He reached for Ben’s hand and squeezed it a little to reassure him. “I’m fine, so don’t worry. Okay?”
“Okay.”
The night went on, and Ben was having a good time. He followed as Oliver made his way through the guests, doling out smiles and greetings to family members and friends he recognized, and some he didn’t.
Everyone liked them. Ben was at the fanciest party he’d ever attended, and he was not made to feel out of place. And even better, he got to spend time with his best friend.
As expected, a photographer approached them and led them to the outer upper deck to the forward railing and arranged Ben and Oliver side-by-side with the silver moonlight diffused across the inky black ocean.
“Now would you mind hugging and looking into each other’s eyes?” the photographer asked.
Ben’s hands found Oliver’s hips and stared into Oliver’s eyes. He found himself clinging to Oliver tightly. Oliver’s hands circled around his waist. Holding on to the embrace, he looked at Ben with adoration in his eyes.
“That’s it, beautiful. You’re the perfect couple.”
A rush swept through him and throttled his heart; the heat was building in his stomach, and he felt like whatever this feeling was, it was so pure that he couldn’t handle it. He felt a strange desire to care for Oliver, to show the affection he felt towards his best friend, his fake boyfriend. But then, an overwhelming urge to pull away kicked in as the crazy desire of his lower head stirred awake.
But he kept holding Oliver.
In an ideal world, the moment would last forever. The intimacy from holding him by the railing would never end. But it wasn’t an ideal world, and he had to let go.
When they parted, Ben felt that having Oliver’s arms around his waist was strangely enticing. He’d given Oliver plenty of ‘bro hugs’ in the past, but this was very different.
“Okay, thanks guys,” the photographer said.
As the photographer packed up and left, Ben turned to Oliver. “Should we get another drink?”
“Sure, I could have another one,” Oliver said. “That felt good. I swear you feel more toned every time I touch you.”
“Me? You don’t even go to the gym, and I was surprised. You’re really in shape,” Ben said.
“Oh, stop it,” Oliver laughed and waved him off. “I’m not in shape.”
Oliver’s mom appeared. She gestured for Oliver to come over.
“Should I get you a vodka-cranberry?” Ben asked.
“Thanks, I won’t be long,” Oliver said.
Ben walked over to the bar and ordered drinks. He inventoried the room while the bartender fixed up his drinks, and a familiar face caught his eye.
“Hey, you,” Harry’s fiancée said.
Ben struggled to remember her name. Joan? Jane? That was it, Jane. “Hey, how are you liking the party?”
He hated forgetting people’s names.
“I’m having a great time. Harry couldn’t be bothered to come down, but I didn’t see the point of staying in the cabin. We’re supposed to be celebrating his niece’s wedding, after all.”
“I agree,” Ben said.
“We’re hoping to get married in a few months, and I only hope that I have a celebration half as good as Erica,” Jane said.
“It is a lovely party,” Ben acknowledged.
A brief silence fell over them while they sipped their drinks. Ben wasn’t sure what to say to her; thankfully, he didn’t need to.
“So, I wanna know something,” Jane said.
“Oh?”
“Are you really gay?” Jane asked. Her smile was flirtatious. “I don’t want to be rude. I just…”
Her eyes trailed downwards as she took him in — her lips parted, slightly. Her eyes were calculating and wild.
Be smiled back, tight-lipped but friendly. The scent of alcohol on her breath became apparent. He wanted to leave before she said something to offend him.
“Yes, I’m gay.”
When his drinks arrived, Ben collected them, toasted her glass and decided to get the hell away from her. All he wanted at that moment was to get back to Oliver. His stomach began churning with agitation; he wasn’t sure why he felt so afraid, but all he could think of was Oliver.
Jane leaned into him. “I’ll see you around,” she whispered. She leaned back and glanced about her.
Ben turned on the spot to face Oliver.
“Here you go.” Ben handed Oliver his drink.
“Thanks,” Oliver said. He held out his glass for a toast. “To us!”
“To us,” Ben said.
Ben felt the tension and fear leave his body. Oliver was the only person that held his attention in the room, and everything seemed so right.
7
Oliver
Oliver woke up. He lifted his head off the pillow next to him. It smelled like Ben — that minty, spicy smell of his aftershave or cologne or he didn’t even know what, but ‘nice’ didn’t come close to doing it justice. Ben’s salty, masculine smell was also apparent. It was also strong and sweet, but most of all, it was comforting.
He dropped his head down onto the pillow. He was way too tired to get up and go down for breakfast, which was where he assumed Ben had gotten to as the cabin was silent, apart from the sound of his own light breathing.
Of course he found Ben’s scent deeply arousing — at a primal level. He felt every inch of his morning erection swell and pulse through to his core. His balls pressed into the mattress and rubbed against the fabric of his boxer briefs. They tingled.
He had a phenomenal time with Ben last night, and from what he recalled, they were so drunk when they went to sleep that sharing a bed wasn’t a problem. But Oliver moaned in the pillow. He never expected to become sexually aroused and stiff from inhaling Ben’s scent on his pillow. He was torn between excitement and indignation.
Tentatively, he shifted in bed and raised his head, again. He scrubbed his eyes.
The bedroom door opened and closed. It was not long before he became aware of another smell in the room.
It was bacon and coffee. He turned around and saw Ben across the room carrying two plates.
“Morning.” Ben beamed.
“Breakfast in bed?” Oliver said. “You are the best fake boyfriend.”
“The only fake boyfriend you’ll ever need,” Ben said. “I want to dazzle you so much that I’ll set the bar for your future boyfriends.”
“Who says I’ll meet another guy in the future?” Oliver joked as he sat up and took his plate. “This is so sweet. There was no need. You should have just ordered room service. I’m feeling like a zombie this morning. You must be just as tired or even more, in fact. You drank twice as much as I did.”
“I’m fine,” Ben said. “And I wanted to bring you breakfast.”
“Thanks.” Oliver almost whispered the word, but he forced his voice to a louder volume. “I’m touched that you decided to do this.”
The gesture was so heart-meltingly cute, and it made him feel special. It was something none of his boyfriends had done. He was filled with an odd feeling to suppress his emotions at that point. He didn’t dare share that he wished Ben was his real boyfriend or that he at least hoped to find someone exactly like him.
Oliver shuffled over, and Ben got into bed beside him.
“Last night was great,” Ben said.
“Does that include when Dad pulled you away to have a chat?” Oliver asked. Ben and his dad went up onto the deck for a ‘talk.’ Oliver tried not to freak out when it happened, and he knew his dad just wanted to know more about Ben. So it shouldn’t have been a big deal.
“It wasn’t long before he was dragging me back downstairs to the bar,” Ben said.
“You don’t need to tell me. That’s how I found you guys. Drunk off your faces,” Oliver said. “When Mom told me that Dad had ‘stolen’ you for a little chat, I freaked out and rushed to find you on deck, but of course found the both of you at the bar.”
“You
r dad really knows how to handle his vodka. He pretty much threw it back as like it was water, ” Ben said. “We only stayed on deck for a few minutes. I think he wanted to see what type of guy could win over his son.”
“I figured you needed me to get you away from Dad,” Oliver said, between bites. “And when I saw you at the bar, I was scared that you would slip up.”
“You should have more faith in me,” Ben said.
“I know, I know,” Oliver said.
“And your dad was really cool,” Ben said.
“What did you guys talk about? Dad was singing your praises all night,” Oliver said.
“We just talked about getting in shape, sports, and the wedding,” Ben replied. “It was all pretty casual. I think he just wanted to make sure I was the type of guy who’d treat you right.”
“Well, he seemed pleased with you.” Oliver sipped his coffee.
“I think I got along pretty well with everyone at the party,” Ben remarked.
“You could say that again,” Oliver said. “You were definitely a hit with the ladies. My mom and sister couldn’t stop commenting on how cute and charming you were. And what about Jane? I would have sworn that she had a thing for you.”
Oliver couldn’t help feeling a little jealous after seeing Ben and Jane at the bar together. He was used to women sneaking looks at Ben, but this time, things were a little different; or maybe it just felt that way. The more he embraced the role of Ben’s boyfriend, the more he struggled with feelings that left him confused.
“I doubt that,” Ben said. “She’s Harry’s fiancée after all.
Oliver said. “That seemed quick.”
“Some people know what they want and go for it, I guess,” Ben said.
They ate their breakfast with a stray comment here and there, and when he finished, Oliver offered to take the plates back down, but Ben wouldn’t let him.
Oliver decided to share with Ben what he felt when he saw Jane at the bar speaking with him. The flood of emotions from the previous night ebbed back into the sea of his consciousness.
“How ridiculous I was being, I know, I mean… Come on, for a moment, I was legit jealous of the two of you. It really looked like you two were conspiring to run away together.”
“Really?” Ben chuckled. “I didn’t know you felt that way. She asked if I were really gay. I think she’d had a little too much to drink.”
“I don’t know what got into me. I must have had too much to drink as well. I mean, in my rational state of mind, I wouldn’t get jealous of you whispering with a girl at a party.”
“I get it,” Ben said. “And you have nothing to worry about.”
“Well, obviously. You’ve definitely shown me that you know how to treat a guy right,” Oliver said. “I’m going to hop in the shower.”
“Go for it.”
Oliver climbed out of bed, grabbed his towel and slung it over his shoulder. They were both a little quiet as they moved about the cabin.
“Whoa. When did you get so ripped?” Ben asked.
He turned to see Ben staring at him, looking amazed. Oliver had got into the habit of hiding his body from Ben ever since he put on a few pounds. It was only because he was drunk the night before that he wore his boxer briefs. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have felt so confident about wandering around, shirtless, in front of Ben’s sculptured body.
Having a best friend as a gym instructor sometimes made him self-conscious about his weight gain, and even though he knew Ben probably didn’t care, it still didn’t help.
Ben reached out to touch Oliver’s abs. His fingertips lightly grazed them. A sudden wave of pleasure left Oliver’s knees weak; his skin twitched, and he had to catch his breath. Luckily, Oliver turned away just before his cock pushed through through his boxer briefs.
It might have been nothing for Ben to touch another guy’s abs or even lower back. Guys were always touching each other at the gym. During high school, straight guys smacked each others’ butts or wrestled naked in the locker room after gym class. But Oliver was careful to avoid romping around with straight guys.
He also firmly cemented it into his brain to never stare at Ben’s shirtless, heavenly body.
For a few seconds, Oliver was rendered speechless. “I have my secrets.” Oliver laughed, low pitched and lilting. “I’m gonna shower if you don’t mind. I won’t be too long.”
“All right, bud.”
He made a mental note to tell Ben the truth, which was that he had been working out twice a week. Sit-ups, push-ups, and crunches in the mornings. Ben’s reaction was enough to let Oliver know that he’d made significant progress.
It wasn’t a minute later when Oliver found himself standing in the shower.
“Look at you, caring so much about how Ben looks at you,” he whispered to himself. “You gotta get a grip. You’re seeing things that don’t exist.”
He told his body to calm the hell down. Ben was his fake boyfriend, but that was as close to being his boyfriend he’d ever be. It wasn’t weird to be complemented by Ben or to be touched by him; they even cuddled during movie nights. However, it was an odd feeling as they were pretending to be a real couple.
Oliver hung his head, feeling the water wash through his hair. He felt that he needed to get himself under control.
He stepped out of the shower, wrapped his towel around his waist and walked steadily into the bedroom area.
“Whew!” Oliver gasped. “Rejuvenated.”
He tried to sound cool. This time there was no raging erection to hide, but there sure as hell was a fire beneath his cheeks that Oliver hoped Ben wouldn’t notice.
Ben was already dressed. He was sitting on the bed, going over the welcome packet. “We’ve got a big day ahead of us.”
“Okay, I won’t be long,” Oliver said. He hesitated, deciding if he was ready to get naked in front of Ben.
Ben must have sensed Oliver’s shyness. “Do you need a little privacy?”
Oliver shrugged. “As long as you don’t peep,” he said. “You might not be ready for what you’re about to see.”
“I’m curious.” Ben smiled.
Oliver swallowed a light chuckle as he met Ben’s stare. Suddenly, there wasn’t a hint of joking or teasing, but a longing in Ben’s expression. There was a glint in his eyes that told Oliver his best friend was curious, and that his curiosity was edged by something else — what, he wasn’t sure.
Oliver unwrapped his towel, dried himself off and got dressed. He told himself that he was being silly; Ben wasn’t interested in his body. He was fairly sure that Ben was just being polite.
He dressed silently.
“I don’t know,” Oliver said. A glance in the mirror showed him that he didn’t look as good as he felt.
“Lookin’ good,” Ben said as he came to stand beside Oliver.
“Really?”
“Yes,” Ben confirmed. “You’re going to turn heads today.”
“I never turn heads,” Oliver said with a laugh.
“You always turn heads. I mean, you’re really hot,” Ben said. “If I were gay…” He trailed off, seemingly unsure about how to continue.
The reflection of Ben’s soft but hesitant eyes stared at Oliver. And for a few thrilling seconds, Oliver found himself captive.
A long, silence was drawn out between them, and a tension filled the air.
“Sorry, I beg to differ. I don’t think I’d ever be able to attract a guy like you.”
“Come on, you don’t believe that, do you?” Ben laughed with disbelief.
“No, I’m serious,” Oliver mumbled.
“Stop. You don’t see what I see. Oliver, I told you you’re hot. And I meant it.”
Oliver opened his mouth and immediately closed it. For a shocked, silent second, he didn’t know what to say.
“Whew,” Oliver sighed quietly. His innermost insecurity had come out of his mouth, and Ben had easily diffused it. “Thanks. You must think that I’m being silly.”
�
�I don’t. And I only laughed because I was shocked that you can’t see what I see,” Ben said, giving him a slow once over.
Oliver thought about Ben’s arms around his waist as they posed for the photo with the hauntingly beautiful sunset. But what did it mean? What did Ben see in him? Was he curious? Interested in making their fake relationship real? Or was this just wishful thinking on Oliver’s part?
He needed to do everything in his power not to end up pining for Ben. The last thing he wanted was to ruin their friendship and to have his heart bruised. The fact that Ben was gorgeous, understanding and caring was undeniable. Oliver was only human. It was natural to be attracted to him. No wonder Jane watched Ben as if she wanted to jump on him then and there at last night’s party. He couldn’t understand how she could look at Ben the way she did and still love his uncle. Even so, she was another person he knew who was getting married.
Oliver experienced a sharp pang of longing as he realized that everyone seemed to be getting married and he had yet to find himself a serious partner.
“Listen, you’re going to find the right guy,” Ben said, prompting Oliver to face him. “If you want, when we get back, we could go out to bars. You should get back onto the dating scene. I’ll be your wingman this time.”
“Only if you agree to return to the dating scene with me,” Oliver said.
“Sure, dude. You have a deal!” Ben said.
Determined not to let his insane thoughts make things weird, Oliver decided to let go and have fun.
“I let you win since I’m a gentleman.” Ben sighed.
Oliver raised an eyebrow. “You know, I had the same idea. I was trying my best to let you win.”
The video game room was one of the most luxuriously dorky arcades that Oliver had ever seen. And even though the place was overrun by teenagers, when Oliver and Ben entered, they couldn’t pass up the chance to see if they had Mario Kart.
After finding an arcade machine that had their favorite game, they spent twenty minutes in line waiting for a turn, but that proved to be too long of a wait. In the end, they gave up and found an empty air hockey table. Eventually, they finished their second game and walked out of the gaming area.
Wedding Fever Page 6