“Hey, Matthew! Get your cute butt down here. We’re freezing!”

I pushed the long and tangled strands of hair from my eyes and looked down at my friends. Huddled underneath a streetlight, they gathered around each other like Eskimos soaking up the last remnants of heat.

“The snow has been brutal lately,” my older brother Sawyer said. He had a worried look on his face. Turning around, he walked toward the kitchen, where his husband Marcus was patiently cooking dinner.

“I don’t want you to get hurt out there,” he said. “Why don’t you guys just order a movie and pizza tonight? There’s plenty of space here for you.”

“Sawyer, let him be. He’s not a kid anymore,” Marcus said.

“Finally. Someone with sense,” I said. “If I needed your advice, I’d ask for it.”

My brother scowled, but he didn’t keep arguing. When I had my heart set on something, it was impossible to pull me away.

“Well, as long as you’re cool with hanging out with those guys again. After what they did to you…” he trailed off and bit his lip.

“Please stop bringing that up every time you see them,” I pleaded.

Tyler wasn’t someone who cared about others’ feelings, that was for sure. Years ago, we were the leaders of a tight knit crew. But time can change a person.

Once I arrived in the city, we quickly drifted apart. In a matter of months, he had persuaded everyone to give me the silent treatment.

“They don’t deserve your forgiveness,” Sawyer said.

I shrugged and looked away. “Anyway, I’m pretty sure I’m cursed,” I added.

“You’re not cursed, Matthew,” he said.

“It’s fine. I’ve accepted it,” I said. “You know how hard I’ve been trying. I work all of the time at this.”

Sawyer frowned and ruffled my hair. “I’m sorry, Matthew. I didn’t mean anything to put you in this headspace,” he said.

From the kitchen, Marcus cleared his throat. “Stop messing with him, Sawyer. And you, Matthew—there’s no use in being so negative. You never know when you’ll bump into Mr. Right.”

“As long as you don’t end up in jail or beat up, I’ll be happy,” Sawyer said.

When I looked back through the window, I could see Tyler bending over and mooning us from below. Christopher stooped over him and smacked his cold, red ass loudly. “You’re missing out on all of the fun, Matthew!”

I held out my hands, waiting for Sawyer to give me what I needed. “Keys,” I said.

Sawyer reached into his pocket and awkwardly held the keys to the Sixty-Six Bar in front of his chest. Cautiously, he lowered them into my open hand. A smile fell on my face as my fingers clasped around the metal ridges. Sawyer didn’t look one bit pleased.

“Stop worrying. I asked Theo if we could do this,” I said.

“You told him that you and your old high school friends were going to break into his bar and get drunk off of the product?” Sawyer asked.

“It’s better than doing it on the street like you used to,” Marcus added, taking my side.

“You’re being dramatic, Sawyer,” I said.

I sighed. My brother was making the night difficult, but I understood where he was coming from. If this were five years ago, we couldn’t have guessed we’d end up here.

Our life was easy now; back then, our world nearly fell apart. Sometimes, I felt like I was just counting down the days until something else came our way.

Tyler yelled from the streets below. “Sawyer! Quit twiddling your dick and give him the keys!”

Sawyer rolled his eyes. “Are you sure you guys aren’t seventeen still?”

“Don’t compare me to Tyler,” I said. “You know I’ve moved on from that type of life.”

Sawyer glanced back at the window and groaned. “Then why are you so adamant about hanging out with them again? They’re no good, Matthew. Tyler treats everyone around him like crap, and I’ve seen his comments on your profile pictures.”

“Tyler is harmless,” I said.

Of course, Sawyer was right. Most of the time, Tyler acted like an entitled toddler. But this night wasn’t for him. It was for me and the rest of the guys.

“Sometimes, you have to give people in your past another shot,” I said. “Besides, it’s just one night. One last hurrah. Tomorrow, they’ll be going back upstate.”

“I just hope you are safe, that’s all,” he said.

I threw my arms around my brother’s neck and kissed his cheek. “I’ll be safe. Everything is set and paid for. It’s just a few rounds, and then I’ll drop them off at their hotel. Okay?”

“Don’t let anyone catch you slipping, and be sure to lock up after you’re done. We’ve got a big week ahead of us, and I don’t need any trouble right now,” Sawyer said.

“I promise you. Everything is going to be fine.”

As my heels hit the last of the steps downstairs, I paused to catch my breath, feeling the coldness spread across my throat. In the city with my brother, life was pretty great, and sometimes, I had to take it all in.

I was one of the lucky ones. If Sawyer didn’t take me under his wing during my senior year of high school, I might have gone off the deep end.

When he introduced me to Theo, the owner of the Sixty-Six Bar, I never thought I’d take on so many responsibilities. Now that I was managing the place, I made it clear to both Sawyer and Theo that I wouldn’t screw the job up.

So far, so good.

The other three guys stepped forward with Tyler. I hadn’t seen them in a few years, so the night had to live up to their standards of fun. They looked cold and ready to start their night.

I held a devious smile on my face as I reached into my pocket, pulling out the set of keys. “Got ‘em.”

The guys all started to clap, but Tyler kept his frown visible for all to see. “Took you long enough,” Tyler said, snatching the keys out of my hand and running toward the nearest crosswalk.

“Hey!”

The whole crew of guys ran after him until we found ourselves on the corner of the bar’s block, out of breath and laughing wildly.

The harsh screeching of the subway cars could be heard above our heads. “It’s right there,” I said, pointing.

Together, we made our way to the upstairs of the bar, careful to punch in the right numbers in the alarm system. When I turned on the lights in the main room, my friends were shocked.

Tyler took off his oversized winter coat, tossing it onto one of the bar stools. His eyes reflected the lighting of the chandeliers. “Whoa. You guys own this?” Tyler asked.

Feeling pleased with myself, I nodded and inhaled a deep breath. This bar was the one thing I could be proud of here. “Took us a good four years to make it right, but we did it. We finally did it,” I said.

Getting this bar’s popularity back up took more than four years. It took a good deal of sweat and toil. After working our asses off with the remodeling, we were ready to take it to the next level.

Christopher circled around the bar, while I went in the back to grab a case of our most excellent small-batch IPA.

“You did a great fuckin’ job,” Christopher said. All of the guys agreed with him.

There was something special in seeing your hard work pay off. These guys never made it out of our shitty upstate suburban town, and I felt a little responsible for not bringing them with me on my road to success.

When I left home, my buddies had already made the decision to drop out of high school. We were all so angry at the world, and the consequences didn’t feel real. It wasn’t until I got in the city that I realized how dangerous that outlook was.

I glanced at Tyler’s solemn face before raising my bottle into the air for a toast. “To old friends,” I said.

As soon as everyone let out an exalted, joyous cry, Tyler put his hand up to silence the crew. That’s when everything became clear. He was their leader, and he wouldn’t let some city boy like me outshine him.

Sawyer warned me the transition would be hard. He left home years before me, and he struggled to keep in contact with people from our town. I was going through the same self-doubt he went through, but I couldn’t understand why people would blame another for their success when I was willing to share it with them.

I eyed Tyler nervously as he stood to face our friends. “I’d like to make a toast to Matthew’s cute new hair.”

I took a step back and cleared my throat. “Excuse me?” I asked, taken back.

“Relax. I’m only kidding,” he said.

I balled my hands into fists, ready to crack his jaw, but I quickly furrowed my palms into my pockets. Years ago, I would have believed it was a joke, but he was prone to lashing out with strong insults. Now that he could physically see my success, he must have felt some jealousy.

Bring it on, I thought to myself. I’m strong enough.

“It’s not that funny, Tyler,” Christopher muttered.

Tyler shrugged but kept the glass bottle raised high into the air. “Okay, so you didn’t like the first toast. Can’t win them all, right?”

“Oh, God. Get on with it!” Christopher exclaimed.

Finally, Tyler stopped smiling. “Tonight is the night we’ve been waiting for. You all remember what we said seven years ago?”

I nodded my head, stepping forward to put my beer back in the air. “We said we’d get out of that town,” I said. “Together.”

The words stung as they fell from my mouth. We all had high aspirations when we were kids, but life caught up too quick. As I stared at my friends’ faces, I felt the heavy burden of knowing that I was the only one that escaped that place.

“It doesn’t matter if we didn’t leave,” Christopher said.

“Quit lyin’ out of your ass, Christopher,” Tyler muttered under his breath.

Christopher lowered his beer and took a loud gulp. I followed his lead. “It’s not about where you are. It’s about what you do when you get there,” I said.

Tyler clapped his hands and broke from the group. “Exactly! It’s about what you do when you’re there,” he said.

“Put a sock in it, Ty. You don’t know what the hell he’s talking about,” Christopher said.

Inhaling deeply, Tyler put his arms around us, smiling in a daze. Suddenly, Sawyer’s cautionary words made sense. I had a bad feeling about tonight, but there was no turning back from this.

“Let’s hit the street, boys,” Tyler said.

Christopher immediately shook his head. “Here we go. Here we fucking go. He’s cooking up another one of his plans.”

“What? It’ll be like old times,” Tyler said.

Christopher turned red in the face, eyes meeting mine briefly. “No way, Tyler. We’re guests here.”

Christopher’s frail protests were in vain. Before he spoke, Tyler eased the beer bottle back and guzzled the last of the dark, frothy liquid. After burping loudly, a sneaky grin formed on his face.

“The city is massive. You can get away with anything here,” he said.

Shaking my head, I took Tyler’s beer and tossed it in the plastic bin behind the bar. “Fuck off, Tyler. We’re not kids anymore. If we go out smashing windows, we could end up in jail,” I said. “Plus, if anything negative comes back to this bar, I’m royally screwed.”

As soon as I saw his eyes flicker back at me, I felt my stomach turn. Earlier in the night, I didn’t have any regrets about our reunion, but as I awkwardly stepped away from Tyler, I knew things were going to get a little rough.

Tyler’s entire demeanor changed. “Since when do you make the rules around here?”

He pushed past me and opened the fridge to grab another bottle of booze, but he quickly moved to a more expensive brand. I knocked the glass out of his hand. The bottle crashed against the cement floor, liquid and glass spreading around our feet.

Tyler jumped back in alarm. “What the fuck, man? You could have cut me.”

Shit. All eyes were on me. “I’m sorry, guys. I shouldn’t have—”

Tyler stared at me for a few long seconds. “You’re too uptight,” he muttered.

I took a deep breath and tried to relax. In a lot of ways, they were still the same people as when I left them. But I couldn’t hold that against them.

“Maybe you’re right,” I said. “Maybe I should loosen up a little.”

That same devious smirk popped up on the corners of Tyler’s mouth. Christopher, however, didn’t smile, but I knew he would come along for the ride either way. He always did.

“Let’s finish the case. Then, we roll out,” Tyler said.

I nodded my head, trying to put my mind at ease. Despite knowing the risks, I grabbed two beer bottles and pried open the caps with the front of my teeth. It was an old bartending trick that brought in the tips on a fun night.

“There we go!” Tyler shouted and clapped against my back. I tripped forward and spat out some of the liquid onto the front of my white shirt, but I quickly regained composure. Together, we finished the case of beer in a record-breaking five minutes.

As soon as I put down the last bottle, I fell back and blinked my eyes rapidly. “Oh, crap,” I groaned.

Christopher swayed forward and put his limp hand across his face, sloppily laughing to himself. “We are absolutely wasted, aren’t we?”

“We’re drunk if that’s what you’re getting at,” Tyler said.

“Let’s go to Times Square!” Christopher suddenly shouted.

“Time Square? Why on earth would we go there?” I asked them.

But once the idea was out there, Tyler latched onto it like a tick at the blood bank. “That’s it. Times Square. It’ll be perfect.”

There wasn’t much I could do to protest, so I agreed to come along. “Come on,” I said, motioning toward the back exit. “I have to lock up the store. I’ll meet you out front.”

New York City was the place where people went to play out their wildest fantasies. It was a place where anything could happen.

But all I ever wanted was simplicity—someone to hold me when I felt low, someone who could look into my eyes with honesty and tell me how much I meant to them.

I was growing past these old friendships. Soon, I’d be in my mid-twenties. I just wanted to feel loved, but I was starting to think it would never happen for me.

Outside, Christopher ran to the Metro entrance and threw his arms into the air as he fell onto the dirty pavement in front of him. “New York City!”

“So, you like the place?” I asked.

Christopher picked himself up and dusted his kneecaps off. “It feels good to be outside in the world,” he said. “I’m so used to staying at my mom’s place. Tyler’s fuckin’ right. I barely even leave the house.”

“No boyfriend?” I asked him.

He shook his head. “No boyfriend. Anyway, I don’t believe in love.”

“I’m not sure what to believe anymore either. The world is changing so fast,” I said.

As we walked together, the bright neon lights reflected off of Christopher’s glasses. I knew how stupid it was to walk around this drunk, but this was a time for celebration, and the law didn’t factor into our heads.

Now that we were getting older, everything was starting to move at a faster pace. This was it, the celebration of what once was. Why not live it up?

Yet, as we walked into the dense crowds of Times Square, I felt the tension start to rise between the three of us. I didn’t know them other anymore, and we were way too out of our heads to be making correct decisions.

Walking, I shivered. Suddenly, I felt the light feel of soft fabric wrap around my neck. I looked down and saw a wool scarf.

“Christopher, stop,” I said.

Turning around, I didn’t see my friend. Instead, I saw the face of a handsome man staring back at me. Smiling, he walked alongside me.

“You looked cold,” he said.

“Yeah? Well, you look out of your element,” I sneered and let the wool scarf fall onto the darkened cement.

The man didn’t stoop to pick up the card. Instead, he struggled to keep up alongside me. “Hey, that scarf costs about three thousand dollars,” he said.

“He doesn’t give a shit,” Tyler said. “He’s not interested, creep.”

“Why don’t you let the man speak for himself?” he asked.

I felt my cheeks turn hot with embarrassment, but I would have been lying if I said a part of me didn’t feel good about being singled out. It wasn’t every day someone vied for my attention on the city streets.

He was dangerously sexy and well dressed. As I gazed at him, a warm vibration ran into my core.

“You’re beautiful,” he said.

And everything seemed to stand still.

But moments are only moments. They don’t last forever.

Suddenly, the bright neon lights shifted into a wild smear of color as I felt the weight of the crowd push back against me.

Tyler ran forward, forcing his palms against the man’s chest.

Within seconds, my friend raised his arm back and clenched his teeth. I tried to pull him back, but his shoulder shoved me to the ground.

Don’t do it, Tyler, I thought.

“Oh, shit,” Christopher muttered.

Both of us sprang into action, pulling Tyler back, but we fell deeper into the confusion.

“Stop!” I yelled, pushing them both off of each other. “Get away!”

Again, Tyler swung. Amidst the chaos, I stumbled backward, hitting my head against the icy concrete. Although I didn’t black out, I immediately felt weak.

“Go on, then! Hit me back!” Tyler yelled, grinning wildly. “Give me your best shot, tough guy!”

But the man put his arms up in self-defense, forcing them to step back. “Back up,” the man said to Tyler and Christopher. “Your friend just hit his head. He could have a concussion.”

The man’s hands carefully caressed the back of my head. Slowly, he unbuttoned the front of my shirt.

“What the hell are you doing?” Tyler shouted.

“I’m giving your friend some air.”

Quickly reaching into his pocket to pull out a handkerchief, he rolled the soft satin over my forehead and looked deep into my eyes.

The man stayed on his knees, silently tending to my swollen head. “What happened?” I asked.

I closed my eyes again, but I could hear the man’s gruff, yet playful voice say, “Just breathe. I’m here to protect you. To take care of you.”

I was still confused, but when I tried to pick myself up, I couldn’t move. “I’ve been told those words before,” I managed to say.

In the distance, police sirens were wailing toward our direction. The air suddenly felt even colder, and as I looked back at my friends, I felt a shiver run through my body.

“Who told you that?” he asked.

A pause. “My parents. Guys I’ve been with. Friends.”

Why I was opening up to this stranger was beyond me. The rush of something unique was boiling inside of me, hot and soothing in my core. I recognized it—my heat. With one look, he activated it.

Tyler stepped forward. “Get your shit in order. Cops are coming. We need to go.”

Groaning, I tried to push myself onto my feet, but I was still too dazed to stand. I stumbled back into the man’s arms, awkwardly clutching around his neck. My stomach lurched with embarrassment.

“Let your friends run off. You can stay with me.”

I thought I had imagined him saying it. The two of us just stared into each other’s eyes, but I was unable to give his offer a real answer.

“I don’t even know you,” I said, stunned.

The man smiled and gently held me upright and steady. “Those guys will just get you into trouble,” he said.

“And you… you’re not trouble?” I asked him.

He smirked, but his eyes stayed focused. He had to have been in his late thirties, but I couldn’t be sure. All I knew was that I was beginning to feel something, but I couldn’t figure out what the feeling was.

“Want to find out?” he asked.

I took a step closer to him, but not out of any conscious thought or purpose. I felt a compulsion to be closer to this man. To breathe his scent in. To feel his persuasive touch.

“Not sure if it’s safe to spend a night with a guy like you,” I said.

“What’s the fun in something safe?”

An innocent smile formed on my face. There was no denying that I wanted him, but I was sure the sudden lust came from the alcohol and head wound, now a throbbing mess.

The sirens had grown louder, and when I turned around, a police vehicle had stopped at the edge of the gawking crowd.

“I have to go,” I said.

His eyes glimmered against the bright lights. “Wait.” He grabbed me.

I knew that look. He was scrambling to find a way to get me to stay with him, but he was just some stranger I connected with on the streets of Times Square. He wasn’t my knight in shining armor. He wasn’t prince charming either.

“You’ve got two-seconds to make a case for yourself,” I said.

The man’s jaw flexed. It looked like he was about to say something, but he seemed to be at odds with himself. Finally, he looked into my eyes and took my hand.

“I’d like to make you a substantial offer,” he said.

My body stiffened. “Offer?”

“I want to buy you,” the man said.

A sharp and pleasurable sensation ran through the core of my body, but I ended up taking a step back. I wasn’t expecting him to say that, and I most certainly wasn’t a hole with a price tag. I couldn’t decide if I was turned on or pissed the hell off.

Still holding his hand, I brought myself forward and lowered my voice to a whisper. “You want this?” I coughed awkwardly. “You want… me?”

Strangely, we both connected. The crowd around us seemed to disappear. I could feel his breathing, and his cologne was addicting, but there was something I needed to tell him that was more important than the thunderous pulse of my emotions.

“I’m not for sale,” I whispered.

He opened his eyes faster than I could run away. Quite suddenly, I felt the hard grip of Christopher pulling me back and apart from the commotion.

“Run, dammit!” Christopher shouted.

I didn’t get a chance to look back at Mr. Moneypants, but I knew he was more trouble than he was worth. It might have made for a fun night, but after one rendezvous, he’d come to realize that my time and company couldn’t be bought.

Uh, yeah. No.

“Another time,” I said to the man that ludicrously offered to buy me.

Frantically, I turned around and saw Tyler as the police caught up to him, slamming his body to the concrete. Before they could get the cuffs around his wrist, I watched as Christopher did something unbelievable.

He pounced on top of the vehicle, screaming as loud as he could into the air. At that moment, Christopher looked like an angel, but those cops looked eager to bring him down harder than they did Tyler.

“Oh, no,” I muttered to myself. “Not you, Christopher…”

What I thought might be a fun night in the city with old friends had turned into a complete disaster. Christopher pounded off of the car and started running with us. We were fucked, but at least we had a common goal.

Through the crowded streets and into the Metro, I hopped over the entrance barrier and ran as fast as my feet could carry me. A booming voice echoed behind me, “Freeze! NYPD!”

There was an undeniable current of energy keeping us moving. Our friendship had faded, but, in this chaotic moment of trying to escape, we were in this together.

Christopher was losing his ability to run. His asthma was kicking in, and it wouldn’t be long until he’d have to give himself up. Tyler, on the other hand, was gaining speed with every step, knocking over anyone that dared get in his way.

Without looking back, I could feel the police getting closer. Their rubber tactical boots stomped loudly in the faded, old hallways of the Metro, and their voices rang out, heavy and mean like drill sergeants. They were close, but we could still get out of this if we played our cards right.

When we reached the steps to the platform, the three of us looked down and watched as the train came to a screeching halt. The doors slid open, beckoning us inside.

“There it is,” I called out, reaching forward with my hands. “Christopher, hold the door when you get there.”

Reaching the platform, Christopher inhaled, violently heaving in air. He tripped, landing directly on his ankle. I heard the crack louder than the stopping train and bustling crowds.

My friend winced in pain, unable to get back on his feet.

Tyler didn’t make an effort to stop. Once inside the train, he turned around at the doorway. I saw the determined look in his eyes as the sound rang out for the doors to begin closing. Our safety didn’t matter to him. None of this did.

I stopped, bending down to help Christopher, but I couldn’t stop looking at the top of the stairs for the police to come hurdling toward us like a great tumultuous wave.

“Matthew, what the hell am I going to do?” Christopher clenched his teeth and cradled around the broken bone.

“Tyler, hold the doors!” I yelled.

Instead of holding the doors open, Tyler slowly filtered into the back of the train.

“Bastard!” I yelled.

I forced myself to calm down. I was going to fix this. “Christopher, just breathe. We’re going to get you out of this.”

I could see the cops barreling down from the top of the platform. This was it. In a few seconds, we’d be toast.

I did what I had to do. I grabbed Christopher’s body and helped him up. “Christopher, get out of here,” I said.

He looked back and sucked in a breath, nodding. “I won’t forget this, man.”

“I know you won’t. Now, move!”

Christopher hopped inside the train, crying out with pain. That’s when I felt their hands on me.

Suddenly, I was thrown onto the ground and restrained by three different officers. I felt the cold and relentlessly harsh metal cuffs wrap around my wrist. The deep barking of the officers shook me at my core.

“You’re under arrest.”

Fuck. Me.

As they picked me off of the ground to carry me away, I envisioned my brother’s disappointed face.

I really fucked up.