The Bright Side Brigade

by Elaine White

  I promise.

  Karsyn put his phone back in his bag and lifted it over his shoulder to make his way over to the back door of the sports centre.

  Romany was waiting there, with a water bottle. “What was Ryder doing here?” he asked gruffly, as he handed him the bottle.

  Karsyn accepted it with a smile and took a drink. He was a little stuck on how to answer him. “We're going to see a film later. He was just checking I could still go.” He shrugged it off and handed the bottle back.

  Romany raised an eyebrow, but unscrewed the cap and took a drink. “Anything good?”

  “There's apparently a new Fast and Furious film out. It should be good.” He nodded, since he'd seen the rest of the series so far. He loved cars and, now that Karsyn had decided he wasn't going pro, he wondered if he should ask his uncle for an internship at the garage. It would make him happy and it was his second choice after rugby anyway.

  Romany nodded but said nothing.

  “You want to come with us? It would be a good chill out time,” he suggested, hopeful that Romany would save him from what was looking to be a horrible date. Karsyn knew it was rude to invite someone else on his date with Ryder, but it didn't feel right anymore and he wanted to spend time with his rugby captain instead. Besides, it was too late to call off his date with Ryder without looking like an idiot, and his rugby mate needed some cheering up.

  “Yeah. That sounds good. What time?” Romany asked with a broad smile.

  “Eight, I think.”

  “Want to get dinner first?” he asked, as they walked into the sports building.

  Karsyn tried to control his beaming smile as he nodded his agreement. Dinner and a movie; that sounded suspiciously like a date. “Yeah, I'm starving.”

  “Me too.” Romany laughed in agreement, while rubbing his stomach.

  Karsyn wanted to say more, but they were inside the building now, with their team mates within earshot. He kept his mouth shut and admired the incredible physique of his friend, while they escaped into the locker rooms to get changed. Maybe the night wouldn't be a total waste of time after all?

  Having dinner with Romany only cemented the feeling that they were dating.

  Karsyn found it difficult to remember just what had made him crush so hard on Ryder. With every minute that passed and he got to know Romany better, the more he realised that whatever he'd felt for Ryder was superficial and weak. He was attractive, with nice eyes and they used to be best friends. Those were the only reasons he could think of for his two year crush.

  Romany, on the other hand, was a completely different kettle of fish. He was sexy as hell, funny, sweet, charming and thoughtful. He seemed eager to find out more about him and ask after the little things, like how he was coping with training, what he wanted to do if he didn't go pro and what sort of music he liked. They had a shit load in common and then some, but even the things they disagreed on were exciting to discuss.

  “My absolute dream car would have to be the Lamborghini,” Romany said, while taking a sip of his diet Coke through a straw.

  Karsyn zoned out for a second, as he started talking about the specs he wanted in his dream car. He was beginning to regret inviting him to the movies because that meant sitting close to him in a pitch black room, where anything could happen.

  “Karsyn,” Romany waved his hand in front of his face and laughed at him, “you okay?”

  “Yeah, sorry. My back is killing me.” He covered up his distracted thoughts with the truth. He had tweaked his back again during that last ruck and now he couldn't seem to get comfortable.

  Romany frowned and turned to look at the empty seat beside him, but seemed deflated by something.

  “What's wrong?” he asked, stretching a little.

  “My bag is in the car. Come on, I should have painkillers. Bring your drink, if you need it,” he said, getting up and pulling his wallet from his back pocket. He was wearing jeans now, tight black jeans that showed off his thighs and great ass.

  Karsyn shook his head clear of those thoughts and got up from his seat. Just because Romany was hot, sex on legs and had that sultry voice didn't mean that he had to lose his cool.

  He followed his captain out of the café, after a good meal of burger and fries, with a shared ice cream sundae. It felt so much like a date that he almost couldn't control himself, but he was old enough to keep himself in check around a gorgeous guy. He'd been doing it his whole life.

  By the time they reached the car, Karsyn was thinking a little more clearly. He slipped into the passenger seat and waited as Romany rummaged through his gym bag. When he came out empty handed, with a frown, he almost asked what was wrong. Then those dark eyes looked up at him and his lips curved into a smile.

  “Sorry, all out of painkillers. Sit side on, to face your door,” Romany said.

  “Why?”

  “I've got some of that muscle gel here. If you show me where it hurts, I can make sure I get the right spot,” he explained, as if it made perfect sense.

  Karsyn was used to using cool gels, lotions, and heat packs to get over the initial pain of an injury after a game, until he could get home and take proper care of himself, so he turned in his seat to face his door. He had to tuck his right leg beneath him to get comfortable, but there was plenty of room. He tried not to react when he felt his t-shirt being lifted or the light touch of fingers moving over his lower back.

  “Here?” Romany asked, lightly pressing into the base of his spine.

  “Nope. Up about two fingers and three to the right,” he corrected him, just as he would do with the physiotherapist who saw him every two months. He regretted it instantly, when Romany walked his fingers up his back and to the right; it felt so teasing and playful that he wanted to complain. But he had to face facts: having Romany's hands on him at all was a dream, so he wasn't going to put an end to it just yet.

  “What about right here?” he asked, with a teasing tone of voice.

  Karsyn smiled to himself, as he felt a lone thumb gently running circles around the area that hurt most, while another thumb rubbed the very base of his spine, just above the waistband of his khaki shorts. “Perfect,” he confessed. He didn't care about the extra lingering fingers or the fact that Romany was deliberately toying with him. All he cared about was that light touch and the easing of the ache in his back.

  Both hands started massaging the worst part of his back, where the pain stabbed at him whenever he twisted. He couldn't help but moan in approval and arch into the touch. It felt so good and, although Romany chuckled behind him, he didn't let up on the constant, comfortable pressure on his back. He could feel his breath on the back of his neck, but he didn't care.

  “God, that feels great.” Karsyn sighed and closed his eyes the moment he felt Romany leaning closer, until his chest touched his back.

  “How's the top half?” he asked quietly.

  “I have no idea what that means.” He couldn't admit that he was so focused on willing his raging emotions to give control back that he couldn't make sense of most of what he said or did.

  Romany laughed again, right by his ear. “Your neck and shoulders. Do they hurt as much? You feel really tense. I could help you relax,” he offered, in that bone-melting voice.

  It was the first time he'd ever felt this way for another guy before, having never gone further than the occasional kiss. He'd had a boyfriend or two during the summer holidays, when he was away from home and no one knew him. He had kissed guys at clubs, boyfriends and such, but never anything else. Suddenly he wanted all of that with Romany.

  “I bet you could.”

  Karsyn froze, as he realised what he'd said.

  Chapter 6

  They saw each other twice a week at rugby training and again at games, but outside classes they never really spent much time together. Now Karsyn couldn't understand why. And he couldn't understand what had possessed him to open his mouth and say such a stupid thing.

  “I really could help,” Romany whisp
ered to him, sending flames licking down his back. He wished he wouldn't use that too-sexy-for-words voice. His hands moved lower on his back, gently rubbing in circles.

  “You better be careful, Romany. You're getting dangerously close to facing the consequences of where your hands are going,” Karsyn warned, although he wasn't entirely sure he was making sense. All he could think about was the heat of those hands and his voice and the rising steam that passed between them.

  “And what are those consequences?” he asked quietly.

  Karsyn couldn't take any more, he turned in his seat to face his team captain, surprised to see him looking so nervous. Instead of worrying about it and being too scared to make a move because of how it might be taken, he logged all of Romany's teasing words and actions as flirting and took a risk.

  He couldn't leave that car without knowing if he meant it or if he was just horsing around. He leaned in slowly, and watched Romany as he sat perfectly still and waited for Karsyn to make the final move.

  He didn't mind going the whole hog without a sign of what Romany was thinking; he just wanted to know, one way or the other. He kept leaning forward until he could brush those closed lips with his own. There was no resistance but no return either, so he tried again. He tilted his head just a little and nudged Romany's nose before kissing his bottom lip.

  “Thank you,” he whispered into his lips. “My back feels better.” He smiled a little with the words as he pulled away so that Romany knew he was really thanking him for the kiss.

  “You're welcome,” Romany responded blankly, blinking as he sat back in his seat.

  Karsyn watched him closely, as Romany put the key in the ignition and tried to pretend that kiss hadn't just happened. He would let him, if only because he was beginning to feel strongly about a possible relationship between them. If Romany needed time to accept that or think it over, then he was more than happy to give him all the time he needed.

  “Do you want to come back to my house? Until we have to leave for the cinema? We could hang out or do our homework?” Karsyn offered. All he wanted was to keep Romany with him for the two hours they had before the film started.

  “Yeah, okay.” Romany smiled and waited as he settled into his seat and pulled on his seatbelt. Once they were both ready, the rugby captain drove off towards his house. Soon, he hoped, he would be his rugby captain. More importantly, his boyfriend.

  The two hours spent at his house were the second best two hours of Karsyn' life so far. The first best two hours were the two straight after school where he got up the guts to ask Romany out, had dinner with him, and got to enjoy that amazing massage and kiss in his car. He couldn't imagine a better day.

  The two hours at his house, unfortunately, were completely hands off. They sat on the back patio, soaking up the sun, and did some homework before his parents came home. Then they went inside and played video games and talked as if they had been friends all their lives.

  They arrived at the cinema at quarter to eight, to find Ryder in the main lobby waiting for them. “Hey.” Karsyn smiled at Ryder as they walked over. He'd texted him earlier to say that he'd invited Romany to join them and his reply had sounded pleasant enough. It was only now, facing him in person, that he realised he really wasn't at all happy to see Romany there.

  “Hi.” He beamed at Karsyn, then he turned to Romany and his smile fell. “Glad you could join us,” he said, without any real emotion behind it.

  “Sure you are.” Romany chuckled to himself, then tapped Karsyn's arm. “If you get the tickets, I'll meet you at the drinks counter?” he asked, since they had already agreed to split the cost of the night; Romany insisted on paying for the snacks, so Karsyn had bargained his way into paying for the tickets.

  Karsyn nodded back and watched him walk away, still in his tight jeans, still hot enough to scorch his skin.

  “Why is he here?” Ryder asked angrily.

  Karsyn turned back to his old childhood friend and realised that he was seriously pissed, but there wasn't much he could tell him. He couldn't admit the truth; that going on a date with him felt wrong and was no longer what he wanted. “He was feeling down and needed cheering up. I thought you were okay with it?” he admitted, not sure why it was a big deal when no one had said it was a date.

  “You didn't give me much of a choice,” Ryder grumbled, folding his arms over his chest.

  “I didn't think it was an issue. I mean, we're just hanging out,” he tried again, to see if he was going to say it. He wanted to know what was going through Ryder's head, since he seemed to be giving out the right signals for dating, but refused to spell it out.

  “Whatever.” Ryder shrugged it off and headed over to the ticket office.

  Karsyn walked over to join him and waited with his hands in his pockets, as he spoke to the employee behind the till.

  “Two tickets for the Fast and Furious film at eight,” he said.

  “Three,” Karsyn told the girl behind the counter.

  The employee blinked at them and looked at Ryder, who sighed and walked off. Karsyn figured that was for the best.

  “Definitely three. Together.” He made sure he got his point across until the girl nodded and smiled at him. She typed something into the computer until it spat out three tickets.

  “Enjoy the film,” she said, with a giggle that said she knew how much trouble he was in.

  Karsyn found himself sandwiched between both boys, during the movie, the tub of popcorn giving them both an excuse to brush their fingers against his at random intervals.

  If he'd been less of a coward, he might have admitted, even just to himself, that this was his fault. A pathetically superficial crush on Ryder had kept him single for the last two years, giving him the excuse to never come out of his closet, because he and Ryder were clearly never going to be together. They had been friends years ago, but didn't know each other anymore. Crushing on him had been safe. And, in a way, his attraction to the straight Romany had been the same.

  Only now, when both idiots ruined everything by showing that they might just feel the same, Karsyn had messed up and did the wrong thing. He didn't see the truth quick enough to spare Ryder this farce of a date that was only hurting him. And he hadn't dared consider that both of his crushes might be in the same position he'd believed himself.

  Single. In the closet. Not ready to come out. And outwardly straight.

  If he'd only bothered to ask, to tell the truth, to be honest with himself and upfront with both of them, this might not be happening.

  Instead, he was trapped on a date so utterly embarrassing that he spent the majority of the film sitting low in his seat, trying not to look at either boy. It felt like he was on a date with Ryder, with Romany as the unexpected third wheel. But, at the same time, it felt like he was on a date with Romany, with Ryder as the unwelcome guest.

  He barely saw any of the film, so he made a mental note to buy it on DVD when it released. It would go with the set he already owned, as well as finally letting him watch the movie in peace.

  “Do you need a lift home?” Romany asked, as they left the cinema room for the foyer.

  Now that Romany was asking Ryder if he wanted a lift home, he was nervous. He wanted a few more minutes alone with his rugby captain to see if he would get to kiss him again.

  “No. I brought my own car,” Ryder grumbled, only to turn and stare at Karsyn. “What about you? I can drive you home,” he offered, flashing a sweet smile.

  “Um,” Karsyn looked between the two boys who were fighting over him. It was such a weird turn of events that he was so unfamiliar with, that he didn't know what to say.

  “I live closer, so it would make more sense for me to drop you off,” Romany chimed in. He looked casual and lazy as he buried his hands in his jean pockets.

  He looked away quickly, trying to decide what the right thing to do was.

  “Karsyn!” Ryder snapped at him, in a tone that said he had better choose quickly.

  “Come on.” Rom
any laughed, wrapping his arm around his neck. “Dude, this isn't some weird three-way date where you have to choose which boyfriend to disappoint,” he teased, although Karsyn had a feeling that was exactly what it was. “We're all friends and I live just down the street from you. Ryder lives all the way across town. This makes sense. Okay?” he said, looking him in the eye.

  It really did make sense; both for his massive crush on Romany and logistically. “Okay.” He nodded his agreement, offering Ryder a smile of understanding.

  Guilt burned in his gut when Ryder's only reaction was to huff in frustration and stalk out the door alone. He didn't know or understand what was happening, but Karsyn's entire world felt as though it had been turned upside down, leaving him nauseated and dizzy.

  Hopefully, when it all made sense and he'd figured out what he wanted, Ryder would still be talking to him. Even if only to hear his apology. No matter what choice he eventually made, tonight had been a monumental mistake. For more than one reason.

  Once they reached the car, Romany unlocked the passenger door. Karsyn climbed in and, a minute later, Romany got in and started the engine; he had such a playful look, one that spelled trouble, that he didn't know what to say.

  There was a comfortable silence between them for the next ten minutes as Romany drove back to his house. The whole way there, Karsyn's mind was churning with ideas and theories that had him staring unseeingly out of the passenger window until the car came to a stop.

  “Well, we're here,” Romany said, with a drawn out sigh.

  Karsyn tried not to think about that sigh as a sound of disappointment. For a second, he considered abandoning his plans and getting out of the car, leaving things as they were, but then he realised that this could be his only opportunity. He undid his seatbelt and turned to his companion.

  “I'm going to do something,” he began, not sure why Romany frowned at him as their eyes met. “I just have to do it one more time,” he warned, watching his frown deepen in confusion. He decided to ignore it.