10. Rhys

10

RHYS

“ R hys, I swear to Sephora, if you don't get your hot little tush out here in one minute, I am going to douse your room in Axe body spray and turn all your jeans into cutoffs!” Fin yelled from the living room.

His ridiculous threat did nothing to keep me from dragging my feet to get ready. Why I had let him talk me into going to a haunted house was beyond me. I had absolutely no interest in being scared crapless by a bunch of jocks dressed in heinous makeup who were there solely to terrorize the masses. Austin's infamous House of Torment had a charity offshoot that the athletic department decided to set up this year, which meant that all the cast and crew of the nightmare factory were in fact UT athletes.

Their theme? Hollywood Horror. After avoiding scary slasher films my entire life, I was apparently going to immerse myself in Chucky's dollhouse while Freddy clawed at my balls and Michael Myers ran me into an early grave. If I was lucky, and personal experience assured me I wasn't, I would get in and out with my pants unsoiled, my dignity intact, and be spared any unwanted Callum sightings. I didn't know for sure if the Lacrosse players were involved tonight, but I was pretty confident they'd be there.

I hadn't heard from Cal since our impromptu drink last Friday night, and I didn't have the desire to reach out to him. Well, that wasn't entirely true. Our talk had left me with more unanswered questions than it had answered and I couldn't stop thinking about him. My overactive brain replayed our conversation more times than a Nick At Nite marathon and I convinced myself I was slowly going insane worrying over a man who had shown me more than once that I meant nothing to him. No matter the distress he caused me, he was entrenched in my head. It was evidently a character flaw of mine for which there was no cure, but I refused to be the one to break our radio silence.

Fin appeared in my doorway and yanked me from my troublesome thoughts. “Hey! We're going to be late meeting my friends if we don't head out. You are not getting out of this, so don't even try it, Evans.” He shot me a satisfied smile and grabbed my hand to pull me from my room. I quickly lunged for my phone and let him drag me to our front door.

Micah was sitting in our living room watching something on TV with that blank expression that had been there for weeks now. He had been thrown for a loop after expressing his unrequited love for his best friend, and it had dang near sucked the life out of him. I felt like the world's shittiest friend for not trying to talk to him and help him in some way, especially seeing how badly it affected him. I had been too wrapped up in this mess with Cal and my own problems. But that ended right now.

“Can you give me a second? I'll be right there,” I whispered to Fin, nodding my head over to where Micah was so he got the hint. He nodded at me and called out a quick goodbye to Micah, who only acknowledged him with a small wave.

He didn't even look up at me as I approached him, and I might have snapped a little. “Okay, that's it. I can't take it anymore,” I barked out. Micah's head shot up and he gazed at me with wide, empty eyes. “You have gone so far over the edge of pathetic that I can't watch it anymore. I know Bash broke your heart. I am not saying that it doesn't suck because it does. Massively. However, you cannot stop living your life and shutting down just because you can't have the man you want.”

Micah just blinked at me and I saw just the faintest flash of hurt cross his face. It was the first sign of any emotion I'd seen in him in way too long, but I couldn't shut down the irritation building in me. It was like all the fight I had in me that I couldn't direct at Callum was being unleashed on Micah and I couldn't stop myself.

“You still have him! Bash is still your best friend, and he even begged you to promise that this wouldn't change you guys! Yet all you've done for almost a month is float around like a freaking ghost, and it's not like you! This is not you , Micah!” My voice was pleading and at that point, I didn't know if I was entirely talking to him or myself. Truth was, I was the one who felt like a ghost of myself since Cal had gotten to me. Everything I had told myself about being stronger and not letting anyone ever hurt me again had been demolished in the wake of his attention.

“I know…I'm really sorry I haven't been myself lately,” Micah said, interrupting the voice in my head. “I just need time to get back to normal and figure things out, you know?”

I didn't know if it was his flat voice feeding me an empty promise or the fact that I had also been lying to myself as he was doing now, but my temper ratcheted up another notch. “Oh, don't even give me that crap, Micah! I know you're just saying what I want to hear. I need you to FEEL something! Anything! Get angry, throw a tantrum, bawl your eyes out, scream until your voice gives out, anything!” I lashed out at him, my pleas echoing everything I had told myself I needed to do to process what was happening with Callum and move on. He only blinked at me, his walls firmly in place and unyielding. I took a deep breath as the adrenaline spike from the last minute crashed down on me.

“Just…feel something and come back to the world again. You can't keep living like this,” I said much calmer than before. I left him with some parting remarks about getting his butt back in gear, but I was barely aware of what I had said. My brain was too chaotic and I had to force myself to get through a literal horror show soon.

I walked out and Fin just shot me a sympathetic smile, apparently having overheard my unfortunate tirade. It took about fifteen minutes to walk over to where the haunted house was set up near the stadium. The crowd was nearly overwhelming for my introverted tendencies, but I had promised Fin I wouldn't chicken out.

Such a brilliant decision you made, you brain-dead boob. Why don't you go jump out of a plane without a parachute? It'd be quicker than putting yourself through this insanity.

Fin was rambling on the phone with one of his friends, trying to find them in the endless line. Suddenly, a pink-haired girl hopped on Fin's back.

“Oh, fuck-a-doodle-doo!” he shrieked loudly. I let out a snort at his dramatics and he glared at me in a fruitless effort to be intimidating.

“Heya stranger!” the girl laughed, smacking a kiss on his cheek before hopping down. “'Bout damn time you got here! The boys and I suspected you ducked out in a moment of cowardice.”

“Oh please, I'm not the one you have to worry about. Rhysie here is the scaredy cat. I've got ten bucks that says he's the first to scream like a girl,” Fin winked at me, throwing his arm around the bubblegum intruder.

“Excuse me! I'm not the one who squealed like a vulgar rooster just now!” I complained, not really offended because he wasn't wrong. I was a giant baby when it came to being scared. Fin just stuck his tongue out at me and rolled his eyes.

“Whatever. Rhys, this is my bratty friend Aly. Aly, this is my fabulous new friend, Rhys,” Fin introduced me to the smiling girl.

“Nice to meet you! Fin's told me all about you, and I want to humbly apologize for all you've undoubtedly been subjected to. We've tried getting him help, but I fear there's nothing to be done,” Aly said, playfully frowning at me as Fin pinched her side. She dissolved into giggles and steered us to a group of three other guys in line. They were all Fin and Aly’s friends from the dance program, but they were pleasant enough with me to put me at ease.

As we grew closer to the front of the line, my ease dissipated and my nerves cranked into overdrive. I was fully aware of how stupid it was for me to be this worried about a college haunted house, but my mind could only conjure up gruesome scenarios of what I would encounter inside. As we entered, I was assaulted with the acrid, smoky smell from the heavy fog being pumped into the narrow space. The strobe lights were disorienting and I fought to control my breathing as I anticipated the first inevitable jump scare.

I shuffled along with the group at the back, having read somewhere that the actors were told to go for the ones in the middle since that's where the weakest in the herd usually huddled. Right as we turned the first corner, Aly and Fin let out an ear-splitting scream together as a guy in a Jigsaw mask lunged for them. I couldn't even enjoy the satisfaction of them losing the bet before a leering Pinhead popped out of the dark at me as we stumbled further into the next room .

I did my best to block out the shouts, screeches, and yells that echoed throughout the halls as we were frantically moved from room to room by the hordes of bloody and masked actors leaping out of every nook and cranny. My voice was getting hoarse from my own screams and I was internally cursing up a storm at Fin for getting me into this. It felt like we'd been in there forever even though it was realistically only a couple of minutes. Our group had crossed into a room filled with balloons, spiderwebs and a cackling Pennywise who was dancing around Fin and Aly as they crumpled to the floor in a spineless, shrieking heap.

Before I could process anything else, a hand clamped over my mouth and an arm wrapped around my waist, pulling me backwards from the room. My heart dropped into my stomach as my panicked cries were muffled and drowned out in the enveloping noise of the haunted house. I couldn't see anything beyond the flashing lights and foggy cloud hanging in the air. My kidnapper hadn't made a sound and I fought to keep my footing as he forced me through the maze of halls.

My back met a hard wall that was shrouded in darkness, the barest of light and sound reaching us in our secluded area. My eyes locked onto a Jason Voorhees mask while the guy's hand stayed painfully clamped over my mouth. The pounding in my chest was so violent that I was sure he could feel it, and I struggled to take a full breath through my nose. I clawed at his hand, arm, chest, anything I could reach, but it did nothing to deter him. He grasped one of my wrists and pinned it to the wall, the move eerily familiar.

No sooner had I thought that before my masked tormentor removed his hand from my mouth and seized my throat in a firm grip. Instant awareness flooded my system and my heart hammered for a whole new reason. I couldn't see his eyes in the dark behind the battered hockey mask, but I knew without a doubt that if I could I would find one green and one blue.

My terror had ebbed slightly now that I knew I wasn't at risk of being murdered, but my anxiety had yet to come down as I stood immobilized by his hands and daunting presence. Cal slowly released my wrist he had pressed to the wall and slid his hand down my side, teasing every inch until he stopped at the waistband of my jeans.

My breathing was short and choppy as he cupped my length aggressively, drawing out a deep moan from me. His palm moved up and down hardening my erection, and my head grew hazy from all the blood rushing south.

“Cal, wait…” I choked out past the almost tight grip he had on my throat. His movements stilled and we stood frozen for several seconds, tension building between us. I could almost taste the lust in the air between us, thick and potent. It seemed like a lifetime before he grabbed my shoulder roughly and shoved me down, forcing me to my knees. Dark memories tried to pull me under, but they were quickly subdued by the confusing lust clouding my head.

I stared up at him through that hideous mask, stupidly wishing I could see his gorgeous features instead. Blowing Jason Voorhees was not a kink I wanted unlocked, but I couldn't help the sick excitement strumming through me at the thought of tasting Cal.

He undid his belt and zipper with deft fingers, shoving down his pants and boxers in one go. His cock sprang free and bobbed at my eye level, red and swollen. My breath caught as I got my first look at him and saliva flooded my mouth. In my shameful fantasies, I had imagined what he'd look like and the reality was so much better. His cock wasn't super thick, but long, cut and perfectly shaped. What had me practically panting was the glint of a silver ball sitting in the middle of the mushroom head and another appearing just below its ridge.

Holy penis piercing, Batman! That's just great. Drool a little more, Rhys. That's certainly attractive.

I swallowed roughly as Cal stroked his dick slowly in front of my face, bringing the tip to my lips and painting them with precum. My tongue darted out involuntarily and the lightly salty taste had my own erection throbbing in response. I vaguely registered that we were in a public place yet again with terrified people running around not far from us, but there was not a care left to find in me. That small taste had me dying for more.

Cal fisted my hair to hold me in place before thrusting his cock into my mouth forcefully. I choked and spasmed around his iron length as he speared it into my throat, triggering my gag reflex. It was punishing and brutal. I did my best to breathe through it, but my eyes watered and I instinctively dug my nails into his thighs in warning. It did nothing to stop him as he withdrew the tiniest bit and then shoved back into my throat even deeper than before.

I fought against my body's natural reaction to panic and forced myself to relax, loosening my grip on his legs as my head grew fuzzy. Instantly, he pulled back and his dick fell from my lips. I coughed and gasped for air, looking up at him through watery eyes.

“There you go, Sweetness,” Cal's raspy voice crooned. “Relax for me while I fuck that silky throat of yours.”

His words stoked a dangerous fire in me and I felt myself leaking in my boxers. His dick breached my lips again, but this time I sucked him down eagerly, all thoughts of being angry with him fleeing my mind. I ran my tongue around the barbell nestled on top that made him groan loudly. I pulled him deeper into my mouth, sucking hard as my cheeks hollowed out. I wasn't an expert by any means and it had been a long time since I'd blown a guy, but his tightened grasp on my hair and his gravelly curses proved he liked what I was doing to him.

I gained confidence and devoured his cock, moaning as I was fed little pulses of precum every time I swallowed or licked a certain way. Hints of his taste were driving me crazy and making my dick grow even harder. I was seconds away from begging him to touch me, taste me, make me come.

“Fuck, your mouth feels good. You're such a slut for my cock, aren't you? You look so perfect on your knees for me,” Cal growled above me, hands threaded through my hair to hold me right where he wanted me. “Want me to feed you my cum, Rhys?”

I moaned in response, peering up at him with desperate eyes. His dirty mouth had me feral for him in a way I'd never experienced before. I was lost in sensation and need. I was his to use, his to play with, his to own.

I doubled down on my efforts. Wet slurping sounds mingled with his gasps and moans in a filthy melody that rang in my ears. I could feel his cock pulsing in my mouth, his precum getting thicker as I drove him toward his release. I felt powerful, bringing this intense man such fierce pleasure. I wanted to be the one to plunge him over the cliff and watch him fall.

His groans escalated and his hips drove forward, pistoning his cock in and out of my mouth at a relentless pace. All I could do was hold on and ride it out with him.

“Oh, goddamn, that's perfect. I'm close…suck it out of me, Sweetness. Get me there,” Cal commanded, sexy and rough.

I was on fire, my own hips canting forward in search of friction for my dripping cock. I was a mess of tears, snot and helpless sounds as Cal fucked my face with unmatched ferocity. No one in their right mind should have gotten off on the things Cal was doing to my body, but the sad truth was I couldn't get enough of it. I was scared of getting caught, overwhelmed by his actions, and dreading the unavoidable crash.

And I couldn't have been harder.

“Oh shit…” Cal cursed. His movements stuttered and he ripped his length away from me, his fist flying over it as he chased his release. A whine escaped me when I realized he wasn't going to come in my mouth, but just then he let out a ragged shout as his climax hit him.

Ropes of hot, thick cum landed on my cheeks, streaking across my lips and face as he painted me with his orgasm. My eyes fluttered, feeling the warmth of his release on my skin and subtly wishing it would soak in and mark me.

It was toxic and crazy of me to want that, but I did. I wanted to be marked as his. I'd take every punishment he could inflict at that moment if it meant he'd keep me.

Just as quick as that thought floated to the surface, Cal ripped off his mask and stared down at my ruined face. He was breathing hard, hair sweaty and plastered to his forehead, and his eyes held an unmistakable hunger. I was in a trance, held hostage by his magnetic gaze with no desire to be freed. In that moment, I was completely his.

But that wasn't the reality. He blinked and I could almost see the wall slam down, a far more insidious mask sliding into place to cover up who he really was. My heart sank and a shudder wracked my body while he looked down at me as if I was insignificant…as if I was nothing.

“I didn't think you had it in you, Sweetness, but that was an A plus job. And they say virgin mouths aren't worth the time,” Cal mocked, a snide smirk tugging at his full lips. Words failed me as I struggled with the shame that drowned me. I had known this would eventually happen, but I had let lust and desire compel me to give him everything he had wanted without a fight.

“Why?” I finally croaked out, fighting to hold eye contact with him to show him in even the smallest way that he hadn't broken me.

“I told you we'd go back to the hard way until you give me what I need, and I'm nothing if not a man of my word,” he said. “I've gotta say, cum is a particularly good look on you, Evans. You should wear it more often.”

My face heated and I forced down a growl at his crude comment. “ What about me?” I asked defiantly, lifting my chin and fighting the urge to wipe away the evidence of his cruelty.

“What about you?” Cal asked in a bored tone, though I could see the heat in his eyes from earlier still simmering under the surface.

“You're just going to leave me on edge like this? Or are you finally getting performance anxiety?” I bravely smirked.

“Your right hand is as good as any. I've gotten you off twice already. Don't get greedy on me, Rhys.” His eyes were cold and detached, and my stomach clenched painfully. This wasn't the Cal I had started to uncover. This was just Hawk, hateful and malicious. I attempted to climb to my feet, but his hand latched onto my shoulder and held me down.

“What now? What more could you possibly want from me?” I bit out, my patience gone and tears threatening to spill over.

Cal's face flashed with something that looked suspiciously like guilt, but I knew it had to be wishful thinking on my end. “I want you to call my coach. I want you to fix this shitstorm you caused me. You want me gone? That's the price,” he scowled down at me. Without another word, he tugged his hockey mask back down and disappeared around the corner, leaving me kneeling with his cum drying on my face.

I had initially relaxed when I figured out it was Cal who had grabbed me, feeling safe knowing it was him. But I wasn't.

It was a false sense of security, like a beautiful snake disguising how dangerous its venom truly was. He was slithering into my life intent on causing me pain as he believed I had caused him.

A torrent of emotions hit me, anger colliding with humiliation that kept me frozen on the floor. The one feeling curiously absent though was regret. I couldn't fathom why, but I didn’t regret what we had just done. Somewhere inside me I craved his severity and roughness. The fear of it all dialed up my arousal to unbearable levels, and I didn't understand why. It was frustrating to think I was so damaged, so messed up that I got high on the fear and brutality he showed me.

Had I been a victim too many times that my brain interpreted it as something I wanted? Maybe I was too damaged to be fixed.

My chest ached as I stood up on shaky legs, pulling off my shirt and turning it inside out to clean myself up. I had been gone entirely too long and I didn't want to worry Fin anymore than I probably had. I took a steady breath and followed the sound of screams through the dark that matched the ones going off inside my head.

After sneaking in behind a group of dudes who were cowering together through the halls and dodging more characters ripped straight from my nightmares, I managed to make it to the exit. The fresh air engulfed me and I sucked down a lungful, hoping to clear out my tumultuous thoughts.

As I pulled my phone from my pocket to call Fin, I heard laughter filtering through the air from around the back corner of the haunted house. One of those laughs in particular prodded at my memory. I was moving before I registered what I was doing, and I peeked beyond the edge of the makeshift building to see what was happening.

A group of three guys were standing in a cluster talking and laughing. One was dressed in casual clothing, another in bloody ripped garb, and the third was all too familiar with the Jason hockey mask hanging from his hand.

“God, I feel fucking disgusting. I can't believe you roped me into this shit, Griff,” Cal griped with a smile on his face. That stupid smile had my chest fluttering because I was a world-class bully groupie apparently.

“From what I saw ten minutes ago, you weren't exactly suffering,” the bloody guy chuckled, swiping his auburn hair out of his face. “So, how was he? Did that nifty little service get you what you need yet?”

Nausea swamped my stomach and I had difficulty swallowing. He had seen us??

Was that Cal's plan all along? For someone to get their sick voyeuristic kicks from watching him humiliate me as another level in his twisted game?

“Now Griff, that was business, not pleasure. I saw an opportunity and I seized it. Eventually this twerp will cave and finally clear my name with Coach, then I can be rid of him and on to better things,” Cal stated nonchalantly, but not making eye contact with either of the men.

A choked noise escaped my throat against my will and the auburn guy's head swiveled in my direction. I darted back around the wall, freezing on the spot and praying he hadn't seen me. It was really dark, so there was a chance I'd gotten away with it. Then again, luck had never been a friend of mine.

“Hey, I'll catch up with you guys in a little bit. I just need to check something out real fast,” one of their voices reached me. I was so in my own head that it took me a second too long to recognize the sound of footsteps headed for me. I nearly tripped over my own feet in my haste to leave, but I was stopped in my tracks by the voice just inches behind me.

“So you're the infamous Rhys.”

I quickly weighed my options and decided to face my problem head on. That was my first mistake.

I turned to see the same guy who had apparently spied on Cal and me. He was crazy attractive like Callum, but in a different way. His reddish-brown hair was short and straight with the top part spiked up and about a day's worth of growth lining his strong jawline. From here, I could see the glint of the silver ring nestled in his left nostril, and a black stud in his right earlobe. Lean muscle rippled under his white t-shirt and he gave off just as cocky an air as Cal did. As it were, Callum had orchestrated a hostile takeover of my brain and libido, so this guy couldn't even spike my interest now.

And it seemed like the feeling was mutual since he looked me up and down with a strange look on his face. It was a blend of disgust and…maybe sadness?

“So you're the Peeping Tom,” I retorted, sounding much braver than I felt inside. I was still queasy and fuming over the fact that he had caught me in one of my worst moments, and even angrier still that Cal hadn't seemed to care.

“More like Peeping Griffin, but then again I clearly wasn't the only one eavesdropping tonight, so let's not cast stones just yet. He's right, you know?” Griffin said, eying me intently.

“Right about what?” I asked curtly.

“What Hawk said about you caving. Things are only going to get worse for you if you don't get smart and drop that fucked up complaint you made against him,” he warned, but his tone held no real concern for me. Not that I expected him to. He was more than aware of what Cal had planned for me from the beginning, and most likely knew about our previous interactions too.

This night just keeps getting better and better. I wonder if I could bribe one of the lovely slashers inside to put me out of my misery. It'd make great interactive theatre if nothing else.

“I don't see why that's any of your business,” I bit out. “I've said all I needed to say to his coach and it obviously made no difference anyway. He hasn't seemed to learn his lesson about not being a monumental asshole.”

Griffin let out a short laugh and shook his head at me, his lips twisted in a smug smile. “You'd have better luck getting the Pope to wear drag than Hawk changing his asshole nature. It's just who he is. And I'm pretty sure you'll be the one with a lesson to learn soon. Hawk can play pretty dirty when he wants something.”

I couldn't stop myself from snorting at his comment. “Yeah, I'm well aware. I've already seen just how… dirty he gets,” I snarked, a smug smirk of my own tugging at my lips.

In the time it took me to blink, Griffin was in my face and shoving me against the hard wall. I stared wide-eyed up at his features now contorted in anger, baffled by his sudden shift in mood.

“You know nothing about him. You only think you can get through to Hawk, but you're nothing to him,” he snarled at me. I couldn't move and tried to steady my breathing, not in the mood to get pummeled by a pissed off jock. However, something in me must have been wired wrong because I couldn't help but provoke him just a bit.

“Sounds like someone's jealous. Guess he doesn't give you as much attention as he does me,” I said breathlessly.

Yep, I'm gonna die. And the Darwin Award for stupidest death of the year goes to…

Griffin's eyes blazed and I could have sworn I heard a low growl emanate from his chest. What I definitely wasn't imagining was the other emotion lingering behind the fire. He was hurt. I knew better than anyone what that looked like. Maybe I wasn't so far off the mark with my jab after all.

“You need to drop that complaint and move on before you regret knowing him. You think you like all his attention now? Just wait.”

He shoved me a little harder against the wall before backing up and retreating from me. I took in a shaky breath as he walked away. Maybe he was right about my coming to regret everything with Callum. If tonight had proven anything, it was that every step forward with Cal always came with two giant leaps back.

I was beginning to suspect that I had ultimately been fooled by his beautiful face and witty words and stayed willingly blind to the damage he could inflict on me. He had made it no secret that he wanted to wreck me, whether by tears or cum, and I had just let him. I never pulled the ripcord to stop the free fall that came from being with Cal .

It was always offered to me and I ignored it each time. But not anymore.

I was getting off this ride and putting a stop to letting Cal manipulate and play with me however he wanted. Yet somewhere deep down, I knew that wouldn't last long.

He was my unintended weakness. I only wish I were his.