Better Together: Boys of Talbert Hall #3

by Ward, Quinn

  “I hope so.” Fuck, he should be elated about Chase’s reaction, but he still sounded so damn sad, almost like he couldn’t bring himself to believe Chase wasn’t lying.

  “Either way, you can't change it now, so there's no point stressing out about it anymore.”

  Colin leaned forward, making grabby hands toward the desk. “Why did you leave lunch all the way over there? I'm starving.”

  “I figured you would be.” I let him go long enough to grab the food. He piled everything onto one plate before settling back into his place between my legs. “You do remember there's plenty of food in the kitchen, right?”

  “Yeah, but that would've required peopling,” he pointed out before taking a massive bite out of the sandwich that was supposed to be mine. Luckily, he and I had similar tastes. “I didn't want to accidentally run into Jayden.”

  “Why not?” I popped a few grapes into my mouth. Colin could eat until he was full; I could always grab leftovers for myself. I was just happy to see his appetite return.

  “I don't want him upset with me. Chase might be acting all cool now, but he wasn't when I first told him. He was confused and angry. I actually had to get his sippy cup and tell him he needed to lay down and rest.”

  I couldn't help but laugh. I could just imagine how awkward that moment was for the brothers. But maybe it shouldn't be. Once all of us got past our own hang-ups, we had a pretty unique little family here. And hopefully, everyone else would be as accepting of our relationship because Chase had been.

  We didn't talk much as we ate. With every bite, Colin’s body seemed to deflate a bit, as if he’d used every last bit of energy and was struggling to stay awake long enough to fill his stomach. We were definitely taking a nap. It would probably be the first decent sleep he'd gotten in weeks.

  I wished we had seen the signs of how hard it was on him sooner, but as I'd told Colin, there was nothing we could do about it now. Colin sagged against me and his plate slid on to the mattress. I pushed it out of the way and pulled back the sheets. It wasn’t easy to maneuver around both of us, but I managed.

  “Come on, baby. Let’s get some rest before Zach gets home.” He mumbled something as we laid down, then he burrowed against my chest.

  “Yeah. Sleep is good,” he muttered, a good ten minutes later. I kissed the top of his head, whispering how I felt about him until I finally drifted off, too.

  18

  Zach

  “Can someone please explain to me why we’re going out with the guys tonight, instead of staying in to celebrate while everyone else is out of the suite?” I grumbled, even as I pulled on the pants Colin had laid out for me. This, someone else being in control of decisions for me, was weird as hell. I was a grown man, more than capable of taking care of myself, and yet, I got hard as soon as I walked into our room and saw that Colin had taken the time to lay out clothes for me while I showered the caked flour and stench of stale pizza off myself.

  Today had been an absolute nightmare at work, and socializing was the last thing I wanted to do. A quiet night, curled up with the guys, watching a movie until things inevitably took a turn to sexual pleasure, was something I’d been looking forward to. I’d totally forgotten that we’d agreed to a little roommate bonding time.

  The only thing I felt like doing less than hanging out with the guys, was going out with all of them when we’d be on display.

  “Because now that Chase knows about us, we need to let the rest of the guys know. And this seems a hell of a lot easier than sitting everyone down for a formal talk about it,” Daniel informed me. He made it sound like our relationship was something they had any right to have an opinion about.

  “We shouldn't have to make a big deal about it,” I complained. “If they don’t like it, they can go fuck themselves. I don’t remember Jayden or Matt and Brandon coming to us to find out what we thought about their love lives.”

  “You’re absolutely right. They don’t get to say anything about us being together,” Colin agreed. “That's why we’re going to go out and act like nothing's changed. Because it hasn't. Other than the fact we don't have to keep pretending like we're just friends whenever somebody else walks into the room. Won’t it be nice to curl up together on movie night?”

  As if demonstrating what he meant, Colin stepped in behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist. I dropped my hands to my sides when he reached for my zipper. If Colin wanted to help me get dressed, who was I to argue? Besides, I wouldn't admit to it, but I was starting to realize that I liked being taking care of. I’d never go to the lengths Chase or Matt did, but I could get into this part.

  “I suppose you're right,” I conceded, leaning back against him. Colin kissed his way up the side of my neck. I moaned when he cupped my dick, giving it a gentle squeeze.

  “Think of all the fun I can have with you now that everyone will know what's going on,” Colin whispered in my ear. I wasn't sure if he meant it to be a promise or threat. “I could pull a blanket over our laps and tease you all night. But you wouldn’t say anything because you wouldn’t want them to know. You’d be embarrassed, but you’d be turned on, too. Wouldn’t you?”

  Before Colin and Daniel, exhibitionism wasn't my thing, but maybe the problem wasn't that I was turned off by it so much as I had never considered doing it with the right people.

  “Yes,” I hissed. My eyes rolled back in my head and I licked my lips as I allowed myself to feel everywhere Colin’s hands roamed. My dick throbbed inside my pants, and I wanted to beg him to get me off. A little stress relief would make it much easier to people tonight.

  “You’re so damn perfect when you stop overthinking things. It's going to be hard to keep my hands off you,” Colin admitted, giving my dick a couple quick strokes over my jeans. I bucked my hips, chasing his touch as he released me.

  I nearly jumped when someone pounded on the door, but Colin held me tight. Daniel appeared in front of me, wrapping his arms tightly around both of us, the two of them caging me in so I couldn't run away.

  If you assholes are riding with the rest of us, you better get your dicks put away and your asses in gear,” Jayden hollered.

  My entire face flamed red-hot with embarrassment. It felt different from before when they knew I was screwing random women in my room. Now, they all knew the one secret I'd tried to hide from everyone: that a dick shoved up my ass turned me on quicker than sticking my cock in any hole could.

  “Daniel and I will wait for you out in the living room,” Colin informed me. He picked up my sweater and tossed it to me. “If we’re all in here, we’ll never leave.”

  “That sounds like a damn good idea to me.”

  "Ha, you wish,” Daniel scoffed. “Maybe if you hurry, Colin will give you a treat when we get home.”

  “Do I look like a fucking puppy to you?” I ground out.

  Daniel scrubbed his chin and glanced at Colin. The two of them flashed mirroring smirks, and I knew I was in trouble.

  “It was a figure of speech guys,” I quickly protested. The two of them were dangerous. God only knew what predicament I’d find myself in if they started conspiring against me.

  “I don't know, I bet you’d look cute with a little tail sticking out of your ass. You’d love that—feeling the weight of the plug pressing on your prostate as it stretched you out. And we could find you a hood. You might like it.”

  “No way.” No. I held my hands up in protest. “You guys are not turning me into your little human puppy.”

  “Don't knock it until you try it,” Colin advised. “I think Daniel is right. That might be something we need to explore at some point.”

  “No, we don’t,” I assured them. This was me putting my foot down. I’d read a bit about puppy play and, while it was intriguing, it wasn’t for me. “I thought the two of you were waiting for me out there.” I made a shooing motion, hoping they'd get the hell out and give me a couple minutes of privacy to get my aching dick under control.

  “Have you even thoug
ht about it? Do you know what it's about?” Daniel teased. “It wasn’t that long ago, you swore you weren’t into guys, either. Is this like that?”

  “Yeah. I've heard of it,” I told them. “And, no, this isn’t like me being scared to come out. I don't need to be paraded around on a leash.”

  Jayden sounded at the door again. “Come on, fuckers. We’re wasting time.”

  “Why the hell is he in such a hurry?” I grumbled as I pulled on my sweater.

  It was weird how excited everyone else was about the fall festival. It wasn't a campus thing, where everyone there would be our age and the beer would be flowing freely. This was a family event at some farm on the other side of town.

  “You seriously haven't figured it out yet?” Colin rolled his eyes. He held out a hand to me as I stuffed my feet into my boots. They were tight and stiff because I rarely wore them, but Colin had picked them out, so I would suffer through whatever pain they caused me. “Pay close attention tonight. I think you are about to learn even more about your roommates than they’ll figure out about us.”

  “Or one of you two assholes could just tell me?” I protested. Maybe I should be happy the two of them were so respectful of other people’s privacy; it meant I didn’t have to worry about either of them over-sharing about us. But being on the outside sucked. I wanted them to tell me because that’s what partners did. We weren’t supposed to keep secrets from one another.

  Colin’s palm cracked against my hip. “Watch your tone.”

  The swat didn’t hurt, but I still rubbed the spot where he’d hit me. That had the opposite effect of what needed to happen. I was even harder now and could feel a damp spot in the front of my underwear. “I’m sorry.”

  “I know you are.” Colin cradled my face and brushed his cheek against mine as he whispered, “It’s not that I don’t want to tell you, but this is something I really think will be easier if you pay attention and then ask questions.”

  “Okay.” His soothing voice worked to extinguish my frustration and feelings of being left out. As it turned out, I didn’t need them to wait for me in the other room. I slipped my hand into Colin’s. I would have taken Daniel’s as well, but that would just look weird. “I’m ready to go.”

  * * *

  I fought the urge to roll my eyes as we got out of Brandon’s new SUV. We were seriously out of place here. Every other family in the parking lot had little kids in tow, and then there was a group of college kids. We’d probably get the side eye from everyone, even if they didn’t realize we were all gay.

  “Relax, it’s going to be fun,” Colin promised me as he fell in step beside me. “Who knows, this might be just what all of us need to get rid of the last of the tension at home.”

  “I think it’s going to take more than running around a farm at night to do that,” I scoffed.

  As much as I wasn't looking forward to it, I knew talking to the guys had to happen sooner rather than later. I grabbed Daniel's hand, stopping so the three of us could talk for a second. Given the number of times I'd screwed up over the past year, I didn't want to go into this without at least making sure they thought it was a good idea.

  “I think it’s time for us to come clean with everyone. Not having to sneak around the suite is going to do a hell of a lot more than playing a bunch of kiddie games.” I bristled as soon as I said that last part. Chase and Matt had been stupidly excited about the festival, so it was probably a bad idea to shit on that when I was trying to get them back on my good side.

  “I think that's a good idea,” Colin agreed. “But a word to the wise, try to keep an open mind the rest of the night. If you keep making snide comments about how childish everything here is, you're going to upset somebody. You want them to buy your apology, you need to prove you mean it in your actions. Not everyone’s like you, Zach.”

  “Why do I feel like I'm missing something huge?” I watched as Jayden pulled something out of the backpack he now took everywhere with him. Chase stuffed whatever Jayden gave him into his pocket and beamed up at his boyfriend.

  “You are, but that's only because you haven't been paying attention.” Daniel chuckled. “Keep an open mind, and don’t be afraid to ask questions if you still don’t understand. They won’t have a problem talking about their relationships as long as you’re respectful.”

  “You guys keep saying that and it's really starting to piss me off,” I grumbled. This was stupid. I should have just stayed home and let them have their secrets and inside jokes. “I know I’ve been an asshole, but I’m trying to fix that. That’s the whole point of this shit, isn’t it?”

  “Let's go. I think it's time to make things right with the guys. And remember, you're not alone. We’re all in this together.” Colin grabbed one hand and Daniel took the other. We were still way back from the rest of the group, but quickly gaining on them.

  “I don't want them to think I'm only doing this because you guys made me,” I admitted. My hands were clammy, and my throat felt thick. Just fucking once, I wished being true to myself didn’t make me feel weak as fuck. They all made it look so simple. And that was the root of why I wanted to hate them. They didn’t understand how hard it was for someone like me to be gay.

  “They won't think that,” Daniel reassured me.

  “I hope you're right.” I sucked in a deep breath and held it, closing my eyes for a few seconds. When I opened them, we were right behind our friends. They were laughing and joking, like this wasn’t the moment the bottom could drop out of their lives. Probably because it wasn’t. That was something only I felt.

  My heart raced as we joined the rest of the guys. I hadn't realized just how much damage I had done to my friendships, or how long I’d been floating aimlessly, trying to find a way to make things right. This really did feel like a fresh start for me, if only I could get over myself.

  Without a word, Daniel took the lead and found a picnic table for all of us to sit at. He gave me a reassuring nod before telling everyone he was going to grab a round of drinks. I would have felt better if he’d meant shots, but this was very much a family festival and there was no alcohol in sight.

  Everyone stared at me, waiting for me to start conversation. I cleared my throat, trying to figure out what to say.

  “So, I bet you're all wondering why I called you here tonight,” I joked. Matt chuckled and the corner of Brandon's mouth lifted in a smirk. Chase offered me a shy smile and nodded subtly, but Jayden didn't show the slightest bit of amusement.

  Fuck, he was going to be the hard one to get through to. Now that I had my head out of my ass, I couldn't blame him. If anyone treated Colin or Daniel the way I had Chase, I wasn’t sure I could ever forgive them.

  “I know Chase and Colin talked earlier today, so I wanted to clear the air about some things,” I began. Colin took my hand and leaned against the edge of the picnic table. No one was sitting, which made things easier because I wasn’t looking down at them. “I know you guys might not like what I’m about to say, but I need you to believe I’m trying to do better.”

  I looked directly at Chase, hoping he knew I meant him. He tilted his head to the side and smiled again. When he nodded, I continued. “I'm really sorry about that. I had a lot of shit going on in my head and I took it out on you. That wasn't fair or right, but it’s the only explanation I’ve got.

  “It's okay,” Chase assured me. “I get that it hasn't been easy for you. It's all water under the bridge, as far as I'm concerned.”

  “I appreciate that, but I still needed to make sure you all know I feel like shit about the way I've acted.” I sucked in a deep breath and wiped my clammy hands against my jeans. It wasn’t that it was all on me to tell them about us, but I wanted it to be. If they were going to take it badly, I’d rather have their focus on me. “Daniel and Colin have made me face all the ways I fucked up. Colin wasn’t here to see a lot of it, but I’m sure he’s heard about it. And for some reason, he’s still giving me a chance. Both of them are. And I’ll get it if y
ou think they deserve better than me. Hell, I agree, but this is how it’s gonna be. So yeah, this is me, trying to do better, not lying to you guys anymore.”

  “And if you don't, you have us to kick your ass,” Daniel teased, but I wasn't sure he was joking. I hoped he wasn't. Everyone grabbed a cup of hot cider and squeezed onto the benches of the picnic table. I blushed when Colin pulled me onto his lap because there was no more room to sit.

  “I guess that's really all I had to say. If there's any way I can make it up to you, let me know.”

  I waited for someone to tell us how fucked up it was that the three of us were together, but if they felt that way, no one said anything. Jayden and Brandon went back to nursing their drinks. Chase and Matt stared whispering back and forth, putting me on edge. They were the two I worried about the most because… Hell, I didn’t even know why, other than because my gut told me I’d hurt them the most by how I’d acted. Chase started talking animatedly with Jayden, who kept looking over at me. He cocked his head to the side and the corner of his mouth tipped up as he nodded.

  “Jayden says there’s time for us to go to the bounce bag before the hayride,” Chase announced as he stood. He held out his hand for money, then dragged Matt off the bench. They bounded over to me like kids who were being let loose.

  Matt wrapped his hand around my wrist. “Let’s go!”

  “Uh, not sure that’s my thing,” I hedged.

  But why in the hell wasn’t it? I’d seen other adults on it when we’d walked past, and it looked fun. The difference was, they were all with their families, and I assumed they were doing it to humor their kids.

  “Have you tried it?” Matt challenged.

  “Well, no,” I admitted.

  “Then how can you say you don’t like it?” Chase chimed in. “I think you’re just a big chicken.”

  “Am not!” I protested. Now I was the one dragging Chase toward the damned bouncy bag. I was going to make a total fool of myself, but I didn’t care at this point. I wasn’t a damned chicken. “Bet you I can bounce higher than you.”