by Zach Jenkins
Riley didn’t let go when Inigo pulled away. The two stood glaring at each other until Clay cleared his throat behind Inigo.
“There a problem here?” he asked in a way that sounded conversational and intimidating all at once.
“Nothing I can’t handle,” Inigo said confidently, but still happy to have friends willing to offer their support.
Riley had been a little too jealous for Inigo’s comfort toward the end of their relationship. Inigo had been more than just mildly relieved with the split. But if Riley was interested in rekindling their relationship, that probably wouldn’t end quietly. The guy never liked being denied anything that he wanted.
The only bad part of their breakup was that they had no spare members on their team. If Riley quit, they would have to forfeit the bout they had scheduled at Inigo’s own roller rink in a few weeks. He needed the money the event would bring in. Among other projects, the floor needed resurfacing soon before it was so damaged the city would decide to shut him down.
“Okay,” Clay said, clapping a hand on Inigo’s shoulder. “Let’s go get that drink. You coming, Riley?”
With his lips pursed tightly together, Riley shook his head and backed away. When his back hit the door, he flipped his middle finger at Inigo, shoved his way outside, and disappeared into the blinding sunlight.
“That went well,” Inigo mumbled.
“Hey, that wasn’t your fault at all,” Clay said, giving his shoulder a squeeze.
“It might not be my fault—we could argue on that, I’m sure—but it is definitely my problem. But I’m not even going there tonight. Let’s get that beer.”
By the time they reached the bar area on the other side of the big open building, Quinn already had the beers ready. “Sorry. I poured one for Riley, too.”
“Good,” Inigo grunted. “I need it. I might have a few more and walk my drunk ass home later, too.”
Maxwell pointed his index and middle fingers like a gun at Inigo. “Don’t start getting drunk alone. That leads to dark, bad places. I could tell you some stories about back in the day.”
Maxwell had served in the military before meeting Brick. They’d started as pen pals, but after Maxwell came back to visit in person the first time, he’d quickly canceled his re-enlistment plans and left the Army at the next opportunity.
Inigo waved off any of his military stories. They too frequently ended in someone’s death, and Maxwell’s mood turning dark and quiet. “You’re right. Just these two will do just fine. I’ll still walk home. The fresh air and exercise will do me good. How’s that sound, Maxwell?”
He smiled at Inigo. “There you go.” He clinked his glass against Inigo’s.
“What’s been eating at you?” Ezra asked. “You’ve got that bad-ass mohawk started, and the tats, and lots of friends. You’ll replace Riley with some new boy toy soon enough. Why the funk?”
Everyone’s eyes landed on him at the same time. Instead of pulling into his shell like he’d been doing so frequently recently, he opened up. “It’s just that all of you are great friends, right?”
They all nodded in agreement.
“But,” he continued, “you’re all paired off now. You all have your own happy boyfriends to keep you warm at night, but it’s more than that. You have someone to talk to and share things with. I just feel like the odd man out sometimes.”
Ezra looked at the other men at the bar. “You’re strange sometimes, Inigo, but you’re never the odd man out with us. We’re literally on your team. What’s on your mind?”
Inigo wished he hadn’t brought it up. He was feeling way too vulnerable, but the door was already open. His friends weren’t going to let him escape without saying more.
He took a swig from his beer and cracked his neck. “Fine. I had my yearly building inspection a few weeks ago.”
“Everything okay?” Clay asked.
“There was a bunch a little stuff like almost every year. This building is so old, I’m surprised it still stands up at all. Anyway, that stuff is all fine. I can do most of it myself for almost nothing.”
Clay twirled his finger, reminding Inigo that they all had places to be, and asked, “So what’s the problem, man?”
“The floor. I need to resurface it. It’ll cost a few thousand to get just enough done to keep my permit, and I don’t have that kind of money right now.”
“What can we do?” Maxwell and Quinn asked at the same time.
“Well, that’s why I pushed so hard for us to host the derby event next month. If things go well, the profit from that and the increased revenue from people stopping by to check the place out over the next few weeks might cover it.”
“If not, the guys at the fire station can do a car wash in the parking lot to help,” Clay said definitively, as if that settled everything. “We’ve got your back.”
The offer really did warm Inigo’s heart, but it didn’t solve the core problem. “Thanks. That’s sweet of you to offer, but it won’t be enough. I can’t keep running this place if I’m going to keep barely scraping by.”
He hadn’t meant to bring up his backup plan unless he ended up needing to use it, but he wanted them to know he would be okay or they wouldn’t stop fretting over him.
“Guys.” He took another sip. “I have an offer to run a bowling alley. One of those modern fancy ones with the blacklight bowling and all that. The place is packed almost every night. A friend of mine owns the place and wants someone he can trust to run the day-to-day stuff so he can invest in something else.”
“That sounds like a great fallback plan, but the tone of your voice makes it sound like bad news. What aren’t you telling us?” Quinn asked.
“It’s in Washington, the state.”
No one spoke for several seconds.
It was Clay who broke the silence, pragmatic as always. “Then we’ll have to make sure that you don’t need the backup plan.”
“That’s nice,” Inigo said. “And I really hope I don’t end up needing to move. But I can’t keep putting Band-Aids on the problems here. It’s wearing me out keeping the doors open. And maybe a big dramatic move is exactly what I need to shake things up and find the happiness that you guys have. If not, the party scene over there is great from what my friend tells me.”
“Are you going to be okay tonight?” Quinn asked, glancing at the clock on the wall behind the bar.
“Yeah, I’m fine. I’ll take care of a couple things here, lock up, and head home. Hug Brian for me. Are you and David both bringing him to that birthday party on Saturday?”
“I’m pretty sure. If not, I definitely am, so I’ll see you then.”
Everyone surrounded Inigo and smothered him in a group hug until Inigo, laughing, shouted, “I can’t breathe. Get out of here, and make sure you show up on time for practice next week.”
Once everyone had left, Inigo considered checking on Grindr to see if he could line up a date for the night, but the thought of going through the motions of pretending to get to know each other before fucking sounded exhausting. Instead Inigo washed the glasses, and locked the door behind him.
As he walked home, he thought again about that night with Levi.
I wonder how things are going with his son? I wish I’d swapped numbers just so I could check in on him.
7
Levi
Levi adjusted his rearview mirror. “What did you say, Dax?”
From the back seat, his son said, “I don’t know how to skate, Levi.”
“That’s okay, Dax. I’m not very good either. We’ll learn together, okay?”
The boy looked at him with a serious expression that made Daxter look older than his years. “Sure, Levi.”
He was hoping they would meet someone Daxter’s age for him to maybe become friends with before school started.
Levi thought things had been going pretty well with the boy. He still didn’t call him Dad, but Levi could hardly blame him for that. Daxter had been through a lot for a five-year-old. Instead of forcing it, Levi
focused on being nice to him, establishing routines, and not backing down on things like when the boy tried to talk his way out of eating his vegetables.
Levi had never eaten so many fruits and vegetables since he’d moved away from his own parents, but he couldn’t expect Daxter to do so if he wasn’t willing to eat them, too.
Still, he wasn’t even close to a perfect father, and he felt like they both ate too much junk food most days.
Levi turned into an open parking spot in the back of the lot. He couldn’t believe how crowded the place was. He almost offered to take Daxter for ice cream instead, but figured the responsible thing to do would be to get some exercise before just consuming empty calories… for both of them.
“Wait for me to come open your door. We don’t want to ding the other car.”
As he spoke, Levi glanced at the vehicle. It was a pretty baby-blue color. The front looked like a nice old-fashioned car, but the back was a pickup truck. A mullet car.
It only took Levi a second to remember why the odd car looked familiar.
Inigo. This has to be his car. The Fates did bring us back together.
He smiled as his heart leapt into his throat. He wanted to believe that there was no way he’d encounter two different ugly mullet cars in one lifetime, but he was afraid of the disappointment if he was wrong.
But seriously, at a roller rink? It has to be him. I wonder if his derby team is here in town. How strange would that be?
As he pulled Daxter toward the door, he said, “I think we’re in for a special treat, Dax. A friend of mine might be here tonight. If so, he’s a great skater and I’m sure he’ll help us out.”
He pushed the door open and stepped inside. It took Levi’s eyes several frustrating seconds to adjust to the darkness. The place was crowded. There were a few birthday parties set up on tables straight back from the entry. The rink to the right was packed with people ranging from barely old enough to walk all the way up to too old to risk breaking their hips.
He searched frantically through the crowd.
He has to be here.
And then he finally saw Inigo. He was wearing black jeans and a tight white t-shirt, and sporting that crazy mohawk. Sexy. He looked even more amazing than he remembered from his frequent dreams.
The two stood staring at each other while the crowd swarmed around them.
Levi couldn’t believe that he was looking at the man he’d met in Indiana…back in his own hometown.
“Come on, Levi. Let’s get some skates,” Daxter said, tugging on his hand.
“Yeah, sure, but let me introduce you to a friend first,” Levi said.
Inigo had been staring at him like he was seeing a ghost. He started walking at the same time Levi did. Neither stopped until they were hugging once again. Inigo’s body felt as familiar and comfortable as his favorite pillow, despite having only spent the one night with him. Memories flashed through his head.
He doesn’t look like he’s here with his team. This must be his place. How have our paths never crossed here in town before?
Levi vowed to make sure their paths stayed good and tangled up for as long as possible.
“Dude, you picked the worst day ever to show up,” Inigo said, turning his head to look around the crowded building.
“Sorry. I can…Would another day be better?” Levi asked, trying to decide if Inigo was hoping to blow him off. He wasn’t sure how he’d handle that.
“No, don’t be ridiculous,” Inigo was quick to say. “It’s just, today is birthday party day and it’ll be a zoo for another couple hours. Don’t you dare go anywhere without giving me your phone number, though. Are you here for a party or just to skate?”
Levi blinked and tried to take in everything Inigo was saying.
“Just to skate. This is Dax. Dax, this is my friend, Inigo.”
Daxter offered his hand to shake Inigo’s, but didn’t take his attention off of the nearby video games.
Levi shrugged. “Sorry.”
Inigo smiled. “Don’t worry about it. This place is overstimulating to me most days, too.” He pointed across the room. “You can get skates over there. If you can wait a few minutes, I’ll get them for you for free, but I have to stop and check in at the parties on the way and make sure everything is okay.”
“That’s cool. No hurry. I’m just…I can’t believe it’s you.”
“Weird, right? Where have you been all my life?” Inigo said over his shoulder as he led Levi and Daxter to the private party rooms.
“Apparently just down the block.”
Levi’s head was spinning. He hoped the universe wasn’t going to be so cruel as to shove Inigo into his life, only to pull them apart once again. He was still adjusting to fatherhood, but he was definitely in a little better place for considering a relationship than he’d been when they’d first met.
“Levi!” a voice called out when Inigo peeked his head inside the first door.
“David? What are you doing here?” he asked, squeezing past Inigo.
David was Quinn’s boyfriend—or are they fiancés now?—but they hadn’t seen much of each other in the last few months.
“Brian’s birthday was this week. He just turned six.”
Levi waved at Brian. He had to yell to be heard over the shouting of the kids. “Happy birthday!”
Brian barely gave him a glance.
“Kids, right?” David asked with a chuckle. “Get a little sugar in them and they turn into animals.” He looked down at Daxter. “Is that a nephew? It can’t possibly have been so long since I’ve seen you that you’ve managed to grow a kid of your own.”
“Actually,” Levi started saying, wondering just how much to mention, “he is my son. Long story. But the short version is that we just met a few weeks ago and he’s living with me now.”
David raised his eyebrows, but took the hint not to ask too many questions in front of Daxter. “We definitely need to get together for dinner sometime soon.”
“It seems that way. I’ve been so busy trying to figure out everything all at once, that I just…well, I should have come to you and Quinn the first day. What was I thinking?”
Inigo cleared his throat. “So, it sounds like you two know each other?”
David spoke first. “Yeah, he works at the Batavia station with Brick.”
Inigo shook his head and looked up at Levi. “Amazing. We were just sitting there in opposite sides of the Venn diagram.”
“What?” Levi asked.
Quinn sneaked up behind David and gave him a hug and said to Levi, “What he means is that he’s a friend of ours, and you are a friend of ours, but somehow you haven’t met. Only, it sounds like you two have met at least once before. I bet that is a fun story.”
Levi noticed that Inigo blushed at least as quickly as he did.
David laughed at their discomfort. “Excellent. We are definitely going to have to get together very soon. Hey, do you think your boy wants to stay with us and play with the other kids? We’re having cake in a minute and then heading out to skate.”
Levi asked Inigo, “Is that okay? I don’t want to mess up the count or make things cost any more for David and Quinn.”
All three men waved off the thought that Levi and Daxter would be a problem. Quinn took Daxter by the hand to introduce him to the rest of the kids. David sat down on a nearby chair.
“I guess I’ll leave you here while I finish my rounds,” Inigo said. “I’ll stop back when I’m done.”
Levi nodded before realizing that he was being swept along by the events. He decided to take back a little bit of control of his life.
He pulled Inigo against his body, and kissed his warm, soft lips and knew heaven had to exist. “Hurry back. I missed you.”
David laughed again and patted the chair next to him, “Take your time, Inigo. Levi and I have some catching up to do.”
What just happened? My one-night stand has just turned into something all of our friends are going to know about. I hope t
hat doesn’t scare Inigo away.
Turning his attention briefly back to his son, he thought, But whatever happens, I can’t let it hurt Daxter.
8
Inigo
Inigo buried his head into Levi’s shoulder while the other men laughed at his expense. Feeling his ears turning red, he said, “Just make sure that you get all of this out of your system. No more embarrassing stories after tonight.”
Ezra had been telling about the time when he and Clay had first helped Inigo learn to use Grindr. Inigo ended up swiping the wrong way, and then had been too nice to stop talking with the older man who’d shown up. The guy ended up being a straight man who missed his wife and was just looking for someone to meet for coffee and talk about the news and had completely misunderstood what an MM meetup was really all about.
As everyone laughed, Inigo felt the need to tell them, “Gary and I still get together most Tuesdays for donuts and coffee. For the record, he disagrees with you and thinks that I’m too old for a mohawk.”
The room erupted into laughter again.
Levi rubbed his hand over the smooth skin just to the side of Inigo’s long hair. “I might have to come with sometime and tell Gary that your hair is off-limits for your discussions.”
“How come most of you know both of us, but somehow I’m the butt of all these stories?” Inigo asked as he stood up to start collecting the trash.
Levi walked over by the door and brought the garbage can closer to the table before starting to pitch in. “Oh, I’ve got plenty of those that I can tell you myself. Back when I first started fighting fires—like after training, you know—anyway, we’re rolling up to the house for my first fire. I was so jacked up and nervous that I was about to puke. The truck stopped, and I hopped out, and completely forgot all of my training. My mind just went blank of anything other than knowing that I needed to act fast. I charged through the yard and crashed through the front door. There were a bunch of women in the front room and they were all screaming and waving their hands. I was trying to push them out of the house, but they kept pushing me back to the couch.”