shoulder and carry him back to my place like a caveman.

  Releasing Theo from the hug, I introduce him to my friends, and, to my relief, they refrain from any more jokes about me and Elijah.

  “Why didn’t you tell me you were coming into town?” I ask, taking a seat across the table from Elijah. “Did you know he was coming?”

  Elijah shakes his head. “He showed up on campus this afternoon; I couldn’t believe it.”

  “It was a spur of the moment decision,” Theo explains, something passing behind his eyes for a fraction of a second before he’s back to his easy smile.

  “Well, I’m glad you’re here,” I tell him.

  “You know what we should do?” Seph says, suddenly excited.

  “Something with tiny birds?” I guess.

  “Or a giant bird,” she counters. “Thanksgiving at my place. I’ll cook for everyone.”

  “That would be fantastic. Better than the turkey sandwiches Hudson and I were planning on,” Bishop says, bumping his shoulder against Hudson’s, who nods enthusiastically in agreement.

  “Can you make stuffing?” Hudson requests, giving her a boyish grin.

  “Of course. It’s not Thanksgiving without stuffing.”

  “This is so great,” Theo says. “I’ll make an apple pie to bring.”

  “Yay, this will be so fun,” Seph declares, clapping her hands together.

  “I’m invited, right?” Alex checks.

  “Of course, the more the merrier,” she says.

  “Awesome, I’ll bring cranberry sauce.”

  I glance over at Elijah who’s been quiet during the whole Thanksgiving discussion.

  “You’ll be there, right, Nerdlet?” I check, stretching my leg out to bump my foot against his under the table. He looks up at me, biting his lip against the smile that threatens to give him away. I dart a glance at Theo out of the corner of my eye, finding his attention on Bishop. I press my foot more firmly against Elijah’s just to see the blush rise in his cheeks again. My body heats from even this slight amount of contact, every cell in my body screaming at me to climb over the table if I have to. Anything to get closer to him.

  What the hell is wrong with me?

  “Yeah, I’ll go,” he agrees.

  “Good.”

  We end up closing out the restaurant. Seph, Bishop, and Hudson push fo
r us to find a bar that’s still open to keep the party going, and Alex is on board with it, but I’m wiped out.

  “I’m beat. I think I’m going to head home and get some sleep.” I glance over at Elijah, wishing like hell again that I could drag him back to my place with me. It’s only been a few weeks, but the fun we get up to on Friday nights is what I look forward to all week. “You coming to crash at my place, T, or what?”

  “I think I’ll go to Elijah’s actually, but let’s get together tomorrow and do some brotherly bonding shit.”

  “You’ve got it,” I agree, giving him one last hug.

  As we all part ways, Theo throws his arm over Elijah’s shoulder, and more guilt hits me in the pit of the stomach. Elijah glances back at me over his shoulder, and I give him a brief wave and a smile.

  Chapter 21

  Elijah

  Theo insists on stopping for snacks on our way back to my apartment, even though we already ate our weight in pizza and garlic bread tonight. He’s excited about it, so I don’t argue.

  When we get back to my place, he dumps the bag of candy and other assorted snacks out on my bed.

  “Let’s put on our pajamas and stuff our faces with sugar, then you can tell me all about this man of yours, because I need details.” He waggles his eyebrows and smiles.

  Heat crawls up my neck and over my cheeks. I’m sure I’m bright red. “There’s not much to talk about.”

  “None of that. I know there are juicy details, and we’re going to talk about them because it’s what best friends do, and I need some best friend time with you.” The hint of desperation behind his otherwise sunny tone stops me from arguing.

  “Okay, yeah,” I agree, turning around to grab pajamas out of my dresser and getting changed with my back to him.

  When I turn back around, he’s in a pair of green flannel pajama pants and a Ramones t-shirt that he’s had since the seventh grade, complete with a giant hole in the right armpit that he doesn’t seem to mind in the slightest. He crawls onto the bed, and I join him, a familiar peace settling over me. There’s no pressure or expectations with Theo; he’s one of the few people who just lets me be. I guess Pax does too, in his own way. He pushes me out of my comfort zone, but only in the best ways.

  Theo grabs a bag of Twizzlers and rips it open, offering me one and shoving one between his teeth.

  “Let’s start with the most important question, what’s his dick like?”

  I nearly choke on the bite of Twizzler in my mouth, coughing and sputtering with surprise from the bluntness of his question. I am not going to describe his brother’s dick to him, even if he’ll never know it’s Pax I’m talking about.

  “All the sudden you want to know about…that? I thought you weren’t on board with me having a casual…whatever.”

  “Well, I doubt I’m going to talk you out of your casual whatever, so I’ve decided to switch to best friend mode instead of protector mode,” he says. “Now, tell me.”

  “It’s nice, I don’t know.” I shrug, setting my candy down so I don’t risk nearly dying again if he asks another personal question.

  “Oh, come on, how big is it? Is he cut? Does he manscape or is he rocking a jungle of pubic hair?”

  “Oh my god,” I mutter, praying for a hole to open up and swallow me so I don’t have to have this conversation. “I don’t know.”

  “What do you mean you don’t know? I thought you two were getting down and dirty?” He cocks his head.

  “We are, but I don’t know. I don’t really want to talk about his…you know.”

  He sighs. “Fine. We don’t have to talk about his dick. Is he good in bed at least?”

  My face gets hot again, and my heart gives a little flutter, images of Pax flipping through my mind rapidly like a highlight reel, his hands and mouth all over me, his deep voice whispering filthy words in my ear as his body moves against mine.

  “Y-yeah,” I answer around a dry throat. I clear my throat and try again. “He’s really good.”

  Theo reaches over and puts a hand on my knee, giving me a half-smile. “That’s something at least,” he says with resignation in his voice. “You like him a lot?”

  Yes, my mind shouts, but I bite my tongue to keep from saying it out loud. “It’s casual,” I answer instead.

  “And you’re okay with that?”

  “Yeah, it’s not like I have time for a boyfriend anyway. School takes up a lot of time, so this is perfect,” I recite the same thing I’ve been telling myself for weeks now, hoping if I say it enough, I’ll believe it.

  “I’m glad,” he says, giving me another smile, but it doesn’t reach his eyes.

  “Is everything okay with you?”

  Theo shoves another Twizzler in his mouth and flops back on the bed, laying his head on my pillow and looking up at the ceiling. I join him, laying down on my back, letting our shoulders touch. This is the same position we were in when we both came out to each other, and when we talked about me leaving to go to CalTech.

  “I’m okay,” he says. “I was seeing this guy for a little while but that ended, and I guess I started feeling pretty lonely after that.”

  “How could you be lonely? You’ve always got a ton of friends around.”

  “Being lonely and being alone aren’t the same thing, E,” he points out, scooting a little closer and resting his head on my shoulder.

  “It’s not?”

  “No,” he says. “I know we were joking, but I am thinking about trying to transfer to the University of Southern California next year to finish my psych PhD.”

  “Really? You should. We could get an apartment together,” I suggest and then realize that would have to mean either Theo would find out about me and Pax or things would have to end. It’ll be ages before Theo moves out here though; I’m sure by then Pax will have found someone a lot more interesting than me.

  “We should,” he agrees, and then he yawns. “I’m sleepy. Want to finish these snacks tomorrow?”

  I chuckle. We didn’t even make a dent in them, which is what I expected. “Yeah, let’s get some sleep.”

  Pax

  I’m sitting at a coffee shop down the block from my house waiting for Theo. My phone vibrates on the table next to my coffee, and I reach for it to see a text from Elijah.

  Einstein: Do you have any idea how awkward it was to have your brother asking me about your dick last night?

  Pax: Wait, why would he think you know about my dick?

  Einstein: Not YOUR dick specifically, but the dick I’m currently…you know.

  Pax: Currently what?

  A shit eating grin forms on my lips. God, I love teasing my little Nerdlet, drawing him out of his shell and seeing the filthy side of him he’s slowly learning to get comfortable with.

  Einstein: You know

  Pax: I’m not sure I do. Tell me.

  Einstein: Sucking. Touching. Getting off on.

  Pax: God, you’re so fucking hot

  Einstein: Omg, did I just sext? Is that sexting, because I was actually kind of good at it, right?

  Pax: Not bad for a first try. We can keep working on it ;)

  My brother swishes through the door, and I put my phone aside, holding up a hand to wave him over.

  “Oh my god, coffee. Yes.” He plops down in the chair opposite of me and swipes my coffee, taking a deep gulp of it.

  “Hey, that’s mine.”

  “Yes, but I’ve loaned you my best friend, so you can share your coffee.”

  In more ways than he knows.

  “Keep that one, I’ll get another.”

  “I feel like we haven’t talked in ages. What’s new? How’s life?” Theo asks as soon as I’m equipped with a new coffee and a couple of muffins for us.

  “Good, working, that’s about it.”

  “You’re a workaholic,” he accuses.

  “Guilty,” I agree. Although, since Elijah and I started fooling around, my mind has been less on work and more on the weekends, which has been kind o
f nice. But his point is still valid.

  “No boyfriend or anything?” he asks. He sounds casual, but there’s something in his tone that makes me wonder if he’s getting suspicious.

  “Nope. You know I don’t do the whole boyfriend thing. I’m shitty at it. I’ve cheated on nice guys. I never make enough time for them; in the end they always end up hating me. It’s easier to pick up some fun at a bar and keep things simple.”

  “Mmhmm.” He studies me over his coffee for several seconds. “Don’t you get lonely?”

  The way he says it, I feel like this is less about me and more about him. There’s a hint of desperation, just like I saw in his eyes last night.

  “We all get lonely sometimes, right? That’s where friends come in and family.” I hold his gaze for several seconds.

  “Yeah,” he agrees.

  “I’m really glad you came out for Thanksgiving.”

  “Me too,” he agrees with a smile.

  Chapter 22

  Elijah

  On Thanksgiving, Pax comes by my place so we can pick up Alex and then all ride over to Seph’s together. It’s been a fun week hanging out with Theo, the three of us exploring the city and spending time together. But being around Pax and not touching him has been pure torture. It hasn’t helped that he’s sent me numerous sexy texts every day, making me so horny I can hardly stand it. And I can’t do anything about it because Theo’s sleeping in my bed with me.

  Pax calls when he’s outside, and Theo and I go down to meet him. Theo calls shotgun, sliding into the front seat while I get in the back. Pax’s eyes, dancing with heat, meet mine through the rearview mirror.

  “Hey,” he says, his deep gravelly voice managing to make the word sound somehow suggestive. My cheeks heat, and amusement joins the lust in his gaze. My stomach dances with longing, my fingers itching to reach out and touch him. How can I want him this badly? It’s like I’m addicted to him on a cellular level. God, it’s going to suck when this ends.