***

Jamie examined the couple sitting across from him while deep in thought. Rusty had one arm thrown casually around Matty’s shoulders and there was something in the way they communicated with each other through small smiles and doe-like eyes that intrigued him.

And got a lil’ bit on his nerves, but that was explainable. Although he had come like a hose last night during the stream, he still felt frustrated. He needed to get laid and do that with a normal person, not a wacko wearing a bunny costume because whatever reasons.

“Guys, guys,” he said with a strained smile, “I’m bribing you with coffee because I need something from you.”

Matty threw him a guilty look, but Rusty couldn’t be bothered with stuff like that. “Jelly?”

“Who, me?” Jamie snorted. “I love the two of you and am sure happy to see you together like this, but I wouldn’t trade my place with yours for anything.”

“Wow, that’s quite the big thing to say,” Matty joked.

“He has no idea what he’s missing, that’s why he talks like that,” Rusty replied and smirked at him like he knew shit.

“To each their own. I’m not made for relationships,” Jamie argued.

“I wasn’t either until I met Matty,” Rusty shot back. “Have you at least tried it to see what it would be like?”

“Not really. Unlike you – before Matty,” Jamie offered a concession and a pleasant smile to Rusty’s boyfriend, “I don’t feel like something’s missing in my life.”

“And I did?” Rusty seemed to perk up at Jamie’s allusion. “I’m really eager to hear how the hell you thought I gave myself away.”

Jamie leaned back in his chair and placed his linked hands on top of his head, while giving Rusty a long look. “I dunno. You were just freaking restless all the time. As if the sky would fall down if you stopped hooking up at light speed.”

“Well, that’s true,” Rusty admitted. He crossed his arms and seemed to ponder over something. “But it’s not like you’re as content with yourself as you’re making it out to be.”

“I didn’t ask you here to get shrinked, but duly noted,” Jamie said. “But really,” he asked as a frown began to pinch his forehead, “do you really think that I’m frustrated or something?”

Rusty pressed an index finger against his lips and chose his next words carefully. “I wouldn’t say that. Definitely not sexually frustrated.” He snickered as Matty nudged him in the ribs. “But you know, like you’d like to have something more, although you don’t know what it is.”

“Hmm. Okay, that’s fair. But Rusty, my boy, I thought you were an airhead. Since when are you paying so much attention to the people around you?”

“I’m quite the observant type,” Rusty replied. “But it’s my secret superpower, and I’m not letting just anyone know about it. Now, shoot your questions. Matty’s totally here to help.”

“For the record,” Matty started, “I’m not sure how much help I can be. There’s a high chance that if I wasn’t already badly into Rusty, I might have fooled around with you. You’re definitely a guy who doesn’t hear the word ‘no’ that often.”

“So, you would have cheated on me with him?” Rusty asked, looking outraged, but smiling as he grabbed Matty in his arms and squeezed him until he made him beg.

“You have such a case of selective hearing, I have no idea what to do with you,” Matty complained. “What I meant is that Jamie is a guy anyone would like to fool around with.”

“What about more?” Jamie continued his interview, while trying his damnedest not to stare at the display of affection between his two friends going on right in front of his eyes.

“It depends,” Matty said and pushed his glasses up on his nose. “The thing is, you look like fun, Jamie. I don’t know about more than that, because I suppose that someone would have to get to know you first.”

Know him. That sounded a lot like what that crazy rabbit had told him. Jamie shook his head.

“I know we’re talking about hypothetical things here, but would you have held a grudge against me if we’d hooked up?”

Matty shook his head slowly, but he didn’t seem convinced.

“Would you have fallen for this dude?” Rusty asked the question Jamie didn’t want to ask.

“Why do you find that so hard to believe?” Matty asked back, looking innocent and surprised at his boyfriend’s question. Jamie could totally see why Rusty was so crazy about the guy. Under different circumstances, maybe even he—

Nah, what the hell was he thinking now? He wasn’t the kind to kiss the same person forever, to put it mildly.

“I mean, look at him,” Matty continued. “He’s sexy, and he knows how to put anyone at ease, once he gets over the opening act.”

“The opening act?” Jamie became quickly alert. “What do you mean by that?”

Matty appeared at a loss what to say next but eventually decided to speak up. “You want to sell a certain image, Jamie. That you’re this cool guy. You know, like in chill. And that you know what you want and that you know what others want. No questions asked. It’s not a critique.” He waved his hands to deflect any possible retaliation from Jamie for speaking what he had to think to be the honest truth. “I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. We all do it when we meet someone new.”

“Please, tell me more.”

“Should I?” Matty asked and worried his bottom lip for a second.

“Color me intrigued,” Jamie said. “And I have tough skin. There’s nothing you say that could make me cry.” He added a smile to the joke, to show Rusty’s better half that he had no problem with hearing the truth.

“The thing is,” Matty said, now encouraged by Jamie’s agreement, “that you might strike everyone as someone who’s a bit too perfect. You know, like a dream guy. When I saw you the first time, so dark and dangerous, and then you smiled and talked to me, I couldn’t even hear anything for half a minute or so.”

“For real? Have I ever made you feel that way?” Rusty asked and stared at his boyfriend with his mouth hanging open.

Matty snickered. “You’re really cute when you’re jealous, Rusty. But come on, Jamie didn’t invite us here to hear me telling only half-truths, right?”

Much to Jamie’s satisfaction, Rusty pouted and pushed himself back into his chair. “You’ll have to work some to get into my good graces again.”

That was aimed at Matty, who took a sip from his coffee and chuckled. “I still have that old costume, so I believe that can be arranged.” He winked at Jamie, whose eyes grew wide.

There was definitely more to Matthew Han than met the eye. No wonder Rusty was so smitten.

“Any advice then?” he asked. “I have no intention of continuing in the same way if I’m striking people as some sort of fraud.”

“I didn’t mean it like that,” Matty said. He could be all serious, it seemed, and he appeared willing to help Jamie, although they hadn’t known each other for very long. “Because you seem to have no problems in your life, I don’t know, no chink in your armor, you might discourage anyone who wants to get close to you. If that’s what you want, because I’m still unclear on that.”

“Oh, no.” Jamie ran one hand over his face and grinned. “Are you trying to tell me that if I show myself vulnerable, guys will flock to me like bees?”

Matty shrugged. “Only if it’s true.”

“Well, that’s the problem. I’m always honest when I hook up with guys. And I don’t have a vulnerable side, sorry about that.”

“You don’t have a vulnerable side?” Rusty quirked an eyebrow and gave him another long look. “Could it be that you don’t know about that side of yourself?”

“Come on, how could I not know about it? My life is simple, and I’m a simple guy,” Jamie argued. “I don’t intend to make stuff up just to score.”

Matty scratched his head and gave him a helpless smile. “Then I have no idea what else to tell you. But what seems to be the problem? It can’t be the lack of guys wanting to hook up with you, right?”

“No, nothing like that.” Jamie waved and then put his palms on the table as he pondered Matty’s words. “It’s just that it came as a surprise to me to hear from them that my lack of emotional availability makes me seem like an asshole. I mean, I never promised them some rose garden.”

It was Matty’s turn to consider that piece of information.

Rusty intervened to save them both from their dilemma. “You flaunt the goods, Jamie, but you’re a subscription program. And you don’t sell lifetime memberships.”

Jamie stared at the sharp mofo with both rancor and admiration. “Well put, asshole.”

“Thank me,” Rusty said with a large grin and this time crossed his arms over his chest in triumph.

“Nah, I have nothing to thank you for. You just gave me more problems to think about. Now, drink your coffee and shut up.”

Rusty shrugged and grabbed his cup. Jamie stared out the window, still puzzling over the same problem. He’d always been straightforward about not being boyfriend material, so why were guys still interested in him like that and then pissed when they didn’t get him turned around?

Food for thought, he concluded, food for thought.

TBC