His Secret

5. Matías

CHAPTER FIVE

MATíAS

I’ve seen Adrian more than usual this week. Not only in class, but he’s opted to eat lunch with me a couple of times, asking me questions about the bar and basically panicking the way I was when he invited me to his party. He’s been adorable…if a six-foot-four, two-hundred-and-something-pound football player can be adorable.

I’m seeing a different side of Adrian since he told me his secret. He’s opened up even more, and in doing so, allowed me to be more myself around him. I felt like I was carrying my own secret, not wanting him to know because I was afraid he’d not want to be my friend, and now I’m at my most authentic self with him.

He walked to my dorm with me after class one day, simply because we were so caught up in conversation. Once we were at the door, he was like, “Oh. I guess I should leave you alone now.”

I wanted to invite him in. I never want our talks to come to an end, but I know that they must, so I simply nodded and said goodbye.

It’s now Friday, and I’m in my car heading toward his house to pick him up. My stomach is in knots, and not for the reason I’d like it to be. Instead of first date nerves, it’s he could potentially find someone to hookup with nerves.

I’m wearing dark blue chinos and a white Henley with white tennis shoes. My brown hair is a mess of loose curls on top of my head, and I took extra time to trim up the small amount of hair on my face and spritz some cologne on. Maybe he won’t be the only one looking for a hookup.

When I park outside the house he shares with his friends, I send him a text to let him know I’m here. He jogs out five minutes later and makes me want to drive off, because I don’t want to be the person who delivers him to someone else.

Good god, he looks sexy. He’s wearing a long-sleeved, white shirt and a pair of black pants. It’s not even the clothes that are special, it’s the way he looks in them. He’s muscular, and there’s no hiding it. The shirt isn’t tight, but you can still tell how well-built he is through it. He’s got a nice watch on his wrist, his hair is freshly buzzed, and his beard is neat and trim.

When he gets inside, I breathe in his scent. It’s a mixture of whatever he uses in the shower, and subtle citrus cologne.

“You—” I almost say you look good but quickly change it up. “You cut your hair.”

He runs a hand over his head. “Yeah, just wanted a change. It’ll grow back.”

“I like it,” I say, and then immediately feel embarrassed. “Anyway, you ready?”

“I think so.” He pats down his legs. “Wallet, phone, and hopefully I find some courage in one of these pockets.”

“Oh please,” I say with a laugh. “You’ll be fine.”

The hour-long drive is filled, not with music, but with a lively discussion about which breakfast food is better. Adrian swears you’re not eating breakfast if you’re not eating eggs, bacon, and sausage, but I say, you need to have some pancakes or waffles. After that, we laugh for about fifteen minutes while simply talking about some TV show we both watched and how funny we thought a particular line was.

Once we park, we find our way inside, get a stamp on the hand, and then go straight for the bar.

Adrian orders a beer, and I get a fancy iced tea, which is basically just an iced tea and lemonade combo.

The bar is crowded with people trying to get drinks, so we quickly move away and find a high-top table to stand near.

There are quite a few people on the dancefloor, plenty of people lingering against the wall, and several people at tables.

“Sooo,” I say, looking around. “What’s your type?”

He chuckles nervously. “Uhh, well, I don’t know. Umm.”

“Okay, are we thinking big, like you,” I say, eyeing his arms. “Smaller? Feminine? Masculine? Brown hair or blond hair?” I take a sip of my drink.

“I don’t want anyone as big as me. I mean, that’s a lot of weight.”

“Okay,” I say with a snort. “So, no bears for you.”

“Uhh, no.”

“Do you watch porn?”

He looks around like he’s nervous someone is going to hear…or care. “Well, yeah.”

“What do you typically watch?”

Adrian shifts, his face flushing slightly. “This feels weird to talk about.”

“Why? Because it’s gay porn? I bet you or your friends have talked about watching porn, or talked about what type of girls you like. Big boobs. Big ass. Etcetera. ”

“Okay, well, yeah, but I don’t tell my friends which porn clip I was watching.”

I point out a guy in front of us. He’s got a little makeup on, blond hair, and a tank top that shows off his small frame.

“Mmm. Not really.”

The next guy I point out has slightly darker hair and pale skin. He’s wearing khaki shorts and a maroon shirt. He’s also wearing glasses and looks a little older than us.

Adrian gives me a look that screams why did you even ask?

“Well, I’m trying to help,” I say with a laugh.

“What about that one?” I ask, pointing to a Black guy with a bright smile, wearing jeans and a Polo shirt.

He tilts his head from side to side. “Maybe.”

“He’s not too big. Not too small.”

“Just right? Are we Goldilocks now?”

“Not we ,” I say. “You. I know my type.”

“What is it?” he asks.

“Nope. We’re here for you.”

He grumbles and takes a drink. “Should we dance?”

“I don’t dance,” I tell him. “Plus they’ll think we’re together, which won’t be helpful. In fact, maybe I should go to the bathroom and see if someone approaches you.”

He grabs my arm. “No. Please.”

“All right, all right.”

We end up just talking at the table for half an hour. When we go to the bar for another beer for Adrian and a water for me, that’s when someone approaches.

“Can I buy you guys a shot?”

I look over and find an attractive man on the other side of Adrian. He’s wearing a striped T-shirt and blue jeans and has a baseball cap on. His eyes are blue, and his smile is kind.

“Oh. Well, I’m not drinking, but he can have one,” I say, putting my hand on Adrian’s shoulder .

“Perfect. What do you like?”

“Uhh. Oh, I don’t know. Tequila?”

“Tequila, huh?” the guy says with a grin. “I do bad things when I drink tequila.”

Adrian’s cheeks turn pink, and he looks over at me. I lift my brows and give him an encouraging nod.

“Oh, yeah?” he asks, leaning against the bar. “What kind of bad things?”

The man laughs. “Maybe you’ll find out.”

As they get their drinks, I decide to slip away and go to the bathroom. On the way back, I’m stopped by a tall and fairly muscular guy in a black button-up.

“Hey.”

“Hi,” I reply, looking up at him.

“You with anyone?”

“Just my friend.”

“Can I buy you a drink?”

“Well, I’m the DD, so it’ll have to be a boring drink.”

He gives me a crooked smile. “Just because the drink is boring doesn’t mean our conversation has to be.”

I grin. “Okay.”

We end up a few people away from Adrian and the guy he’s talking to.

“So, what’s your name?” he asks.

“Matías. Yours?”

“Blake. Do you live around here?”

“About an hour away. South River.”

“I went to SRU,” he says with excitement. “Are you in school there?”

“Yep. I graduate this year.”

“Awesome.” He takes a sip of his drink, staring at me the whole time. “I really love your eyes.”

“Really?” I question. “They’re just brown. ”

“They’re a honey-brown. Really pretty.”

My smile grows. “Thanks.”

“Hey, Cruz. Oh, sorry. Hey, can I talk to you for a second?” Adrian asks, busting in between me and Blake.

“Cruz?” Blake questions.

“My last name,” I say.

He looks relieved. “I thought you were trying to give me some fake name there for a second. Hopefully I get your real number by the end of the night.”

We watch each other, smiles on our lips.

“Cruz.”

“I’ll be back,” I tell Blake. “What’s wrong?” I ask Adrian as he tugs me farther down the bar.

“That guy. His name is Jeremy. He wants to uhh…you know. Like now.”

“Oh.” My eyes widen.

“Yeah.”

“Well, what are you thinking?”

“That I’m definitely not having sex with some random dude in a bathroom or an alley or even at his place. He doesn’t know I don’t know shit about this. I don’t even know what to expect. Like, I was thinking maybe a little flirting. Maybe a kiss. Oh, my god. I sound so ridiculous right now.”

“No you don’t.”

“I just wasn’t expecting things to escalate so fast.”

“Wanna go?” I ask him.

He looks over my shoulder. “I don’t wanna mess up what you have going on.”

“It’s fine.”

“You sure?” he asks, looking in my eyes. I nod. “Okay. Yeah, let’s go.”

“All right. ”

I walk over to the table where Blake waits for me. “I have to get my friend home.”

“Oh, okay.” He looks disappointed at first, but then a slow smile creeps onto his face. “Well, can I get your number?”

I smile at him and glance over at Adrian who’s watching the exchange. “Sure. Yeah.”

He pulls his phone from his pocket and hands it over to me. I type in my number and hand it back.

“This is the real one, right?” he teases with a grin.

“It is,” I reply with a nod.

“Well, it was nice meeting you,” he states, coming in for a hug.

“Nice meeting you, too.”

When I pull away, I find I can’t bring myself to make eye contact with Adrian. I end up at his side, and we walk out and make our way to the car.

“Get a date?” he asks.

“No. We’ll see if he calls me. He probably won’t.”

After a second he says, “He will.”

I clear my throat and unlock my silver sedan. “Sorry the night didn’t turn out well for you.”

He waves it off as he sits down. “It’s fine. Baby steps, right?”

Twenty minutes from his house, he speaks up. “I don’t really want the night to end, though. It’s only a little after eleven.”

“Only,” I say with a snort.

“Hey, we were up until like five in the morning last weekend.”

“What do you wanna do?”

He shrugs. “My roommates are having a party.”

“Oh, god.”

He laughs. “I didn’t say we have to go. ”

“I only have a dorm, so it’s not very spacious.”

“That’s fine,” he says. “We can pick up some food and just watch TV.”

“That’s what you wanna do?”

“Yeah, why not?”

I shake my head, a laugh escaping me. “I mean, I guess.”

“Good. You pick the food. I pick the movie.”