2. Elton

CHAPTER TWO

Elton

Blue Nipples.

That’s the only thought in my head as I roll over and snatch the trash can from the side of my bed, hurling up a disgusting mix of blue and green slush. Holy shit, when Skylar makes a drink, he goes all out. It’s like I can feel every bone in my body aching, my limbs screaming at me as I try and fail to get out of bed.

The memories of the night are a bit hazy, all tinted in blue smoke and green sparklers, but I think that maybe?—

“Are you done?”

“What the fuck!”

I nearly jump off the bed when I spot Knox in the corner of the room, a room which, after a quick double take, is definitely not mine. I don’t have a particular tendency toward dark, brooding colors or horror movie posters on the walls. Another wave of nausea hits me when a familiar seventies slasher covered in his victim’s blood catches my eye.

“Here,” Knox says, fully dressed, as he walks over with a glass of water and a bottle of pain reliever. “You’ll probably need these.”

I wipe the corner of my mouth with the back of my hand. “Uh, thanks, man.” I quickly pop one of the pills and hope it’ll alleviate this insane headache. Once I down all the water, I flop back onto what I can only assume is his bed. “What happened last night?”

There’s a pause when I think maybe one of Knox’s posters has come to life and unalived him until he clears his throat. “You don’t remember?”

“I mean, I remember Skylar and the Blue Nipples. We drank way too fucking much and?—”

And then it all comes crashing back.

What had started as such a fun night by giving Rhys his college acceptance and the money I saved for him all these years turned into something…gross. Only gross because I never want to be jealous of my brother or my best friend, but I found myself completely bitter about the fact that they had found each other, while I was—like always—still alone.

It’s not that I’m not incredibly happy for Rhys and Everest. They’re both awesome and deserve the world, but I’d be lying if I said seeing them all lovey dovey with each other didn’t make me envious. Neither of them were looking for love, and then boom , one bi-awakening later and they’ve found their soulmate.

So maybe that’s why I invited Knox to drink with me. Because I was so fucking done with everyone else but me finding their happily ever after. One drink led to two, which led to us smoking in the bathroom and?—

“Holy shit. You sucked my dick.”

Now, focusing on Knox’s mouth and the way he bites down on his lip ring, I remember it clearly. Maybe it was because we were both sloppy drunk off Skylar’s magic Absinthe or because we were high as hell, but damn, Knox can suck a dick. I can still hear his wet slurps and feel the drag of his tongue bar against my cock. The exhilaration of potentially being caught combined with his top tier skills made me nutting in a second.

Knox smirks, dirty and almost mocking at the same time. “I did.”

“So, I guess I’m not really as straight as I thought.” I chuckle, scratching the back of my flushed neck. “Did we…” I gesture to his bed.

Scoffing, his smirk disappears in place of a deep scowl. “Give me some credit. We were both trashed and needed to sleep it off. You insisted on coming home with me, not the other way around.”

While that doesn’t seem likely, I wouldn’t put it past a drunk me to latch myself onto the giver of orgasms. No, that’s a lie. Last night, like all nights, I probably didn’t want to go home alone… again . It seems that I’ve hit a new low, going as far as following Knox home, of all people, in favor of being by myself.

I thought maybe my internship in Valencia would have helped me get over this stupid need to be constantly surrounded by people. I had made a pact when I returned home for the summer that this was going to be the year of me . I was going to be as authentically Elton as possible and not sweep shit under the rug anymore. I didn’t realize that included getting drunk and going home with a guy I sort of dislike in favor of hanging out with my favorite people.

“Are you about done doing”—he waves a hand in the air with a raised pierced eyebrow—“whatever the fuck it is you’re doing? I have places to be.”

I’m reminded of why I dislike Knox. I won’t say I hate him, because I rarely hate anyone, but I wouldn’t consider him a bestie. It isn’t necessarily because he sold Everest the drugs that ended up getting my best friend arrested when he was eighteen. Rhys has a solid life now, and we were all just kids. No, Knox is not a fan favorite because he’s a genuinely terrible person. Like, really terrible. Always sulking, always moody, always quick to tear someone down. I don’t see how people can live their lives with such negativity, and it’s a vibe I don’t want to be around.

“I guess I am,” I snark, throwing the covers off me as I stand. It’s only then that I realize— “I’m naked.”

“You are.”

“Why am I naked?”

“Well, I certainly didn’t undress you.”

With Knox’s eyes on me, I feel a split second of insecurity. But then I notice the way he licks his lips, almost as if he’s trying to fight the way his eyes rake over my naked figure. You know what? Fuck it. I’m hot as hell. I work hard to have this figure, and I’m not ashamed to flaunt it.

I brace my hands on my hips and puff out my chest, daring him to say something. I must have a thing for being looked at because I realize I’ve shot myself in the foot when my dick starts to plump. “Well?”

He cocks his head to the side. “Well?”

“Thoughts?”

He snorts, running a tattooed hand down his mouth, a flash of bright white teeth behind his skin. “You want me to tell you how hot you are, Elton?”

I shrug. “Would be nice.”

He thinks it over for a moment before humming to himself. “Not interested. Now, since you’re dead set on overstaying your welcome, you can see yourself out.”

With those oh-so-kind words, he turns on his heels and walks out of his room, leaving me naked and feeling just a bit ridiculous. I look down at my sad dick, that’s also a bit upset he didn’t get a shout-out.

Not that I need that from Knox. No way. I was just playing, that’s it. Who doesn’t want to be told they’re attractive?

I take another look at his room, tempted to snoop around and uncover some nefarious secrets, but think better of it. There’s nothing entirely interesting to me. Mostly just old DVDs and little horror figurines. Everything but?—

“Where the fuck is my underwear?”