Three Part Harmony (The Road to Rocktoberfest 2024)

10. Chapter Ten

Chapter Ten

Griffin

I spent Thursday night doing laundry and cleaning up my place which was much needed. I wasn’t a slob by any means but I also wasn’t home a lot to keep on top of routine chores, like getting the dirty dishes out of the sink and into the damn dishwasher. Instead of keeping my place tidy I’d been happily spending off-duty time with Mike which wasn’t a bad thing at all.

But tonight I was content that Mike was spending time with his band instead of me. They needed this time together to work out some of the growing tension. Even knowing how necessary it was for Mike to be with them, it was alarming how much time I was spending wondering what they were doing or how it was going.

Mike had expressed how uneasy and somewhat awkward his interactions had been lately with Fletcher and that it was spilling over to make them all feel the stress while rehearsing. Stuff like that only simmered for so long before it exploded and that’s what I worried about. The last thing Chaos needed was to allow in-band fighting to strain their performances. I’d seen it happen to far too many bands. Some of which were never able to heal the wounds inflicted by the verbal conflicts.

Fletcher sure as hell had a serious problem with me hanging out so often with Mike. He wasn’t even trying to hide his disdain for me either, and I had no idea why. I’d see Fletcher smile at Mike but then when he saw me coming up behind Mike the smile would fall from his face. I certainly didn’t think I deserved it.

Mike said Fletcher was acting like he was jealous but that didn’t even make sense. Fletcher was head over heels in love with Dallas, so it wasn’t like he wanted Mike in any way other than as a friend—same as me. Well, that was mostly true. If I forced myself to really look hard at this I’d have to admit to liking Michael a little more than what was healthy to feel for a “friend.” It could be no other way because I would not risk my employment or jeopardize the long-standing relationship Mike had with his band.

The other thing causing me stress was whether or not I was making a mistake by taking Mike out for the day tomorrow. What I was planning was kind of date-like and since we weren’t actually dating, I worried how he might react to this trip. But for whatever reason it felt important for me to show him this place. Hopefully he’d love it, if he didn’t I was going to feel like a complete idiot.

By ten o’clock I called it a night and slid into bed to try and get some sleep. Before I shut off the bedside light, I fired off a quick text to Mike to remind him about our field trip.

Me: I’ll pick you up around noon tomorrow.

Almost immediately I saw the three dots bouncing on my phone screen.

Mike: I’ll be ready!

He didn’t answer my unspoken question, so I knew I had to flat-out ask him or I’d have to wait until tomorrow to hear the story. I wasn’t a patient man. I had to know now.

Me: Everything all right there?

Mike: No one has died yet but the night is still young.

Me: Behave. You wouldn’t like prison. Although you’d probably be quite popular with the other inmates.

Mike: Not funny. Besides, aren’t friends supposed to help friends hide the bodies?

I burst out laughing where I rested against the headboard of my bed. I loved his wit and the ease at which he could poke fun at himself. I also really liked his serious side and the way he was willing to look inside himself at the deeper meaning of things.

His eyes, damn those magical orbs, they had the power to look straight into my soul one minute and the next shimmer with shyness. Every emotion he had on any given day flickered in his gaze. The saying ‘he wore his heart on his sleeve’ didn’t apply to Mike because his feelings were reflected in his eyes every second of every day. It made it somewhat easier to read his tells to know what he needed or what he was fearing in the moment. Though I was willing to bet Michael would disagree with that assessment.

He’d be wrong, though.

I knew him far better than he’d ever give me credit for and I was okay with that because I was just doing my job. Knowing his quirks and needs only helped me be better at protecting him. At least that’s what I kept telling myself.

Me: No one is burying any bodies. Have one of your bros hide your drumsticks instead.

Mike: That’s a great idea! But not needed. We’re playing Cards Against Humanity and Fletcher is mostly behaving himself.

Me: Make sure it stays that way.

Mike: What should I wear?

Me: Are you being serious?

Mike: As an STD. I mean, are we hiking, hitting a beach, or what? Where we go depends on what I need to wear. See what I mean?

Me: I’ve never had an STD but I guess having one would be a serious thing. As for where we’re going…I’m not giving away the location, except to say it’s not the prom. Dress like you would to go to the rehearsal studio.

Mike: No STDs?? How did you manage to dodge that bullet?

Me: I always wear condoms.

Mike: No glove, no love? What about blowjobs?

Me: What can I say? I’m all about safety. Plus my job requires me to be tested every few months and I’ve always had negative screenings.

Mike: Good to know. LMAO.

Me: Your response makes me wonder how many STDs you’ve had. Dare I ask?

Mike: You can ask but I don’t see how that information would be relevant.

Me: You’re right and I shouldn’t have asked. Knowing your medical history is not my business.

Mike: You didn’t really ask. But if you had, I would have told you two. It was a long time ago and you’ll have to guess which ones they were.

Me: You are something else.

Mike: I could say the same about you.

Me: Enjoy the rest of your night and I’ll see you around noon tomorrow.

Mike: Have sexy dreams about me!

Me: You’d like that, wouldn’t you?

Mike: You are correct. :)

My face was flushed with heat as I connected my phone to the charging cord on the small side table. Then I reached to shut off the lamp and the room fell to darkness. I settled into the pillow behind my head and sighed. I couldn’t stop smiling—even long after the lights went out and I was trying to fall asleep, my grin remained in place. I simply couldn’t stop thinking about him. He just made me feel so damn… alive . Every nerve ending in my body was awake now and prickling with sensation. There was no way in hell I’d be falling asleep any time soon.

I rolled onto my side and in the dim light from the moon seeping in between the window blinds I was just able to make out the shape of the bottle of lotion I kept there. Sometimes the only way I could get my brain to shut down was if I jerked off before sleep and it looked like tonight was going to be one of those nights. Again. Lately, I’d been having far too many of these nights which was why I decided to leave the lotion out on the small table for easy access.

I squirted a liberal amount of the cream into my hand and closed my fingers to make a fist to warm it. The mere sound of the lotion squishing between and under my fingers was enough to have me rock hard in under five seconds. This little encounter with myself wouldn’t take long at all tonight and I guess I had Mike to thank for that. His relentless flirting and even the damn sound of his voice were like aphrodisiacs to me.

Chapter Eleven

Mike

I had no idea what to expect when Griffin picked me up for our not date but I was beyond excited. I didn’t care where we went. My enthusiasm about today had more to do with having him all to myself for the next several hours. Not for sex. I knew this excursion wasn’t about the physical. It had everything to do with growing our friendship. We were already so damn close. Our late night texting and long conversations had truly cemented our bond. But I absolutely loved spending one-on-one time with him because that’s when I saw a side of Griffin I knew he didn’t show to anyone else.

I didn’t even let him come to the door when he arrived on time at noon. Instead I ran out to his truck and hopped into the passenger seat.

“Good afternoon,” he said in that low, growly tone I loved so much.

“It still feels like morning,” I said and grinned at him.

“Probably because you just rolled out of bed,” he teased.

“Not quite,” I explained. “I got up about an hour ago, showered, and had breakfast before I came outside to wait for you.”

“How did things end last night with Fletcher?” he asked.

“I honestly don’t know what his problem is,” I said. “It’s like he’s jealous of something he thinks we have and he doesn’t, but he has Dallas. I don’t have you. We’re just friends.” My words burned like acid on my tongue and I hated that what I’d said was the truth.

“Yeah, friends—but good friends,” he replied and smiled across the cab at me.

I watched his body language and every part of him was loose, except for his grip on the steering wheel. His knuckles were white and it looked like he was holding on for his life or trying to strangle his truck.

“The best of friends,” I mumbled almost to myself.

“I can’t take the honor of being your best friend because Fletcher wears that title,” Griffin pointed out.

“These days we’re barely business associates,” I grumbled .

“You two will work this out,” he said. “But I think the sooner you hash this out, the better for you and the whole band.”

“You’re right, but I’m not ready to deal with him,” I admitted. “I want to enjoy my afternoon with my other best friend.”

We drove for a while in companionable silence and I had to say just having him beside me a few feet away made me feel better. I didn’t care where we were going. Hell, he could take me to a fast-food burger joint for grease smeared between two buns and I’d be overjoyed, simply because we were together.

“Do you want me to guess where you’re taking me?” I asked.

Griffin started laughing. “There’s no way you’d get it right.”

“Give me a hint,” I suggested.

“It’s about forty minutes from where we are now,” Griffin offered.

“Hmm, that doesn’t give me much.”

“I told you. You’ll never guess this. It’s impossible you’d even know this place existed,” Griffin explained further.

“Now I’m really intrigued,” I replied.

“I hope you like it,” he said. “Put it this way, I know you’re going through some shit with Fletcher right now and I thought this place might get you out of your head for a bit.”

“I love the sound of that, Griffin, and I really appreciate you doing this for me,” I said. “You’re so…nice to me, and sometimes I don’t think I deserve it.”

“You’re a nice person, too,” he said. “Why would you think you don’t deserve this?”

“Because once in a while I can be kind of a brat. ”

“Once in a while?” he teased and I gave him a firm shove to his shoulder.

“Dick. You know what I mean.”

“I do, and—full disclosure, I sort of like it when you’re a brat. Makes me want to put you over my knees and give you a good spanking.”

“You did not just say that!” I shoved him again and started laughing. “You get mad when I flirt with you and then you come out and say something that…kinky and sexual.”

“You’re right. I’m sorry,” he said.

The cab fell quiet again. The one constant sound was the rhythm of the tires rolling over the asphalt. I started to concentrate on the beats I could hear nestled within the road sound and quickly grabbed my phone to record the beats in my head.

“Do you always record your drum riffs?” he asked.

“Absolutely. I never know when something good is going to come out, so I record everything,” I explained.

“It’s why you’re so good at what you do.”

I glanced at him and then looked away.

“What’s on your mind?” he questioned.

“Never mind.”

“No way. BFFs share everything.”

I knew he was ribbing me but I also knew he was being serious, so I started talking. “Do you really think I’m talented?”

“Hell yes. Your rhythms are the focal point of the band. You’re the backbone for everyone else. They feed off the beats you give them. It’s fucking amazing to hear but even better to see you work in person.”

We talked about that for a while and I was both surprised and awed by how much Griffin knew and understood about the job of the drummer-slash-percussionist. We were a vital piece of any band but I didn’t always feel that valued for what I did for Chaos. Our conversation was once again deep and intimate in an emotional way and that had me wanting to lighten the mood. So, being Mike the brat as I was known to be, I circled back around to something he’d said a little while ago and hit him right between the eyes.

“Do you really want to spank me?”

Griffin faltered on the road for the briefest of moments before the truck was once again moving in a straight line.

“I think I’m going to leave the answer to that burning question for your imagination,” he stated. “It’s probably safer for my sanity that way.”

I sucked in a gasping breath and pretended to be shocked. “Holy shit! You do want to lay me over your knees and spank me until my ass is red!” I pressed down on my cock which was desperately trying to come out and play. “I’m hard as a tree trunk thinking about it, and FYI, you can spank me any time you want.”

“Good to know,” he said. “Next time you’re acting like a major brat, that’s exactly what I’m gonna do.”

“Promise?” I asked and Griffin began to laugh again. Damn, I loved that sound.

We pulled into a parking lot a short time later. I tried to read the sign as we entered and saw something about this being a public park. I looked at Griffin and saw that he was maneuvering into a spot to park his truck.

“Are we hiking?” I asked.

“Sort of,” he replied. “I’d call it more of a…stroll.”

We hopped out of the truck and after Griffin locked it, we began to walk toward the main path. The sun was flickering through a dense tree canopy while a soft breeze shifted the leaves on the branches. It was a perfect day to spend going for a walk in a park with your favorite person. The urge to reach out to twine my fingers with Griffin’s was enormous and took every ounce of my willpower to stop myself.

The path we were on looped around a lake where two swans floated happily and there were several other types of birds. It was serene and breathtaking. We climbed a slight incline and as we were coming down the other side, Griffin pointed to something through the trees.

“That’s our destination,” he said.

I looked ahead and saw some kind of structure almost glowing in the sunlight. It was a rusty-orange color with thick cables connecting two towers on each end, and the closer we got, the larger it loomed. A final curve in the pathway finally revealed what I’d only been getting glimpses of up until now.

“Holy shit! Is that…” I started to ask.

“It’s a made-to-scale replica of the Golden Gate Bridge,” Griffin explained. “I figured since I didn’t have time to show you the bridge while we were in San Fran, I’d bring you here. Hopefully, one day soon we’ll have the chance to go back and I’ll show you the real one.”

I looked at him with my mouth agape. This was the sweetest thing anyone had ever done for me. Emotion stung my eyes and for a second I thought I might start crying. This man, fuck, he was a special kind of human that I was falling so hard for and I no longer wanted to fight it.

“Griffin, I can’t believe you did this for me,” I sighed and watched as his face turned pink from my compliment. “You are the nicest guy I’ve ever met, thoughtful beyond words, and I can’t thank you enough. This trip today is…incredible, and it means so much.”

“Come on, let’s go sit on the bridge,” he said and took my hand in his.

I froze at his touch and stared at the point we were joined. Griffin stopped when he felt the resistance and turned around with questions in his gaze. His eyes dropped to his hand clasping mine and he dropped it.

“Shit, I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking,” he said. “Instinct I guess.”

“I liked it,” I shrugged and followed him down the path toward the bridge.

The structure spanned the width of a wide stream. There were benches on either side to sit but two more positioned on the bridge itself. There was a bronze plaque at the beginning of the bridge that gave a brief history of this replica being built. I looped my arm through Griffin’s and tugged him in close for a selfie and I made sure this time he was smiling .

The bridge was empty, although we’d passed a few people as we walked out there. I was grateful we had this to ourselves. I sat on one of the benches and Griffin plunked himself down beside me. I reached over and squeezed his thigh. His head swung to me and our gazes locked, and my heart almost stuttered to a halt.

“This was well worth the ride to get here,” I said. “Thank you for bringing me.”

To my utter shock, Griffin placed his hand on top of mine, trapping it against him. It was almost as if he didn’t want me to remove mine from his thigh. “Thank you for coming with me.”

“I’d go anywhere with you,” I confessed. “You don’t even have to ask. I’m always gonna want to ride shotgun with you.”

His hand squeezed mine and we stared at each other for a long time before he finally looked away. Everything about this day was perfection and now to be sitting on this particular bridge while we sort of held hands and listened to the sounds around us of the babbling water running under the bridge and the birds above our heads. I honestly didn’t want to leave. I took another selfie of us sitting on the bench and a third shot of us standing at the railing of the bridge. Griffin’s smile was endless in each of them.

We sat there chatting seamlessly about numerous subjects for another hour before we finally started the walk back to his truck. After we left we stopped for a late lunch before Griffin finally pulled into the driveway at the band house well after dark. This whole day felt like a date to me, and judging by Griffin’s smiles, I knew he was feeling everything I was. I nervously sat in the truck parked in our driveway for several long moments. I wanted to pour my heart out to him and confess my growing feelings and then kiss him goodbye to thank him for an amazing day together. But I could do none of that and had to settle on expressing my gratitude instead.

“Thank you for today,” I said. “It was a perfect distraction to what’s been going on around here lately with Fletcher, so thank you. Again. I won’t ever forget this.”

I couldn’t even look at him to say the last bit because it was too close to telling him how hard I was falling for him. But then I felt his hand caress the back of my head and his fingers sifted through my hair to stroke my scalp.

“Fuck, Griffin… I…”

“Don’t say it,” he interrupted. “Let’s just leave it here and know that I had a great time, too.”

I glanced at him and nodded. Yeah, this was for the best because if I were to kiss him, like I desperately wanted to, we wouldn’t be able to stop. I knew that for a fact.

I slipped out of the truck and waved at Griffin one last time before I stepped through the front door of the house. Thankfully, Fletcher wasn’t home when I walked into the living room. Dixon and Potts were once again embroiled in another video game and fighting for world dominance from the couch. I said hello and walked into my bedroom. I kicked off my shoes and flopped onto my bed. With my arms folded behind my head, I stared at the ceiling and went over every detail of my day with Griffin. There weren’t enough adjectives to portray how happy I was. It made me wish I could bottle this feeling, so I could take it out and breathe it in the next time Fletcher pushed every one of my buttons.

Turns out, I didn’t have to wait more than a couple of days before Fletcher slipped back into attack-mode and we were at each other’s throats all over again.