His torso is even better than I thought it’d be. It’s not textbook Bad, because he’s not like a body builder, but I like what he has way more. He’s slim, but he’s got serious muscle definition, ticking off the classic hot-boy trio of pecs, abs, and abdominal V. And that’s not even mentioning his biceps. God, his biceps are a joke. Most of his torso is smooth, but a small amount of dark hair covers his chest. I didn’t think I was a chest-hair type of guy, but judging by the erratic things my heart is doing at the moment, I totally am. With a smirk, Dyl takes his track pants off, and I go even harder, because imagine if we were alone in a bedroom and he did that?
He drops the track pants and starts rolling his right shoulder. Now he’s wearing black trunks, and they’re sort of tight and they make him look so freaking good. They’re pulled down just enough to show the green waistband of his underwear, which Judy must’ve told him to do; it draws attention to his abs and to his underwear itself.
This is a major problem, because I’m fully hard now and I’m going to have to stand up soon. Crap! I lick my dry lips and try to think of anything other than Dyl’s bare chest, but it’s like he’s giving off this weird warmth, and I can feel this strange, sexy-as-hell energy in the space between us.
Farts. Old people falling over. Puppies. Old people having sex.
A horn blares and Trevor stands up. Shit! Old people doing nasty stuff to each other is doing the trick, and I’ve calmed down enough that I’m pretty sure my crotch won’t draw any attention. I take in a deep breath then stand up with Trevor, keeping my eyes as far away from Dyl as I can, just in case the mere sight of him is enough to cause a boner aftershock. Still, his chest lingers in my memory. I focus on the speckled concrete and try as hard as I can to dislodge the image.
The sun warms my bare shoulders, making my skin feel golden. Copying Trevor, I step onto the block and look out at the long stretch of still blue water that’s waiting for me. I roll my shoulders and chance a look at Dyl.
He’s staring right at me. He winks.
The horn blares, and I’m struck with a second of confusion. Dyl leaps forward, his arms pointed in front of him.
Go, Caden, go!
I leap forward and smash into the pool, my chest slapping the water so hard it instantly starts to sting. I kick my legs and straighten up, but everyone else is already half a body length in front of me.
He winked he winked he winked.
Why would he do that?
His face is stuck in my mind, the confident tilt of his stubbly chin, his long, dark eyelashes, his scarily knowing smile. Did he notice that I was larger than normal? Ignore him. It’s what I have to do. I kick my legs harder and pull my open palms through the water. I fall into a rhythm and pick up speed. Now I’m close to the others. The blue-tiled wall is up ahead. I give one last kick and move my hands forward.
I touch the wall. Breathless, I stand up and take in a few gulps of air before checking the scoreboard. I came in fifth! I officially didn’t lose!
“Not bad for a newbie,” calls Trevor. He’s smiling a huge smile.
“Did you do it?” I ask.
“I’m not sure, but I think so! It felt really fast.”
We high-five. Trevor pushes himself up and out of the pool. I figure if I attempt to copy him I’ll slip and look like an awkward fool, so I make my way over to the ladder. When I reach the top, I notice that Natalie and Juliet are standing on the edge of the grass, holding towels. Natalie shrieks and runs into Trevor’s arms. She slaps into his body and he picks her up.
“Twenty-three ten!” she calls. “I told you you’d do it!”
“Holy shitballs!”
“You did it, babe! If you can do that again at nationals, then you’ll definitely make the team.”
I reach Juliet. She offers me a white towel.
“Thanks,” I say, grabbing it and rubbing my hair.
Someone touches my arm for a second, then shoves me. I totter a few steps to the right, and Dyl takes my place in front of Juliet. I’m sort of expecting her to be looking at him with outrage for pushing me. But she’s not, and I can hardly blame her. A dripping-wet punk rock Adonis is bare-chested right in front of her. His hair spikes over his forehead, and it makes his eyes look even greener, almost like they’re emerald.
Dyl places his hands on his hips. “Are you going to congratulate me?”
“For what?” asks Juliet. “Coming in second?”
“Silver is still a medal, so yes, I deserve praise. Especially when I’m competing against a titan over there. Are you going to congratulate me or not?”
“Decidedly not.”
“Have it your way.”
He turns and walks away. But I’m watching her, and her eyes dip for a second, tracing down his back, settling on the two dimples above his ass, then darting to the bleachers. Then I realize I’m staring at him, so I turn away.
Oh crap, I think. She just had her chance to look at us both shirtless.
And she chose him.
*
After the swimming carnival, I have a shift at Starbucks. It’s pretty much the same as every other shift, with me taking orders while Iris makes coffees and Levi chirps cheerily along. Even though it’s a nice day, the store is still pretty quiet, and I can tell that both depresses and confuses Levi. He told me his boss blames him for the store’s underperformance, and if it continues this way he’ll be fired. So he spends most of his time staring at the door, as if wanting it bad enough will make people rush into his store.
I join him, and spend most of my shift staring anxiously at the door, waiting for Juliet.
She doesn’t show.
CHAPTER
FIFTEEN
It’s the night before the party, and I can’t sleep. My costume is under my bed, still in the box it arrived in. I haven’t tried it on, because the prospect of not looking good in it freaked me out so much I postponed trying it on, and kept postponing, and now it’s the day before the party and I don’t even know if my freaking costume fits. I’m a moron. Such a moron.
A knock sounds.
I grab my pillow and put it over my head. It’s probably just the wind or something rattling the window, like it always is. I’d prefer not to deal with the disappointment I get when I realize that, once again, the roof is empty. It’s been a week since Dyl last visited, and there’s no reason for him to ever come back. It’s for the best. The contest is heating up, and that part of my life is over. It hurts, but deep down I know it’s for the best. I can’t help but be myself when I’m around him, and that’s dangerous.
The knock sounds again.
“Dude, get up!”
Grinning, I roll over and look out the window. Dyl’s there, dressed in a black button-down. He raises his hand and jingles his keys.
I sit up. Do I want to go with him? I shouldn’t. I should close my eyes and wait until he leaves. It’s what a smart Nice would do. But I really want to go. Like, more than I’ve ever wanted anything. Maybe even more than I want to win the contest. I never thought I’d want anything more, but I thought these visits had stopped for good and now I’ve got the chance to do it again. It might be a dumb decision, but I need to see where this night will take me. I’ll always regret it if I don’t.
I get dressed, then make my way over to the window.