Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 71054 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 355(@200wpm)___ 284(@250wpm)___ 237(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 71054 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 355(@200wpm)___ 284(@250wpm)___ 237(@300wpm)
When I heard him grunt in the bathroom, I nearly swallowed my tongue. Likely, he didn’t realize I could hear him. But that didn’t stop me from sliding my hand down the front of my boxers and gripping my cock as he jerked himself off in the next room.
I shut my eyes and tried to picture him standing in front of the sink with his dick in his hand, fantasizing about who knew what—maybe the scene we’d watched, or maybe a woman he’d been with?
All it took was hearing him groan, and I shot in my hand and all over my groin. I was shaking, my limbs rubbery, and I had no idea what to do.
I’d just gotten off to the sound of my best friend jerking himself.
I heard the faucet turn on as I reached for the tissue box on the nightstand, so I quickly wiped myself off, then turned toward the wall.
When Nolan came out, I pretended to be asleep so we wouldn’t need to have an awkward conversation. Christ, things were getting complicated.
9
Nolan
We were near the end of our first set, and though Ellis was still more subdued during our shows than he used to be six weeks ago, I could see the progress. He wasn’t completely out of his shell, but he was getting there.
He was seeing a therapist and communicating with Harriet, the woman he’d met at the police station, and that seemed good for him. He was moving on, and I was happy for him, even if with every day that went by, I worried he wouldn’t need me anymore. And that was so fucking selfish.
Since the night we’d watched Heartthrob, things had felt strange, to say the least. I’d stayed at his place a bit more—once on the couch after I’d fallen asleep, and he’d placed a blanket over me as if we were trying to avoid that same scenario again.
As we seamlessly moved to the last number, I was belting out the song, energized as much by the crowd as playing live. Ellis moved closer to the mic so he could join in on the refrain. When our shoulders grazed, I felt this zing of electric energy. I nearly flubbed the next line as he angled forward and sang with me. His whiskey-colored eyes met mine as they filled with mirth. It made my chest tighten. I couldn’t stop staring at the lopsided grin, the happiest I’d seen him in quite a while.
We finished the song and took a break between sets. As I reached for my water bottle to quench my parched throat, Perry threw me a strange look. “What the hell was that?”
“Huh?” My lips twisted in confusion. “What are you talking about?”
“I don’t know.” He motioned with his hand. “It’s like you and Ellis have some inside joke we’re not in on.”
I snorted. “You sound jealous of our friendship.”
“Fuck off. Maybe I’m losing my mind.” He looked at Anthony. “You saw it, didn’t you?”
Anthony shrugged, probably trying to stay neutral, but I could see the same bewilderment swimming in his eyes. Perry sometimes got in moods where he seemed suspicious of the world. When things were falling apart with Heather, he really lost it, accusing her of cheating and all sorts of things. But most of all, he was afraid of losing our band’s chemistry and this gig. He still thought that maybe we’d somehow get discovered. He lived in a fantasy world because our band was a dime a dozen, but no way I wanted to burst his bubble.
“If you’re keeping something from us…”
Ellis glanced warily in my direction. “What in the world would we be keeping from you?”
“Fuck, I don’t know.” He scrubbed his hand through his hair. “Just ignore me.”
Anthony thumped his shoulder. “Go smoke some weed. That’ll loosen you up.”
Perry walked away, but the tension remained thick between us as we tried to pretend nothing had happened. It was almost as if Perry could see something between us, but at this point, the only thing he could possibly pinpoint was us sleeping in the same bed and that one time we jerked off in separate rooms. Not that I knew for sure that Ellis had, but the balled-up tissues on the floor the next day made me wonder.
When we went to the bar to quench our thirst, two women approached our group. “We just happened to stop by this bar and were pleasantly surprised. You guys are good,” the redhead said.
“Thank you,” I replied.
“You should stay for our second set,” Ellis said. “We’ve got some new material we’re trying out.”
“We definitely will,” she said with a radiant smile just for him. “I’m Shana, by the way.”
“Ellis,” he said, extending his hand.
My stomach squeezed tight. Was Ellis flirting or just being nice?
“She’s cute,” I said to him when we got back onstage.