Chapter Twenty

The Art of Hiding from Fuckboys

Rafe

After my meeting with Taylor, I managed to avoid seeing anyone else for the rest of the day.

It wasn't just Ewen I was trying to avoid. I mean, I definitely hadn't expected him to turn up in my office after the way he'd just strolled right out of my house the night before, mere moments after coming on my couch.

But no, I was trying to avoid literally everyone. Because even if they didn't know about my humiliating attempt to kiss Ewen at the bar, they'd still seen the rest. How much I drank. The tit hat. Dancing with that bachelor party.

The robot.

Thankfully, Taylor had only briefly commented on what a fun night it had been before moving on. As soon as he left my office, I sighed and scrubbed a hand down my face. I was tired. I hadn't slept well. Too busy seething.

Grabbing my phone, I started scrolling through the texts I'd ignored all morning. Reece had sent a long update about our Humandatory campaign in the group chat to get me up to speed after missing last night's game, and Nev had texted me several times asking how I was doing and if it really had been Ewen he'd heard through the phone yesterday.

Squirming, I hovered my thumbs over the keyboard, then decided to call him instead. I didn't want to type it all out. I didn't want a written record of what had happened. I'd inevitably go back to reread it, again and again, just to torture myself.

"Hey." Nev answered after a few rings. "I've got about five minutes."

"'Kay," I said morosely, then decided there was no point delaying it. Keeping my voice low, I relayed the events of yesterday, ending with Ewen swallowing our cum before leaving no more than ten seconds later with a breezy goodbye while it was still trickling down his stomach.

Nev was silent for a long moment, before he finally spoke. "So he just… left? Straight after? But he spent the whole afternoon with you before that?"

"Yep." I pursed my lips, hunching over in my chair and picking at the edge of the desk.

"Huh."

"And then he showed up in my office earlier acting like none of it even happened," I added sullenly, ignoring the little hint of guilt that flared when I silently acknowledged that I hadn't actually given him an opportunity to say much.

I'd been too pissed. Too embarrassed.

Mostly pissed though.

"Huh," Nev said again, his tone flat and grim this time. He sighed. "Sorry, Rafe. He's just a fuckboy."

I hunched over further, humiliation making my face burn. I was so fucking annoyed at myself, because I'd known that. I'd known Ewen was just a fuckboy. I'd lived next door to him for three years. I'd witnessed his fuckboy antics firsthand.

"Yeah," I croaked.

Every time I thought about last night, I cringed. It wasn't just his abrupt departure. I'd lain awake for hours after he left, replaying everything he'd said. Everything he'd got me to admit to, in that low, husky voice, while stroking my dick and pressing his muscular body against mine.

" Did you imagine me doing this, Rafe? While you were watching me? "

At the time, it had turned me on even more. Now, it felt like a trick. Like he'd just been playing me. Getting me all worked up and humiliatingly desperate for him so he could go home and chuckle to himself about his sad, horny neighbour.

Maybe even tell his buddies. Chris. And Vince.

"I'm sorry your first experience with a guy ended that way," Nev said sadly, sounding almost tearful on my behalf. My spine snapped straight with indignation.

"It's fine." I didn't want to make my friend sad, so I managed a rough laugh. "I mean, it confirmed that I'm definitely not straight, at least. So. I don't know. I guess now I can…"

I trailed off and rubbed my face.

"Shit, I have to get back to work." Nev sounded worried. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," I told him quickly. "I'm just… pissed. And pissed that I'm pissed."

I hated that Ewen could affect me this much. But he always had. He'd always gotten under my skin, ever since he moved in next door.

Now it was just a million times worse.

"I get it," Nev said sympathetically. "Seriously, fuck him. I'm so mad. I want to egg his house."

I snorted a weak laugh. "Me too, actually."

"I really have to go, but let me know if you want me to come over after work to hang out. I can bring eggs. And a couple of balaclavas."

I chuckled again, feeling a little better. "Do you already own the balaclavas?"

He paused. "I do own one, actually."

My brow quirked. "Why?"

"A sex thing. When I was with Ben," he casually told me, referring to his boyfriend from a few years ago. "I'll spare you the details."

I was kind of intrigued, but didn't want to pry. "Well, okay then. I'll probably be too tired to hang out tonight. I slept like shit. Maybe tomorrow?"

"Sure thing. Whenever works. Love you, bro."

My mouth tipped up. "Yeah, love you too, bro."

—

Ewen's truck wasn't in his driveway when I got home that evening, and I breathed a sigh of relief.

After getting inside, I promptly closed all the curtains downstairs before making myself some dinner while listening to my favourite true crime podcast in an attempt to relax.

I was still tense as shit though, because at some point, Ewen would come home. And then he'd be right next door.

After eating, I took a shower and pulled on my pyjamas. I'd made plans earlier to game with my buddies for a while, so I got settled at my computer and pulled on my headset.

"Ra-Ra-Rafeooo," Teresa crooned when I joined the voice call that was already going.

"Hey. Sorry again about missing last night."

"It's good, bro," Abed piped up. "How you feeling? Hangover finally gone?"

"I swear they're getting worse with age," Teresa added in a grumble.

"Uh, yeah." I tensed. "Fine. I'm just still a little tired."

"Where did you go on Sunday?" Suki asked with interest. "What bar was it?"

I squirmed in my seat. I did not want to talk about Sunday night. Or last night.

Before I could answer, Nev spoke up, his voice carefully light. "C'mon guys, let's play. Rafe's gotta head to bed soon, so we don't have much time and we wanted to find that death crystal."

"Sure," Abed said easily. I could hear him clicking to load Black Oasis. "Let's do it."

None of the others knew what had happened. Hell, none of them except Nev knew I'd recently realised I was into guys. I'd tell them eventually, but I was still too raw. Besides, I wanted to forget it all tonight. I wanted to game with my buddies, not think about Dan fucking Ewen.

I actually managed to achieve it for a while, until, about an hour later, I heard a faint knock at my door over the sounds of the game.

I immediately stiffened, then ripped off my headset and went perfectly still, my ears straining.

After about ten seconds, there was another knock.

My gut plummeted. I was almost positive that it was him. I wasn't sure why—maybe because I rarely got visitors.

My heart pounding, I leaped out of my seat and ran to close the door to the kitchen, just in case he pulled the same stunt as yesterday and appeared in my yard. I didn't want him to see me sitting here through the kitchen windows, because then he likely wouldn't leave. He was an overbearing dick like that.

Sinking into my chair again on trembling legs, I pulled my headset back on and kept playing, trying to calm my hammering heart.

"You okay, Rafe?" Reece asked. "You suddenly stopped moving."

"Just went to grab a drink," I said as casually as possible.

My shoulders hunched up when I heard a third knock. I ignored it.

But I was still tense, even after another hour passed with no more knocks. Eventually, the last few nights and lack of sleep caught up with me, and I apologised and told my friends I had to go to bed.

When I went upstairs, I resolutely kept my gaze averted from the view out my hallway window.

—

He tried again when I was leaving for work the next morning.

"Hey, Rafe" I heard as I walked to my car.

Stiffening, I glanced over and saw him sauntering across his front yard to mine, dressed only in a pair of sweats with a cup of coffee in his hand. He shot me his usual cocky grin, but it faded when I scowled and yanked open my car door.

"What the hell?" he asked as I quickly climbed inside before he could reach me.

I could tell he was bewildered by the way I was acting, but that just pissed me off even more. Was he really that goddamn clueless?

Yes. He was. As I turned on the engine and put my car in reverse, I heard him huff in disbelief.

"Guess I'll just speak to you at work, then," he said. His voice was muffled through the window, but I could detect the slight hint of a threat in it, and it made me start to sweat.

By the time I got to work, I'd made a plan. Heading straight for my office, I grabbed my laptop and charger and some other supplies, then headed straight back out again.

Three minutes later, I'd set myself up for the day behind a stack of cardboard boxes in the storage room. I was armed with a large coffee and a breakfast sandwich I'd picked up on my way to the office, and I pulled a big stack of Val Kyl-More T-shirts out of a merch box to cushion my ass, seeing as I was going to be sitting on the floor for the next eight hours.

The room smelled like new plastic and old, musty cardboard, but it was quiet, and I highly doubted Ewen would come looking for me in here. I didn't understand why he was looking for me at all. He hadn't been able to leave fast enough after nutting on my couch.

Probably just pouting because someone in the world isn't gagging to suck his dick after he showed them a scrap of attention.

My belly clenched as soon as I thought it. Forcing back the obscene images now trying to fight their way into my brain, I stretched out my legs and settled my laptop on them so I could start work.

After a while, I finally managed to relax for the first time in days. My back kind of hurt from hunching over my laptop on the floor, but I was able to get absorbed in my work.

I wasn't sure how much time had passed when I heard the door to the storage room open, making me tense and stop typing instantly. I was hidden in the back corner behind a stack of boxes, but I still froze until I realised the voice I could hear was Larkin's, which made my shoulders unclench just a little.

He was beatboxing and singing something about crab pizza. I listened to him wander into the room and start moving stuff on a shelf, then another set of footsteps approached. I tensed up again when the second person closed the door behind them.

Oh no. If that was—

"Seb!" Larkin gasped coyly, then snickered as a low rumble came from the werewolf. " You're the one who said we can't keep doing this at work."

"Changed my mind," Seb rasped in his deep voice. "I keep thinking about this morning, sweetheart. The way you were moaning while you sat on my—"

"I'm in here!" I practically shouted the words, voice cracking in my haste to get them out. "Someone's in here!"

It went quiet for a moment before I heard footsteps rounding the boxes and getting closer. Larkin appeared in front of me a second later, frowning until he saw it was me. His expression cleared, then his eyes widened.

"Oh shit, look!" He pointed at my hair excitedly. "Seb, look! We're twins! You look good with pink hair, bro."

"Thanks," I said awkwardly, darting a look at Seb when he appeared beside Larkin, looking completely calm and unruffled as he adjusted his tie.

He gave me a tiny nod. "Very nice."

"Thanks," I repeated, no less awkwardly, and glanced between them. "Uh… sorry for interrupting—"

"It's cool, bro." Larkin sat on a cardboard box, compressing it under his ass. "Why are you in here?"

I couldn't tell them the real reason, so I just shrugged and said, "Needed to concentrate, and it's quiet and empty in here."

"Don't you have your own office?" Seb asked mildly, crossing his arms and leaning a shoulder on the wall.

Heat prickled at my cheeks. "Uh, yeah, but… it's right across from Taylor's, and Holt is always going in and out of there all day…"

Larkin snorted. "Yeah, I bet you hear some shit coming from in there."

Thankfully, I hadn't actually overheard any fucking. Yet. I had heard Taylor fart a couple of times when I was leaving my office to make a drink, but I couldn't judge him for that. I farted in my office too. It was the main perk of having your own private office, to be honest.

"Hold on. We haven't seen you since the bar." Larkin cackled, leaning back and compressing another box under his hands. "You got a bit wild, huh?" He looked at Seb with a sly grin. "It's always the quiet ones."

Seb flashed him a brief, wolfish grin back, eyes tracking down the fae's frame and simmering with heat.

I cringed, returning my gaze to my laptop screen. "I was pretty exhausted. And hadn't eaten. Didn't think it would hit me that hard."

"What was it you called Holt?" Larkin asked, sounding amused.

I cringed again. "Uh… don't remem—"

"A gay pirate," Seb supplied helpfully.

Larkin cracked up as I sighed. "Oh shit, yeah. That'll be why he asked me if he'd look good in a rhinestone eyepatch when I took in his coffee yesterday morning."

"I think he'd pull it off," Seb said with a little shrug.

I held back a groan of despair. Why weren't they leaving and going to find another room to fuck in?

I almost offered up my own office, just so I'd be left alone again. But no. I'd seen werewolf porn. I knew how much they… produced.

Those money shots were the real money shots.

"So what are you working on?" Larkin asked me cheerfully, nodding at my laptop and stretching out his long legs to cross his ankles. He didn't appear to be in any hurry. "Boring shit?"

I hunched further over my laptop. "Uh… yeah. Just work stuff."

"Sweetheart, why don't we leave Rafe to get on with it?" Seb asked, smiling at Larkin. "If he has to concentrate…"

"Sure, okay." Larkin jumped up, always so fucking full of energy, and took Seb's hand. "See you later, broseph."

"Yeah. See you later."

"Oh!" He turned back, and I suppressed a sigh before my pulse leaped when he spoke again. "I think Dan was looking for you earlier. He said he just wanted to ask something about the pay-per-view stuff."

"Right," I croaked, wetting my lips nervously. My fingers flexed over my keyboard. "Well, I'm, uh…"

"I can tell him you're in here—"

"No," I barked, far too fast and loud to not be suspicious. Larkin didn't seem to notice my panic, but I was pretty sure Seb did. He eyed me with mild intrigue. "No," I repeated in a calmer voice. "It's okay. I just… I really have to concentrate."

"Okay, no prob." Larkin shrugged. "Doubt it's urgent, anyway. I'm sure you'll bump into him tomorrow or something."

"Yep," I said tightly. "Thanks."

He turned to leave, then once again stopped abruptly and spun back around. "Oh."

I stiffened and almost shouted "What?!" as my patience ran thin.

Frowning up at him, I noticed the blush staining his cheeks as his gaze darted to a box beside my leg. I glanced at it. B. WERE T-SHIRTS, it said on the side. XS .

Then I noticed a small stain.

"Um… just… maybe don't touch that box." Larkin's face turned an even darker shade of blue as Seb pursed his lips, fighting back a smile. "Just… for no reason. Bugs," he then blurted. "I think there are bugs in there."

I stared at him blankly for a long moment, then looked at the box again.

That stain was cum, wasn't it?

Without saying a word, I shifted my leg and slowly pushed the stained box further away from me with my foot. The sound of it scraping over the floor filled the small room.

"Anyways." Larkin hurriedly grabbed Seb's hand again and tugged him toward the door. "Later, Rafe!"

"Later," I muttered back, wondering, not for the first time, if it was too late for me to quit.