Stereo Blast Volume 1 [MxM]

Chapter 6.3

He looked up at Tike, eyes hooded. “This was a mistake.”

Tike nodded. Ryan could see that he wanted to say more though he was pushing it back. He was thankful that Tike knew how to keep his mouth shut when it was necessary. He didn’t know if he could handle being talked down to after Taylor had walked all over him. He wasn’t a doormat. He spoke his mind. That’s how he survived in this cluster-f****d world his whole life. But it was easy for him to let Taylor take over. It made the situation easier to get over, but this time wasn’t like the others. He was tired of letting Taylor walk over him and not understanding how much he was hurting him.

It was an endless cycle with him. They were always either fighting or they were having the time of their lives. Danger never scared Ryan. His whole life was full of danger, every corner he turned, everything he did could get him killed. It was never about that when they were together because their relationship had meant more than surviving together. But these days, they had drifted from being the good friends that they were to the type of guys that hung out together because they didn’t know anyone else. He hated it. He hated how distant they were and how Taylor was always out for revenge when someone said something about Ryan.

Tike placed his hand on his shoulder. “Come on. Let’s hang in the back.”

The gentle touch made his shoulders sag. He went along with the empty cup in his hand, following Tike to the back room. The door closed behind them and the soft glow of the neon lights made him feel weightless. His eyes felt heavy, but he felt safe around Tike. He always made him feel welcomed like he could talk about anything with him, even things that he was afraid to tell Taylor.

There was a sofa pushed against the wall and Ryan sat down on the edge. He placed his empty cup on the floor and leaned back onto the armrest. Tike sat next to him. The glow of the blue neon lights made him sleepy and how much he wanted to pass out from the long day didn’t help any.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

In his sleepy haze, Ryan pulled his feet up onto the couch. He didn’t mean for them to fall into Tike’s lap, but that’s where they fell. Tike didn’t seem to mind all that much, his hands gripping onto Ryan’s ankle so they wouldn’t slip away. The warmth of Tike’s hand felt strange and he squirmed against the touch. He was locked in place, but it was fine. The feeling in his gut didn’t think it was fine though.

“Things with Taylor have—it’s really shitty between us now,” he said, breathless and too focused on the way Tike’s fingers were caressing his pant leg.

“Just tonight or in general?”

“General.”

The truth slipped out before he had a chance to think about. He’d already cried and got his anger out about the fight. It wasn’t just about that now. It was the fact that Taylor and he weren’t right for each other in the end. They’d been hanging onto their childhood relationship when they were adults now who needed to move past that kind of fantasy. Ryan had been trying to pretend everything was alright between them when in reality he was dying. His feelings for Taylor were getting out of hand and he didn’t want to stick around when Taylor found out.

He didn’t want to be around when Taylor left.

Tike’s finger traced up from Ryan’s laces to the naked skin of his ankle.

“Tike…” The words were caught in his throat. Tike’s hand settled over his legs and he looked up at Ryan. Ryan could barely keep his eyes open and his head felt like it was chained to a weight. The room was a blur of blue and pink, mixed with the hazy form of Tike sitting in the corner of the couch. The touch of his hand, the heat of his body, and the comfort of the small space didn’t feel right.

Tike’s moved up, along his calf and onto his thigh. His fingers squeezed. Ryan gasped. He blushed at the sound of his voice. Breathy and nothing like himself. He pulled back his leg, trying to escape the strange sensation, but Tike gripped harder.

“Tike,” he repeated, “I don’t…”

Tike moved over him until his arms were caging Ryan in. He leaned down, his lips brushing against Ryan’s ear. “You want me.”

Ryan shook his head. “I’m sorry. I don’t.”

He hated to think he’d lead Tike on. This night, all the nights before and the times they hung out, he’d been wanting a friend. Taylor had been that friend before feelings got involved. He’d needed Tike to be the one to confide in when it became too much when Taylor became too much. But he’d made another mistake.

He pushed at Tike’s chest. Tike didn’t move.

He looked up questioningly. Horror struck him as Tike stared back. His eyes looked nothing like they’d had before. Gone was the old Tike, the one that had become his friend, and in his place was a cold void. The hard look he shot down at Ryan made that odd feeling—the one that had told him to run—rise up again.

“Tike?”

He got no answer as Tike sat back on his heels. His legs spread over Ryan’s torso making it harder for him to sit up. Tike ran his hands down Ryan’s chest and pressed down.

“I always wondered what you looked like. Underneath.”

“What?” He should have been fighting right now. He shouldn’t be laying here with a clueless look on his face, but the fear had stricken him. He couldn’t feel his legs, his face, or his hands. All he could do was stare up at Tike and feel like an i***t for getting himself in this situation.