18. The Tux

Hunter

Hunter glanced at his watch, and then at the arrivals board while pacing around the airport. Sleep escaped him the previous night, tossing and turning, anxiously awaiting Logan’s arrival. He had planned each detail perfectly, checking into their hotel the night before so that they wouldn’t have to wait until three.

Walking out now, a text came in from Logan.

Straightening his posture, Hunter shoved the phone into his pocket and wiped his sweaty hands against the cool fabric of his pants. His fingers found his hair again, and then again. He took a cleansing breath, a puff of wind sighing out of his mouth.

What’s wrong with you? It’s just Logan.

Just as he turned, a blur of red arms encircled him, a tight squeeze around his body cut him off. He didn’t see his face; he didn’t need to. Hunter shut his eyes and felt his anxiety melt away in Logan’s arms, as he pressed quick strokes on Hunter’s back as if writing him a secret message.

Someone might see.Hunter pulled back, and Logan held onto his elbows. Those vibrant, green eyes made his insides cave, and his knees nearly buckle. Their faces, only a foot away, swayed toward each other.

“I want to kiss you so bad,” Logan said, staring down at his lips.

Blood rushed Hunter’s face, making his cheeks pulse before pulling back—their hands the last to break contact.

“How was your flight?” Hunter deepened his voice, his public mask slipping back on as he scoped the busy airport activity for signs of observers.

“Uh, great.” Logan’s voice hid a tone of disappointment only Hunter picked up on.

I’ll make it up to him.

The cab ride to Manhattan was a quiet one. The cabbie spoke loudly on the phone in a foreign language—which shocked Logan because the man looked white. He took off his red hoodie and placed it between them, clasping Hunter’s hands underneath. When Logan crawled his fingers to Hunter’s thighs, Hunter gently brushed them away, keeping them firm in the center.

They’d make just one stop, Hunter informed him before pulling up in front of one of New York City’s most notorious department stores.

Logan

“Jesus Christ,” Logan said, reading the price tag on the sleeve of the suit jacket and then letting it hang as if the mere glance would drain his bank account. He wasn’t at all used to the lifestyle of having an appointment just to try on suits, only to have little, old men poke around his ankle and tug at his junk. “I should probably take this off. This is the sum of all the money I’ve earned, ever … So, how many people will be at this event tonight? … Are you listening to me?” Logan stood with his legs spread as he watched Hunter’s reflection in the three-panel mirror, turning his head from side to side, encircling him.

“Mr. Richardson, you’ll adore these silk socks.” A thin man in a black suit with jet-black hair would often pop out of a hole somewhere and bring Hunter the most expensive items he could find.

“We’re good on socks. Thank you, Albert,” Hunter responded with a nod. The man mimicked his nod and floated away.

“You know that guy?” Logan whispered, with the short, dainty man meddling at his leg.

“He said his name when we got here.”

“I give him two minutes before he comes back with a pair of eight-million-dollar shoes. Why don’t we go to Men’s Closet or something? They always have sales on suits, like two for a hundred bucks. One for you, one for me.” Logan whipped his head down toward what sounded like a scoff coming from the small tailor. “Hey, don’t get me sick, buddy. And you better not hurl on this suit because I’m returning it tomorrow.”

The man’s head shot straight up. “Uh, sir,” he called out to Hunter, “you can’t return—”

Hunter waved his hand, gesturing to him to continue. “He’s just joking,” Hunter said, easing the small man’s concerns.

Logan’s eyes locked with Hunter’s and noticed his lips tighten, suppressing the faintest grin. I want you, his eyes begged.

Hunter placed a hand on Logan’s shoulder. “Don’t worry about it. This is on my dad’s charge card. They write it all off.”

“Mr. Richardson,” Albert appeared, beside Hunter with an open shoe box. “They’re patent leather.”

“Are they on sale?” Logan interrupted, with his hands on his hips.

“As a matter of fact, they are … twelve-fifty.”

“Twelve dollars? I can pay for those,” Logan said, nodding his head at Hunter.

“Twelve … hundred—”

“Put them back,” Logan cut him off, “I wouldn’t buy twelve-hundred-dollar shoes from a place named after a ball sack.”

A quick laugh escaped Hunter’s mouth, and he coughed it away. “We’ll take them, thank you.”

“Don’t come back,” Logan called out.

“Logan,” Hunter cautioned him, before erupting into a fit of laughter.

“Let’s get the hell out of here. I’m starving … Where’s the bathroom?”

European-style floor-to-ceiling stalls, with no gaps in between, lined the bathroom walls. After using the toilet, Logan took a few seconds to wash his hands and splash his face, the water invigorating him for the day ahead. As he dried his hands, he watched Hunter walk in, glance at him in the mirror, and enter the last stall near the wall.

Logan didn’t hesitate to follow. With a sly smile, Hunter leaned against the cold marble wall as Logan locked the stall and turned to face him. It wasn’t as lustful as Logan imagined it would be. Instead, Hunter took his hand and gently guided him into a tight embrace, resting their heads on each other’s shoulders. Hunter turned his head and pressed his nose against Logan’s soft skin.

Their lips soon met, followed by their tongues, kissing hungrily the way they couldn’t for nearly two months. They didn’t need words; their kisses and looks sufficed. Logan grabbed at Hunter’s bulge.

“Later,” Hunter whispered into his mouth between kisses. However, Logan couldn’t resist. He undid Hunter’s pants and pushed him back against the wall, his body dropping to his waist. Hunter didn’t protest as he watched his dick disappear inside Logan’s mouth. He grabbed a fistful of Logan’s hair and bobbed his head up and down on his cock, as they’d done countless times in their dorm after returning from Aspen. Hunter’s eyes rolled back as he panted heavily; Logan knew just how to make him come hard and fast.

In one quick movement, Logan stopped and got up to his feet again with a grin. “Save it for later,” Logan whispered, knowing that having a horny Hunter would make the night more enjoyable. Hunter bit his bottom lip and squeezed Logan’s ass.

I hate you, Hunter mouthed. As Logan turned to leave, Hunter took his hand and pulled him back, giving him a long, much-awaited kiss that set Logan’s body on fire. When the kiss died down, the two gazed at each other, almost as if wanting to say something, but neither uttered a word.

By the time the last-minute alterations were complete, the pair had just enough time to head back to the hotel to get ready to leave. Hunter promised they’d spend the next day together, alone. Logan didn’t want to admit it, but the anticipation of showing up to a fancy event in a fancy suit with Hunter by his side excited him to no end.

They stood in awe of one another as they looked at themselves in the hotel mirror. Logan’s tux sported a band around the waist and Hunter’s a vest.

“Look at us,” Logan said in admiration. “We look like we’re getting married.”

Hunter laughed and blurted, “Yeah, right. To who?”

Logan didn’t respond right away, Hunter’s words cutting him deep. He caught Hunter’s eyes in the mirror. “I want to get married and have a family one day.”

“Yeah, sure,” Hunter said, sarcasm dripping from his voice. “You want kids, too?”

“Of course. Why not? I think being a dad would be awesome. Don’t you?”

Hunter looked at Logan in the mirror and then down at the floor. “We gotta go. Limo’s coming.”

Logan’s tuxedo slipped and slid along the limo’s shiny leather seats, and the faint smell of cigars from the previous passenger lingered in the air. His eyes lit up when discovering the minibar and shoved a handful of mini bottles of liquor in his pockets.

“Did you get the email I sent you with the links to places for the fall?” Logan asked, browsing through his phone, feeling his butt slide back and forth with each limo movement.

Hunter mouthed words quietly as he typed out a text on his phone. “Two minutes away … I saw—I didn’t have the time to check them out.”

“Check out the first three and the last one. I think those should be pretty sweet. But we have to get on it fast and see if they can start the lease halfway through August.”

“Yeah—sure,” Hunter answered, dismissively.

“Hunter, I’m serious. We have to call up each place and see what their terms are. I can drive up, check it out, sign the lease, take pictures, pay the deposit—”

“Okay, fine!” Hunter snapped, annoyed, and then masked it with laughter.

Logan cocked his head and rolled his eyes with an exasperated sigh. “I know you think this will sort itself out but there are only a handful of places I can afford on my budget. Unless you want to get a third roommate and then—”

“Logan, stop! I heard you. On Sunday, I promise. You won’t leave here without us picking a place, alright?”

Noticing the limo’s abrupt stop, he looked out the window and shot a look at Hunter. “Where are we?”

“Picking up the girls.”

“Wait, what girls?”

The loud pop music drowned his thoughts as Logan, on one side with Simone, sat across from Hunter and Erin on the other. He didn’t remember when Hunter moved so far away from him, it had all happened so quickly.

“So, where do you work?” Simone asked, a drink in her hand.

“Uh, retail,” he said with a quick smile and then eyes darted to Hunter. Erin fixed a strand of his hair and straightened his bowtie as she sat with her legs crossed in toward Hunter, her foot hooked around his calf. Whatever they were saying to each other, Logan couldn’t hear.

“What’s your major?” Simone asked.

“Uh, architecture.” It wasn’t exactly a lie. They hadn’t declared a major yet, but they’d be forced to before the beginning of the school year since their general education courses were completed.

“Is it an accredited school for architecture?” she asked in a stern tone, as if interviewing him for a role at her firm.

Logan could only focus on Hunter placing a glass to Erin’s lips as she sipped it slowly, holding steady eye contact with Hunter. Hunter’s fingers grazed the skin of her shoulder, stroking the strap of her dress, and then the two laughed over something on Erin’s phone.

“Sorry, what?” Logan said to Simone. Hunter held his gaze a moment and then looked away, making Logan’s blood boil.

Hunter

Hunter looked up from his phone to find Logan looking back at him again, his deep stares causing sweat to run down Hunter’s sides. Stop looking at Logan, look anywhere else. The tuxedo fit his body amazingly. It was hard enough not to control himself during the fitting. His attraction to Logan grew more difficult to hide. Simone liked him, he could tell, but Logan’s eyes were fixed on Erin. Erin was the kind of woman he’d go for. The kind of woman Logan would have the family he’s always wanted with. Relax, she’s your friend, he reminded himself.

Once Neil arrived, the limo party really started. “Yo, is this your boy?” Neil asked and greeted Logan with a slap on his hand, pulling him in. “You’re in my city tonight. How do you like it?”

“It’s, uh, it’s great,” Logan said, the happiest he’d looked the whole limo ride.

“This is Katya,” he said, introducing his leggy date who wore a short, strapless red dress. She had long, straight black hair, narrow eyes and looked a few years older than him. “And she isn’t a catfish,” Neil said, directed at Erin.

“I never said that,” Erin lied, embarrassed. “Your pictures were just … too gorgeous for Neil.”

“You see how they treat me?” Neil said, turning toward Katya, who didn’t seem to understand anything anyone said. “Let’s get this sunroof open!” Neil pulled Katya up through the sunroof, and Simone and Erin joined them.

Hunter and Logan faced one another, four feet between them, taking for granted the time when they were in the limo alone.

“Logan, Hunter, get up here,” Neil called them up.

Logan peeked up at the group, their bodies halfway out of the limo. He leaned forward, gripping Hunter’s shoulder to steady himself in the moving vehicle, and then parted his lips with his tongue. Hunter felt himself melt against the leather, leaving both eyes open in case anyone caught a glimpse. The thought of being caught made him pull back and shake his head at Logan, breathless with tucked-in brows.

“We can’t,” Hunter whispered, but wasn’t sure if Logan heard it over the blaring music. Logan’s jaw clenched, and nostrils flared as he pulled away and joined the rest of the party through the sunroof.

Fuck, now he’s pissed.