Rapture Coil: A friends-to-lovers gay romance

by Knight,Riley

  How out of place the other man looked in the clean and tidy bank. With his ripped jeans, oversized t-shirt, and long, messy dark hair that hung into his eyes, Josh didn’t fit in here at all.

  Not that that mattered much to Adam, and maybe that was the real reason that Tracy had brought Josh here. He was known to not be judgmental towards anyone that came in.

  “Have a seat. If you’re here to open an account, I can’t help you.” Adam put that right out there on the table. He knew Josh, and couldn’t in good conscience look at his finances. Not only were there rules about that sort of thing, but it was just common sense.

  “I’m not here to open an account. I’m here to see how you’re doing,” Josh said, and his voice was friendly enough, but his eyes were intense. Far too intense, really, especially considering that they didn’t really know each other.

  “I’m at work, Josh. I’m not available for social time,” Adam said, his eyes narrowing slightly as he looked at the other man. What exactly was going on here? Josh had certainly never shown an interest in hanging out before.

  “Right. Of course.” Josh seemed nervous. Why? He was the one who had dropped by, after all. “Just wanted to make sure that you’re doing all right at work.”

  “Okay,” Adam said slowly. “I think you should go, if you don’t want to open an account. If you do, I’ll get one of the other account managers to open one for you.”

  Josh smirked a little, and it was not a pleasant expression.

  “I don’t really get what Liam sees in someone so stuffy,” he said, and then he stood up. “Later, man.”

  He walked for the door, but if Adam thought that the whole ordeal was over, he was very much mistaken. Just as Josh was walking out, another unexpected visitor was walking in.

  * * *

  The woman who walked in was in her late forties, but you wouldn’t know it to look at her. With her immaculate makeup, her blonde hair with gray strands that were easy to hide with hair dye, she looked at least ten years younger.

  Adam sighed softly.

  “What do you want, mom?” he asked quietly. It wasn’t a secret that he was the son of the district manager, but it wasn’t something that he tended to flaunt around, either. He knew that a few people would always assume that he’d gotten this far because of who his mother was, but most people didn’t seem to think so and he wanted to keep it that way.

  “What, exactly, are you doing in the company of a young man like that?” His mother asked, her voice quiet but filled with distaste. “I’ll never understand why you choose to associate with people who are so different from you.”

  Adam arched an eyebrow.

  “I don’t know. He seemed pretty much like me. Two legs, two arms, a head. Human, you know?” Adam wasn’t even sure he liked Josh that much, but it had always irritated him how snobbish his mother could be.

  As always, though, she simply brushed him off.

  “The reason I came is to let you know that I’ve been promoted.” She sounded matter of fact, but Adam knew how proud of herself she was. With good reason, too. She didn’t like to talk about it, but she’d been raised very poor, and had pulled herself up through hard work.

  It made it difficult for Adam to be really annoyed with her sometimes. It was like she was trying too hard when she got into her snobby mode, because she was afraid that she could be pulled back down into obscurity if people found out where she was from.

  “Well, congratulations,” Adam said, and he even gave her a smile. He would have hugged her, but he was at work and, besides, she wasn’t much for the hugs. Never had been.

  She waved his comment off, and he had to wonder if his opinion even mattered to her at all. He’d always wondered that, because she seemed so driven, like she didn’t need anything but herself.

  “Thank you. But you know, Adam, that leaves my job open.” She reached over and pushed the door shut, which Adam appreciated. He had the feeling that this wasn’t the sort of conversation that he wanted anyone else overhearing.

  “How very interesting,” Adam managed, pretty sure that he knew where this was going. Not entirely sure how he felt about what she was implying, either.

  Climbing the corporate ladder was the dream, of course. So he’d told himself, ever since he’d accepted this job out of high school. It was what both his mother and his father had done.

  Someday, he would get married and have a kid, and the income from this job would let him give that kid a good life. Just like his parents had given him.

  It was the American dream. Even if it had never quite felt like it fit.

  “You could have that job,” his mother, never one for being subtle, pressed on. “If you keep up the good work you’re doing here. And if you stop being seen with people like the gentleman who was just here.”

  Adam winced a little. That would be him pretty much saying goodbye to seeing Liam and the rest of the band play. He’d already given up most of his part in that, but his mother wanted it all.

  “Is this an official visit?” Adam asked quietly, trying to keep his seething anger under control.

  She gave him a tight lipped smile.

  “Of course not,” she said, and Adam nodded. He’d thought as much. She would hardly come in her professional capacity to offer him a job that hadn’t been been posted yet. Nor would the bank have an official stance of limiting who their employees could spend time with.

  “Well, in that case, I’ll have to get back to work,” Adam said, forcing a professional smile. It felt tight on his face, and he stopped it when he realized that the smile was one that he had copied from her.

  “Yes, you do that. And remember what I said.”

  Then she was gone, and Adam was left alone with the same mountain of paperwork that he’d had before, as well as some incredibly tough decisions to make.

  * * *

  His mother hadn’t said so, but she’d implied that she wanted him to stop hanging out with Liam. Well, he had done a lot for his career, he’d given up quite a lot, but he wasn’t giving up on the one person who had been there for him through everything for the vast majority of his life.

  Maybe things were a little bit weird between him and his best friend right now, but the thing about Liam was that Adam knew that he’d be there for him, no matter what, if Adam needed him.

  The moment Adam was off work, he had his phone out and was texting his best friend.

  What are you doing tonight?

  There wasn’t a very long wait, only about thirty seconds, until Liam texted him back.

  There’s a show, remember? You coming?

  Well, was he? That was a hell of a question, and one that he suddenly knew the answer to.

  Yeah. Can I crash at your place after?

  Liam didn’t make him wait long for a favorable reply, and Adam smiled. Somehow, it felt right to him that he should run to his best friend after his mother had tried to get Adam to desert him.

  The thing was, it wasn’t the first time she’d tried, and it wouldn’t be the last. Adam didn’t intend to ever let her succeed.

  Chapter Six

  Liam

  Adam was coming to the show.

  Liam’s version of stage fright was pretty low key, at least generally. And there was really no reason for him to be freaked out because Adam would be there. It was hardly the first time that his best friend had watched him play.

  Things seemed so strange between them since the time that they’d been together, though. Liam realized that it really meant something to him that Adam would still come to watch the show. It was a sign that they were still okay.

  Or at least that was what Liam very much hoped it meant.

  The venue was not a large one. It was a bar, like most of the places that Liam played, but it was a nice one, and not small for a bar. There was a stage for them to set up, even, they weren’t just crammed into a corner.

  Once, they would have been lucky to play anywhere, but now they could afford to be a little bit more choosy
.

  They had a few minutes before the show started, and Liam caught Josh staring at the band’s bassist, Yolanda. She had noticed, but was determinedly not looking back at him, as though not wanting to give him any encouragement.

  With that, Liam had enough. This was not the sort of band he wanted to have, one where the members didn’t feel safe. It was time to have this out. No, it was far passed time.

  Liam walked over to Josh, putting a hand on his shoulder to get his attention. The man turned away with visible reluctance from his ogling of Yolanda, giving Liam a look that didn’t even pretend to be ashamed, even though he’d been caught staring.

  “Knock it off,” Liam said. He kept his voice quiet, not wanting to start a scene. Only Josh needed to hear this. At least this time. If Josh kept it up, then Liam would get much less subtle.

  “Knock what off, man?” Josh said, a small smirk on his lips that seemed to state very clearly that he knew very well what Liam was talking about and was deliberately playing stupid.

  Liam kept his cool. Yes, he could fire this smirking bastard and free them all of his poison, but they were about to go on and Josh likely knew that Liam needed him right now. Josh wasn’t the best guitarist in the world, but he was competent, and they needed someone right now.

  “Yolanda. You stay away from her unless she makes it very clear that she wants your company. Or else you’re looking for a new job. Got it?” Liam kept his voice quiet and calm, but he heard the undertone of anger in it.

  Maybe Josh did, too, because that smirk faded from his face to be replaced by a sullen expression. He nodded, just once, but Liam figured that the point had been made. The truth was, Liam would fire Josh and face the consequences if that was what it took to make the members of his band safe.

  Hopefully it wouldn’t come to that. Liam had been very clear with Josh, and maybe that would be all it took to get Josh to behave. If not, well, they were just going to have to go on Craigslist and try to find another guitarist. They’d done it before, they’d do it again.

  Liam looked meaningfully at Josh one more time, and then turned to the rest of his band.

  “Come on, we’re up,” he said, just as the bartender and owner who had booked them repeatedly was stepping up to the mike.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, put your hands together for Rapture Coil!”

  They did get a decent number of people doing just that, and Liam recognized some people in the crowd. They were getting a following, they really were.

  As they walked onstage, Yolanda caught, and held, his gaze, just for a second or two. She shot him a slight smile, and he knew then just how grateful she was.

  Why hadn’t she done anything herself? Well, maybe she was just as worried about the guitarist situation as he was. Besides, Josh had stayed away from her, he’d contented himself with just staring recently. Liam would be willing to bet she’d had a sharp word or two with Josh herself.

  Some men, though, would only listen to other men, as ridiculous as it was, as unfair.

  With a sigh, Liam pushed all of that away, plastered a huge grin on his face, and went out intending to steal the hearts of everyone in the joint.

  That huge grin became real when he saw that Adam, just as he’d promised, was already sitting near the front, clapping the loudest of anyone there.

  * * *

  The show went well, and the owner of the bar actually threw in a little bit extra to their normal pay because they’d brought people in off the street to listen to the music. It was a nice bonus, and Liam grinned, just as he could tell that every member of his band was grinning.

  Everyone except Josh, who had been surly and sulky the whole time, even while playing. Not that it had mattered much. The rest of the band had been energetic enough to make up for him.

  Ignoring Josh for the moment, Liam immediately went to find Adam, who was hanging back. Liam wished that he didn’t know why, but he did. He knew how the rest of the band felt about Adam, who had, in their minds, sold out.

  Still, Liam was not interested in staying away from his best friend, no matter who approved or didn’t. He went over to his best friend, who stood up to give him a hug, even though Liam knew he was covered in sweat from the intense show.

  “You were good,” Adam murmured in his ear, and Liam’s best friend’s body felt far too good in his arms. Far, far too good. Liam could remember feeling this same body on top of him and that, on top of the lingering energy from the show, had his cock threatening to harden right then and there.

  Neither of them seemed to want to let go, which was odd, because usually Adam would have pulled away. While he was affectionate enough, it was usually when it was just the two of them. Liam knew that Adam’s parents had really done a number on him when it came to the PDA department.

  This time, though, it was only when someone cleared their throat while standing right beside them that Adam pulled away from Liam. They both turned to look, and it was Casey, the manager who had shown an interest in them.

  “Hello Liam,” she said, and then smiled warmly at Adam. If she was at all put off by the fact that the two men had been hugging just seconds ago, she didn’t let on. “Who’s your handsome friend?”

  Adam slipped into a strange mode that Liam, who had avoided Adam’s workplace like the plague, didn’t see very often. Adam seemed polished and professional and oddly, suspiciously sincere.

  Liam would be willing to bet that it was the mode that Adam was in not only at work, but also when he visited his parents. Liam hated it immediately. It was Adam the Bank Manager, not Adam his best friend.

  “Adam Turton,” he said, his voice smooth, his movements flawless as he reached out a hand to shake hers.

  She shook his hand just as smoothly, but her eyes were sharp as she looked him over from head to toe.

  “Casey Banks,” she returned, and Liam snorted softly. He couldn’t even help it.

  “And I’m Liam Rhodes,” he said, his tone just slightly snarky. He wasn’t really used to people who used their last names on a daily basis. His friends were far more casual than that.

  Adam shot him a look, but Casey gracefully ignored what Liam had just said.

  “You know,” she commented, gaze still on Adam. “If you grew out your hair, you’d look just like a rockstar.” She shook her head. “That’s not why I came, though. I want you to come in to my office and look over the paperwork I’ve had drafted. If the terms are agreeable to you, then I can get to work on getting you some gigs.” She looked around the bar. “Better gigs.”

  Liam felt dizzy. Better than this? This place was pretty much the nicest one he’d ever played, but Casey seemed to be a straight shooter.

  “Liam will bring his lawyer with him,” Adam announced, and Liam looked at his best friend like he’d grown another head. His lawyer? Liam couldn’t afford a lawyer if his life depended on it!

  When he opened his mouth to protest, though, Adam just held up his hand to quiet him. He gave Liam a look that he recognized as meaning that they would talk about it later.

  “Of course,” Casey said, and she seemed, if anything, amused. Liam really didn’t think she was trying to pull anything over on them, and her reaction seemed to him to prove that. “Eleven tomorrow, Liam?”

  She handed him a business card with an address scribbled on it, and Liam nodded numbly. After years of waiting, working, hoping, desperately trying to keep the band together, was this really happening?

  Had he really made it?

  “Yeah, sure,” he said, hoping he sounded more professional than he felt. From the look Casey gave him, the smile that was both amused and gentle, though, the chances weren’t good.

  “Tomorrow, then,” she said, and then she was gone and Liam was surrounded by his shrieking, loud, excited bandmates, all demanding to know just what had been said, what was going on, and when he told them, they swarmed him and hugged him tight.

  All except for Josh, who just watched with narrowed eyes.

  * * *

/>   In the end, even Adam was included in the celebrations. It was like the rest of the band all knew that Adam belonged there, even if they were mad at him for leaving in the first place. Liam used up a good portion of the bonus he’d gotten buying drinks for everyone.

  There was absolutely no question in anyone’s mind that everyone was too drunk to drive home. Liam handed out the money that they’d made for the show, and everyone disappeared off into cabs.

  Including Adam and Liam, who got one together. Once in the back, Liam wrapped an arm around Adam and snuggled close to him, and the cab driver didn’t seem to care at all, so that was nice.

  The trip home was quiet, and when they got to Liam’s house, Adam paid the driver and then helped Liam in.

  “I have to tell you something,” Adam said quietly, “But you’re too drunk right now, so I’m going to put you to bed.”

  Liam smirked.

  “Sounds like a damn good idea, if you’re there too,” he murmured. But Adam, damn him, was a complete gentleman as he got Liam’s shoes off, even as he tugged Liam’s pants off so that he could sleep more comfortably.

  Once Liam was settled, Adam turned away, and Liam naturally assumed that he was leaving. He reached out and grabbed Adam’s hand.

  “Stay,” he said plaintively, only to see that Adam was taking off his own pants and then lying down in bed with him, clearly fully intending to do so. That made Liam smile. Clearly it had been Adam’s intention even before Liam asked him.

  With that, Liam passed out, letting the alcohol and the exhaustion from the show pull him down. The whole time he slept, though, he wrapped his arms around Adam and flat out refused to let go.

  Chapter Seven

  Adam

  Adam woke up with far less of a hangover than he was sure that Liam would later on. But then, he’d been drinking less, approximately half of what his best friend had. Which, as it turned out, was a damn good thing, or else they might have both overslept.