Chapter Four

Last night had been confusing.

The more time I spent with Sky, the more confusing things were becoming.

Sky was straight. I knew that without even having to ask. It was obvious from the way he carried himself, from the way he looked so nervous when we were at Neon City, from the way he assumed that I had no idea what a Thunderbird was.

And yet, there was just this vibe about him that I couldn’t shake. When I was next to him, it was like there was this connection between us, the kind of connection that usually would’ve ended up with us waking up in bed together the next morning.

But I knew that was never going to happen.

It was the reason I’d decided to walk home after we’d left the bar. I’d initially entered my address as the first drop-off for the Uber but canceled it once Sky and I were silently standing outside on the street.

I mean, I pretty much had to cancel my ride as soon as I realized that the silence between us wasn’t just silence. It was tension, maybe even sexual tension, and it was as familiar to me as the back of my hand.

And since I knew that it wasn’t possible to have that kind of tension with a straight guy, I also knew that everything brewing between us was all in my head. I was building something out of nothing, using an imaginary sense of connection to explain my sudden fondness for the way Sky laughed, the way he smiled, the way he spoke.

But I wasn’t willing to go down this rabbit hole again. I was never going to end up in another straight guy’s bed. I was never going to be someone’s secret experiment, something they only felt comfortable enough to do in the dark.

Which meant that I was never going to end up with Sky.

Never.

Not even if he begged.

I finished pulling my thoughts together just as I turned the corner of a small garage, trying my best to follow the directions that Sky had texted me. He’d mentioned something about a yellow-painted door and more windchimes than seemed necessary hanging off the garage’s side.

As I stepped closer to the garage, I spotted the windchimes, all bunched together, as if someone had been meticulously hanging them from every free space on the garage’s wall.

“Did you do this?” I asked as I poked at the mass of windchimes. “Were they on sale or something? Please tell me you saved at least one receipt.”

“Sorry, what?” Sky replied, sliding out from under the car. His back was pressed up against what looked like a wooden plank on wheels as he looked over at me. “Oh! Hey, Raven. Glad you could make it.”

Oh my God.

Sky had somehow found a way to double in hotness overnight. He was wearing a sleeveless, white tank top, stained with grease from working on the car. And he was covered in sweat, too, as little droplets fell from his forehead onto his lips.

And because Sky was clearly just a demon of some sort meant to test my resolve, he lifted up his tank top to wipe the sweat away from his face.

And there it was.

His six-pack.

“What are you?” I murmured, both impressed and terrified by Sky’s ability to be so impossibly attractive.

“What?”

“I mean, what are you working on?” I tried to cover my slip up. “Are you trying to fix the engine or something?”

I pretended to scan my eyes across the car, even though I was still thinking about Sky and his perfect… everything.

“Yeah. I’m working on the engine,” he started. “I thought I was doing pretty well until the tailpipe started smoking again. With cars you always have to check on the oil pressure first, you know, before you start tinkering around with anything else--”

Sky was still talking, but my mind was completely gone.

I made sure to politely nod whenever he seemed to be explaining a new concept, but I honestly wasn’t able to hear another word.

I wanted him. I wanted Sky. I wanted to ask him if he needed any help with the DeLorean, and by help I meant wrapping my lips around his cock while he worked on the engine. I also wondered if he would’ve accepted help in the form of me bending over the hood of the car and letting him thrust into me from behind.

I didn’t care that the garage door was wide open. I didn’t care that the neighbors would’ve heard me moaning from across the street.

I just wanted Sky, and it was getting so bad that I could hardly stand it.

Sky is straight. Sky is straight. Sky is straight.

I reminded myself, again and again, as I politely nodded for the umpteenth time, my mind still lost at sea.

“You look really nice today, Raven,” Sky said with a smile on his face. “I like the way your overalls match your bandana.”

“Thank you.” I smiled back at him, happy that he’d appreciated the extra effort I’d put into my outfit.

I was wearing a black t-shirt with jean overalls and a jean bandana. I wanted to look like the kind of person who went to garages to watch guys work on cars, the kind of person who didn’t also have fantasies about being fucked by the mechanic.

And yet, I still couldn’t help myself. It seemed like Sky was the only thing I wanted in the world.

And in that same moment, the worst idea I’d possibly ever had in my life started to take hold of my brain.

I was going to ask Sky out.

I was going to ask him if he wanted to have dinner with me tonight. Or maybe I was going to ask him if he wanted to catch a movie. Or maybe I was going to ask him if he wanted to go for a walk in the park, maybe grab a bite to eat at one of the food trucks.

It didn’t matter which idea he agreed to, as long as he said yes.

And if he said no?

Then, I was going to tell him that I was just joking. Of course, asking him out was just a joke! Of course, I wouldn’t have ever assumed that Sky was anything other than straight.

I mean, he was straight, wasn’t he?

I thought back to Clarissa’s answer about Sky, the way she dodged the topic of his sexuality, quickly brushing it aside so we could refocus on her wedding plans.

Do you really think I want to be upstaged at my own wedding by a hot couple getting together?

Especially if they’re both guys. Especially if one of them is straight.

As Clarissa’s words rang in my head like a warning bell, I took a step closer to the DeLorean, now standing so close to Sky that my shoes were almost touching the side of his wooden plank on wheels. “Sky?”

“Yeah?”

“There’s something I wanted to ask you,” I spoke, my heart pounding like a drum.

He smiled. “What was it?”

“I just wanted to ask you if you wanted to--”

“Sky! You fucking asshole!” A man walked through the garage, not stopping until he placed his foot right between Sky’s thighs, as if he was threatening to kick him in the crotch. “I missed you so much, man! How the hell have you been?”

“I missed you, too, Eddie,” Sky beamed. “And why are you asking me where I’ve been? You’re the one who’s been missing from all the wedding stuff.”

“That’s because I’ve been busy,” Eddie sighed. “Work has been kicking my ass, but I finally got some time off for the big day. How’s Trent been holding up?”

“He’s good.” Sky nodded.

“Good, good.” Eddie nodded back before he turned his attention toward me. “Oh, sorry! I didn’t see you there, man. Are you part of the wedding stuff, too?”

“He is the wedding stuff,” Sky joked. “Raven’s planning the whole wedding.”

“Ah, you’re the wedding planner, huh?” Eddie asked. “Do you think you could do me a favor, then?”

“That depends. Which side of the wedding are you on? Groom or bride?” I replied as I eyed him up and down.

Unlike with Sky, I wasn’t getting any other vibe than extremely straight from Eddie. He seemed like a nice enough guy though, at least so far.

“Groom. I’m Trent’s brother,” Eddie answered. “And all I want you to do for me, is to guarantee that I’m not sitting at a table with a bunch of my own family members. No cousins. No grandmas. No blood relation. Sound good?”

“Wait. You don’t want to be with your own family at the wedding?”

“Hell no!” he scoffed. “No offense, but I’ve been around my family my whole life. Aunt Doris has a bad hip. My grandfather almost won a medal in the war. My niece is getting so good at playing clarinet, yadda, yadda, yadda…” Eddie stuck out his tongue and pretended to retch. “No more family stuff. No more family anything. The only people I want to talk to at this wedding are eligible bachelorettes. You know, a woman with a solid nine to five, but not something that keeps her so busy that she doesn’t have time to meet new people.” Eddie snapped his fingers. “Ooh! What about a girl who works in marketing? Maybe accounting? Something where she spends all day on her laptop, so she’s desperate for some face-to-face time with a real human?”

“I don’t know if I--” I started.

But Eddie hastily cut me off. “And make sure she’s not taller than me, so no one over 5’9, all right? Oh, and make sure she’s okay with just hooking up for the night of the wedding. I’m not looking for anything serious right now. Just something fun.”

“I’m not a matchmaker,” I replied, my tone flat. “And I’m certainly not going to go out of my way to rearrange the bridesmaids just so you can hook up with a girl and never call her again.”

“I never said that I wouldn’t call her again.” Eddie smirked. “If the hook up goes well enough, I’ll make sure to call her every time that I’m in town.”

Gross.

I cringed away from Eddie, uninterested in hearing more about what he wanted in a fuck buddy. I considered making up some excuse, so that I could completely leave the garage, and hopefully never have to hear from him again.

But just as I was about to announce to the room that I suddenly needed to be on time for a meeting I’d conveniently forgotten about, Eddie opened his mouth to speak. “Oh, shit. I’m sorry, Sky.”

“Sorry for what?” Sky asked.

“Here I am, trying to get hooked up with the bridesmaids, and I forgot that you’re basically already married,” Eddie laughed. “It must be like me talking about going to a buffet, when you’re going to be on the same diet for the rest of your life.”

“Basically already married?” I found myself once again interested in what Eddie had to say.

“Yeah. Sky didn’t tell you about his fiancée?”

“She’s not my fiancée.” Sky’s voice was low. “She’s not even my girlfriend.”

“She’s basically his fiancée,” Eddie continued. “Irene Marseille. They’re supposed to get married, one of these days.”

“One of these days?” I pressed. “So, what? It’s like an arranged marriage or something? Sky doesn’t have any other choice?” I turned to look over at Sky. “You really don’t have any other choice?”

“I… don’t know.” He shrugged. “I haven’t really ever thought about anyone else before.”

“Because you’ve only thought about her,” I murmured.

“No. It’s not like that,” he insisted. “I just… it’s complicated.”

“Yeah, it’s not that complicated.” Eddie laughed again. “Sky marries Irene. Irene marries Sky. Everyone ends up happy.”

Everyone ends up happy.

I felt something bubbling up my throat, making its way toward the tip of my tongue, trying to force itself out of my lips.

I wanted to tell Sky that he was making a big mistake. I wanted to tell him that he needed to call off his engagement, or faux engagement, or faux arrangement with Irene, because finding out about her felt like someone had just thrown water all over my face.

Finding out about Irene felt like waking up in the middle of a really good dream.

But instead of voicing my opinions about Sky’s love life, I turned toward the garage door, my footsteps headed right for the sidewalk.

“Hey! Where are you going?” Eddie shouted after me.

“I’m late for a meeting,” I lied as I continued down the street without saying another word.

Because I didn’t have anything else to say.

Eddie’s revelation about Sky practically being married cleared up a lot of my confusion from the night before.

Sky wasn’t gay. The vibes I thought were between us had nothing to do with his sexuality.

He was just afraid of making a commitment, and it was rolling off of him like steam out of a shower. I must’ve picked up on his fear of settling down and interpreted it as an invitation, as if he’d left the door open at his home and I’d mistakenly wandered in.

Well, I guessed that meant that Sky and I were just going to be friends. Even though I’d never thought about any of my friends bending me over. And I’d never thought about my friends kissing me in the dark. And I’d never thought about pulling down a friend’s pair of pants before running my mouth over the fabric of their boxers.

But friends we would have to be.

Even if I still wanted so much more.