Kiss Me

Part Two

Walker

The bell over the shop door tinkled as someone stepped inside. Ten minutes left until I was about to close up. I hoped they were here either to book an appointment or get me to change out their jewelry, because I was too tired for anything else and I wasn’t convinced I’d get the appointment written down without a mistake, either.

Screwing the cap onto the bottle of ink I’d just finished mixing, I peeled my gloves off as I walked into the front of the shop to find someone in a long black wool coat with a head of short, glossy black hair complete with touchable curls. "Holy fuck!"

He jumped right out of his damn skin making me laugh. "Jesus, fuck."

I chuckled. "I'm sure Jesus isn't that good," I joked. "Long time no see Marcus," Holy hell he's so fucking damn gorgeous. "Are you finally here for a tattoo, because I'm closing up." I said pointing to my time board.

"Ah, erm no. Actually I had a favor to ask of you."

"Really?" I perked right up. "Is it a personal favor?" I gestured with my hand to my mouth and so rudely did the whole blowjob motion.

Marcus screwed up his nose then snorts. Cute. "No," he said quite bluntly. "Well, I was with Kyle not long ago…"

I cut in. "Keeping it in the family I see." God I'm full of humor today.

"Forget it." He turned to leave, and I couldn’t imagine anything I wanted less than that. So I rushed to put myself between him and the door as non-threateningly as possible.

"Wait wait, I'm kidding."

"Never mind, it's stupid anyway."

"Whatever it is, it’s not stupid. Lemme flip the sign and we can go into my office and talk?" Marcus paused, biting his lip and looking between me and the door I was almost-but-not-quite blocking. I didn’t know what was going on in his head, but I could hear the gears turning from here.

"Okay," he said, soft as ever, bitten-red lip sticking out the tiniest bit, swollen from the pressure.

"That way then." I flipped the sign, guts doing a goddamn tango the whole time as I took him through to the cozy little office I kept for nervous first-timers and clients who needed extra privacy. Well, I called it an office, but it was more of a lounge. A sofa and a coffee table, carefully arranged so even the biggest wheelchair commercially available would fit comfortably, too. Kyle had cursed me in and out of hell over arranging this room, but he’d gotten a free tattoo out of it, so he didn’t get to complain. "Take a seat."

"Right, sure," he seemed nervous. How? How in the hell was this guy nervous? Marcus the broody bar owner was nervous. "Right, erm...anyway. I was talking to Kyle about my sisters wedding…"

"I know about the wedding."

"Yeah, I know...but I didn't want to go alone, you know...with the whole freak for a family who hate that I like dick," Well he's not the only one. My inner self was cracking up. "Anyway, Kyle said...maybe you'd accompany me...on a friend basis of course."

"Friends?"

He nodded. "Well, maybe. No, actually. I need a pretend boyfriend."

Oh fuck me side ways. I thought. I'd pretend to be a tree if he wanted me to. "So you thought I'd be perfect, right?"

"Not really."

"Ouch."

"Alright, yeah I did. But not because I want you in any sort of way."

"Double ouch Marcus."

"Fucking hell Walker, seriously."

I grin at him because this was fucking hilarious. "Alright. So what then?"

"Pretend, you know...to piss off my folks and stop them from trying to get me with Dana. God only knows my mom thinks I can still try and be with women."

"So it's really about Dana? Because your parents hate you anyway."

"Whatever...will you or won't you?" I sat looking at him and strumming my fingers on my desk. He'd started bouncing his leg. Marcus was getting angsty. I loved that. I loved it when he got the hump or angry, because this vein would pop out on his forehead and for some weird bizarre reasons I thought it was hella hot. "Walker…"

"Sure, why not. When?"

"We leave tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?"

"Well, yeah. Sorry it's short notice. You weren't my first choice, infact you weren't a choice at all."

"Wow, triple ouch. You know how to break a man's heart."

"Sorry…"

"It's fine." He'd started picking at a loose bit of thread on the couch I'd picked up at thrift store.

"Just, you know…"

"Pretend boyfriend?" I repeated, since my brain was struggling with the idea that Marcus wanted to take me to a wedding. As his date. Even if I wasn't his first choice, he still came and asked me.

"Not, I mean…" Marcus scratched his neck again. "Just… stand next to me? Tell people we’re dating if they ask? Maybe imply you do actually like me?"

"I do like you," I said. Marcus clearly needed to hear that, and what was the point in lying to him? I wasn’t telling him I’d had a hundred wet dreams about him, just that being around him wasn’t a hardship. "So I'll go along with it."

"You sure? You can say no."

I’d have to move some clients around and make my excuses, but how often was I going to get this chance? Besides, all the travel I’d done in the last three or four years had been for work. This wasn’t exactly for fun, but it beat working. No matter how much I loved my job. Everyone needed a break sometimes. "I'm sure," The look on Marcus’s face made it all worth it. Relief, awe, gratitude, maybe even… The faintest spark of attraction? No. No, he wasn’t into me. I knew better than to think that. "So… boyfriend I guess, if we’re trying to save you from your mom's choice of partner, Dana."

Marcus shook his head. "No, uh. No, not really. I just figure thinking that might be the only thing that makes my mother back off. Is that… horrible?"

"It’s understandable. What gay man would ever want to dip his dick into a vagina. Not that I'm saying vaginas are a bad thing, I'm bisexual. But you're not, so I get it."

"Just, prepare yourself. My mom is evil, dad too. And I've not seen any other family for years so I can't say what they'll be like. Not counting Lily."

"I like Lily. She's awesome."

"Yeah, she is. Just, my mom will probably tell you to leave at some point and me probably, you get that right?"

I chuckled. "No. What, you’ve met me. You think I’d let someone else’s mom tell me what to do?" Only my own mother got to do that, and she was a saint. Even when I’d been… less than angelic.

"I don’t think you'd let anyone tell you what to do," Marcus said, a hint of awe in his voice.

"I don’t," I agreed. "So… pretending to be hopelessly in love with the local screwup? That’s your game plan?"

Marcus shrugged. "It is now, I guess. Kyle’s idea, blame him. Oh, just for the record, it's a week's stay."

I laughed again. "Sounds like the level of thought he gives most things. Okay I'm definitely in." Was I being too enthusiastic? The more I thought about this, the more excited I got. A whole week with Marcus, the man against whom I measured all other men.

There was a reason I was single.

This was a stupid idea, but I was glad I was going along with it anyway. It’d make the part of me that was still desperate to be loved, understood, and accepted happy, and that couldn’t hurt. I’d had a lot of late-night conversations with people like me across the world about how much it helped to do the things we’d wanted to do when we felt most lost now that we were semi-responsible adults. One of the things I’d desperately wanted to do was spend more time with Marcus. It’d be good for me to tick that off.

"So we are definitely doing this?" He asked again, as though he couldn’t quite believe it.

"Sure," I said. "Unless you’re getting cold feet?"

"Probably not until we get to the hotel," Marcus said. "I hear there’s six inches of snow on the ground."

"Was that a joke?" I asked, heart lighting up at the thought that Marcus was joking with me. He had a sense of humor so dry it would have been at home in Death Valley, and I’d only heard it a few times since knowing him.

"It was meant to be," he said, smiling slightly.

"It was funny. Sorry, just… took me by surprise. You were so quick and your delivery was so deadpan."

"I’m aware of my shortcomings as a comedian," he said. "That’s why I’m not making a living doing standup." Where the hell did he get off being so adorable? "But I guess it won't all be so bad. The guys back home will be there too."

"Ahh, yeah. I met Henley and Aya. But not the others."

"Well, no. I have history with the others, but it's been two and a bit years so it should be good. Lily is fine with them now."

"I remember you saying about the trouble before, it's the only time anyone gets anything out of you is when you've had a drink."

"I admit that," I was kind of hoping I'd get more than talking when he's had a drink. Although that would be pretty fucking low of me. "I'm gonna get going. I'll pick you up early so be ready and...wear whatever you want for the most part, but please not on the wedding day."

"Hey now, I can be smart. I'd knock your damn socks off, you'll see."

"Good luck knocking my socks off." Oh sweet sweet Marcus baby. I'm going to blow your fucking mind.

"See you early tomorrow." He nods and gets up. I watched him walk away. Watch his ass and wished so much I had some kind of superpower that allowed me to see through those jeans. "Well," I whispered and clasped my hands behind my head, then gave a little whistle. "I'm so blowing your mind." I turned that thought over in my mind as I braced myself to brave the cold outside. Although he warmed me right up.