of condensation forming under his glass. Deb staggered off with a weak wave goodnight on the arm of a burly guy with a shaved head and a black eye.
" You should get out of my bar, before I have to charge rent." Frankie was already opening up the register. "Need any help getting to the car?"
" I'm good." Ace got to his feet and proved steady enough as he made his own way to the door.
" I am also very, very good." Goose blinked slowly and mostly managed to stand on his own, though locomotion was beyond him.
" Didn't you have something else to do before we left?" Liam coaxed.
" Dunno." Goose's eyes rolled a little to the side. "Um. No?"
" Never mind." Liam braced himself and reached into Goose's pocket, tugging out the carefully folded napkin letter.
" Hey, now, Professor. I know you're hard up, but you're not really my type." Goose wiggled his hips unhelpfully.
" Don't get excited." He handed the napkin to Frankie. "I think you might want this."
" He actually wrote one?" For the first time all night, her smile dropped away completely as she scanned the first few lines. "Oh."
" I mean it, too. Every word." Goose nodded sagely then went right on nodding like a bobblehead doll.
" Come on, hot shot. Let's get out of here before you ruin the moment."
It took a little doing, but he managed to pour Goose into the backseat while Ace negotiated with his seat belt for far too long. When it finally clicked into place, they were ready to go.
"Where to?"
" Goose's place first. He's closer," Ace decreed.
They drifted through the night -deserted streets, Ace's directions sometimes lagging behind the actual turns. Liam made a series of increasingly wide U-turns until they arrived at a box of a house with four cars parked at odd angles in front of it.
" Oh, man, Mata is gonna kill me." Goose got out of the car on his own, but Liam shadowed him all the way to the door. "She hates when I bang around this late."
" That your roommate?"
" My mom," Goose groaned. "Not one giggle about me living with her, got it?"
" Not one."
Once he was sure Goose had gotten inside, Liam retreated. He didn 't know the guy well enough to tuck him in, and he didn't seem in danger of puking on himself or anything. Ace had rolled down the window and looked a little more together when Liam got back in.
" Why haven't you had sex in three years?" Ace asked as soon Liam turned the key in the ignition.
" I'll take none of your business for three hundred please, Alex." He put his arm around the back of Ace's seat as he backed out.
" You learned all sorts of new shit about me tonight. Give a little." Ace's lips were too close this way, a soft suggestion of a kiss in the dark.
" Wasn't anyone I was interested in." Which strictly speaking, was true. Hard to get interested when you were so determined not to look. Even at LGTBQ events, he stuck with his female friends and escaped when it got too social.
" Oh, that's bullshit. Really? Three years and no one turned your head even a little?"
" It's not just looks." Liam started back to the main road. "Where do you live?"
" Turn right at the end of the road. Five miles down that way and then a right at the light." Ace frowned. "Do you just hate people? You don't seem the type. Like you're not pissed off enough. Or maybe you are. Hard to tell with all the long faces."
" I'm pissed off." He watched the yellow lines bleed past. "Furious some days. But no. I don't hate people."
" Not enough other queer guys around campus then?" Ace leaned back. "Know that feeling."
" Uh." Shit. Liam had to keep looking at the road or they'd wind up in a ditch. "Yeah. I guess."
" Try dating in this suburban wasteland. It's a nightmare. Five guys out of the closet, and I've dated them all. Rest of 'em still hiding out from their wives, looking for a quick bang. Which I'm not actually against, but being the other woman leaves a few black marks on the soul after a while."
" That why you haven't seen anyone in a few years?" Liam
" You should get out of my bar, before I have to charge rent." Frankie was already opening up the register. "Need any help getting to the car?"
" I'm good." Ace got to his feet and proved steady enough as he made his own way to the door.
" I am also very, very good." Goose blinked slowly and mostly managed to stand on his own, though locomotion was beyond him.
" Didn't you have something else to do before we left?" Liam coaxed.
" Dunno." Goose's eyes rolled a little to the side. "Um. No?"
" Never mind." Liam braced himself and reached into Goose's pocket, tugging out the carefully folded napkin letter.
" Hey, now, Professor. I know you're hard up, but you're not really my type." Goose wiggled his hips unhelpfully.
" Don't get excited." He handed the napkin to Frankie. "I think you might want this."
" He actually wrote one?" For the first time all night, her smile dropped away completely as she scanned the first few lines. "Oh."
" I mean it, too. Every word." Goose nodded sagely then went right on nodding like a bobblehead doll.
" Come on, hot shot. Let's get out of here before you ruin the moment."
It took a little doing, but he managed to pour Goose into the backseat while Ace negotiated with his seat belt for far too long. When it finally clicked into place, they were ready to go.
"Where to?"
" Goose's place first. He's closer," Ace decreed.
They drifted through the night -deserted streets, Ace's directions sometimes lagging behind the actual turns. Liam made a series of increasingly wide U-turns until they arrived at a box of a house with four cars parked at odd angles in front of it.
" Oh, man, Mata is gonna kill me." Goose got out of the car on his own, but Liam shadowed him all the way to the door. "She hates when I bang around this late."
" That your roommate?"
" My mom," Goose groaned. "Not one giggle about me living with her, got it?"
" Not one."
Once he was sure Goose had gotten inside, Liam retreated. He didn 't know the guy well enough to tuck him in, and he didn't seem in danger of puking on himself or anything. Ace had rolled down the window and looked a little more together when Liam got back in.
" Why haven't you had sex in three years?" Ace asked as soon Liam turned the key in the ignition.
" I'll take none of your business for three hundred please, Alex." He put his arm around the back of Ace's seat as he backed out.
" You learned all sorts of new shit about me tonight. Give a little." Ace's lips were too close this way, a soft suggestion of a kiss in the dark.
" Wasn't anyone I was interested in." Which strictly speaking, was true. Hard to get interested when you were so determined not to look. Even at LGTBQ events, he stuck with his female friends and escaped when it got too social.
" Oh, that's bullshit. Really? Three years and no one turned your head even a little?"
" It's not just looks." Liam started back to the main road. "Where do you live?"
" Turn right at the end of the road. Five miles down that way and then a right at the light." Ace frowned. "Do you just hate people? You don't seem the type. Like you're not pissed off enough. Or maybe you are. Hard to tell with all the long faces."
" I'm pissed off." He watched the yellow lines bleed past. "Furious some days. But no. I don't hate people."
" Not enough other queer guys around campus then?" Ace leaned back. "Know that feeling."
" Uh." Shit. Liam had to keep looking at the road or they'd wind up in a ditch. "Yeah. I guess."
" Try dating in this suburban wasteland. It's a nightmare. Five guys out of the closet, and I've dated them all. Rest of 'em still hiding out from their wives, looking for a quick bang. Which I'm not actually against, but being the other woman leaves a few black marks on the soul after a while."
" That why you haven't seen anyone in a few years?" Liam
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