“WOW, OLLIE. I’VE NEVER SEEN you bowl like this,” Brent said not-so-subtly. “You almost scored as high as Milo. I wonder what the difference could be.”
I shrugged casually, feeling everyone’s eyes on me, especially the person I knew was responsible for the change. I’d felt Archie’s eyes on me every second of the game. I wanted to impress him and make him want me as much as I wanted him. I had channeled Milo’s attitude and confidence when I approached the lane each turn and had amazing results. We trounced our knuckle-dragging, Neanderthal opponents. “Just feeling it tonight.”
“Yeah, I bet,” Adam added then snickered, earning a jab from Tyler.
“So, who wants to get a bite to eat?” Andy asked. “I’m starved.”
“You’re always hungry,” Keeton said. “I don’t know where you put it.”
“He burns the calories off as quickly as he consumes them,” Milo casually said. “It’s always been that way. He was as skinny as a beanpole until his senior year of high school. He finally put on some weight and muscle.” Milo looked his boyfriend up and down wolfishly. “And just kept adding on the muscle.”
A few months ago, seeing the two men together and so in love would’ve hurt me so damn bad. I’d allowed myself to get too close to Andy and thought I was in love with him. It turned out I loved Andy but was only in love with the idea of him. I had felt an occasional spark of jealousy when he and Milo started seeing each other again. They had a long history, and it was obvious they belonged together. My jealousy had more to do with not finding that kind of love match for myself rather than pining after Andy. It took a while for me to come around to Milo, but he became one of my closest friends. He’d grown even more attentive and protective once Archie started acting weird around me. I didn’t like seeing the tension between the two friends, but I was grateful to have Milo as my champion.
“Yeah, I bet he burns off the calories,” Adam said, earning a slap in the back of the head from Tyler and an eye roll from Andy.
“What’s gotten into you?” Brent asked Adam. “You’re acting more juvenile than usual.”
“And you’re suddenly the voice of maturity and growth?” Adam asked Brent, scoffing at the notion. “I seem to recall—”
“Fellas,” Keeton said, interrupting them. “Can we not do this tonight? Let’s go grab burgers, fries, and shakes and enjoy our victory instead of bickering like a bunch of little school kids.”
We all stared at Keeton in stunned silence. He was usually the one instigating the trouble.
Brent was the first to recover and looped his arm around Keeton and pulled him into him. “You got it, kid.”
Keeton squirmed out of his grasp, red-faced but obviously not from anger. “I’m not a kid.” I almost expected him to say something like “and you should know,” but he didn’t.
Keeton and Brent returned their balls, shoes, and gloves to their custom bowling bags and the rest of us followed their leads. I was a little slower than the rest, knowing Archie most likely wasn’t joining us, and I wasn’t ready to say goodnight, or possibly goodbye, yet.
I felt him approach before I saw him or heard him speak. It showed how attuned I was to him. “Hey, Ollie,” he said softly, sounding almost unsure of himself. “What do you say about pizza instead of burgers? I know a hole in the wall kind of place that makes the best pizza outside of New York.”
I glanced up and noticed everyone was gone besides the two of us. “It sounds amazing, Archie.” I was more excited about having his undivided attention than the food. Well, I assumed we weren’t meeting up with some friends.
“Why don’t you ride with me rather than both of us trying to find decent parking downtown? I’ll bring you back after we eat.”
“Sounds fair.”
I was so excited to be in a small, closed-in place with him until he put his car in drive and pressed his foot down on the accelerator. He drove like he was on the set of The Fast and The Furious: Queen City Drift.
“Are you worried they’ll sell out of pizza?” I asked after I managed to unclench my teeth. “Is there a late night special you don’t want to miss?”
Archie threw his head back and laughed, pulling my attention to him. I loved his long neck and dreamed of kissing and licking it then sucking his Adam’s apple until he was—
Honk! Honk! Honk! “Green means go, asshole!” Archie yelled. I jerked my head back to look out the windshield and saw that the car in front of us was ignoring the green arrow. Honk! Honk! Honk! “What the fuck is this guy doing? Texting? Jerking off?”
Suddenly, I saw the passenger’s head pop up from where they were stretched across the front seat. I didn’t want to make gender assumptions based on the existence of a ponytail, but I had zero doubt about the activities they were engaged in. If I had been confused, the driver wrapping his fist in his or her ponytail and urging them to return their head to his lap would’ve enlightened me.
“I get he has needs, but this isn’t the place.” Archie laid on the horn again just as the green arrowed turned yellow. The passenger held up their hand and flipped him off before stretching out over the seat to continue sucking off the driver. By the time the arrow turned red, there was no doubt about their activities and no attempt to keep the head bobbing beneath the seat line.
“I should call the cops and report them,” Archie said vehemently.
I wanted to be disgusted but being alone in the dark vehicle with the smell of Archie’s cologne or aftershave washing over me made me wish I could lean over and suck him into my mouth. I no longer saw a ponytailed passenger giving head to the driver in front of us. I saw me stretched out over the console, taking his cock deep inside my mouth. I wasn’t sure how I knew, but I’d bet big money Archie’s cock was uncut and delicious. I imagined Archie’s head thrashing against his headrest as I sucked him better than anyone ever had before. His hand would be in my hair, guiding me at the pace he wanted.
A desperate growl pulled me out of my fantasy. “Ollie, don’t look at me like that.”
I jerked my gaze away from his crotch to look into a gaze that looked as wild and desperate as I felt. Archie briefly closed his eyes then shook his head before returning his attention to the car in front of us. He resumed his honking as had the other cars behind us. There was too much traffic in the other lane to attempt going out and around the cock sucker and cock suckee. Suddenly, a new sound joined the mix, and it was the shrill sound of a police siren. The car in front of us became washed in flashing lights as a cop car approached the intersection.
The passenger jerked to a sitting position and put on their seatbelt, but it was too late. The officer had already seen them. The cop on the passenger side got out of the cruiser and approached the vehicle as the driver appeared to be hauling up his pants. The cop made a short, blunt gesture for the car to turn the corner and meet them in the parking lot of a closed donut shop.
I wondered if my outer appearance betrayed how rattled the experience left me. The thought of sex in a car was something I was normally repulsed by because it was a reminder of the person I used to be. Yet, I somehow knew sex with Archie would never be cold and transactional. We would be together because we both craved each other’s touch and the mutual joy we could bring one another. Sex with Archie would never be a means to an end.
“Thank goodness,” Archie said. “I am hungry.” The way he said the word made me wonder if he hungered for the pizza or what I fantasized about doing to him. Whatever the reason, I expected him to continue his crazy, erratic driving and sharp turns, but he slowed it down.
Mamma Maria’s was the hole-in-the-wall Archie had described, but it was quaint, clean, and smelled incredible when we walked in. Even better, we were the only ones inside that late at night.
“Are you sure they’re still open?” I asked.
“I’m positive,” he said with a quirked smile then started walking to a corner table in the back of the restaurant even though the sign asked patrons to wait to be seated.
“What’s so funny?” I asked, rushing to catch up to him.
“Not funny, Ollie.” Archie shook his head like he wasn’t going to say anything else, but he surprised me once we were seated across from each other with nowhere to look but in one another’s eyes. “Are you aware you made this needy little groan when you walked through the door?” I shook my head and felt a hot flush creeping up my neck. “I didn’t think so. You either didn’t realize how hungry you were until you walked in or you’ve never smelled good pizza.”
“Probably both.”
“You want it so bad you’re practically salivating,” Archie told me. The dark look in his eyes said he wasn’t talking about pizza any longer.
“I do.” And neither was I.
“It doesn’t stop you from thinking about others first, no matter how hungry you are.” His statement easily applied to both of my hungers. I didn’t expect the restaurant employees to stick around beyond closing time to feed me. As for Archie, hell yes, I wanted him, but not at the risk of his happiness and not if he would resent me in the morning. “Trust me, Ollie. We’re welcome here.”
“How can you be so certain? I’m not even sure they know we’re here?”
“They know.” I started to ask how he knew, but a short, round woman with the sweetest smile and Archie’s green eyes came out of the kitchen and headed toward our table. She looked familiar to me, but I couldn’t place from where I recognized her. I blamed Archie’s driving and his sexiness for my inability to think. “A mother always knows.”
“My baby,” she said when she arrived at our table.
Archie rose to his feet swiftly and hugged the woman. “Hi, Mamma.”
“Who’s this handsome man you brought to meet Mamma?”
“Mamma,” Archie said then blushed. “I didn’t bring him here to meet Mamma; I brought him here to feed him. He’s never had your pizza before, and we both know that’s a crime.”
“Punishable by death,” she said dramatically when he finally released his grip on her. “What is your name, beautiful boy? I’m Maria White, but most people call me Mamma or Mamma Maria.”
I slid out of the booth and stood before her, desperate to make a good impression, although I didn’t know why. Well, I knew why but knew better than to hope anything would come of this night. “Oliver Knight,” I said warmly, extending my hand.
“I’ve heard of you,” she said, hugging me instead of shaking my hand, which meant my hand got pinned awkwardly between us. I was just grateful I hadn’t grabbed her boob by accident. “You’re the pastor who organizes the basketball leagues for troubled youth each year. Those kids love you.”
“That’s me,” I said, happy she’d heard good things about me. “I’m the pastor at Grace Fellowship Church.”
“I didn’t know you and my son were friends.” She whipped her head around and pinned Archie with a no-nonsense look. “Why didn’t you tell me?” Archie opened his mouth to answer, but no words came out.
“It’s a new development, Mrs. White. We have mutual friends who introduced us.”
“Please call me Mamma or Maria,” she reminded me then looked at Archie. “Which friends?” she asked her son. “I’d like to treat them to a free pizza or calzone.”
I moaned a little when she mentioned the calzone. “Why are you starving your friends?” she asked, gesturing to me. “Sit, sit,” she instructed us. “My boy loves a calzone too. Is that what you’d like?”
“It sounds delightful, but I shouldn’t eat an entire one by myself. Do you want to share one with me?” I asked Archie.
“I’m fine with sharing,” he replied. “I usually get sausage and green peppers in mine.”
“Sound delicious to me.”
“One calzone and two side salads with creamy Parmesan dressing and breadsticks coming right up,” she said on her way back to the kitchen.
“She must not have understood you wanted to share the calzone because you aren’t very hungry.” He shook his head and smiled wryly. “Subtlety isn’t Mamma’s specialty.”
“She’s perfect the way she is,” I told him then leaned forward and dropped my voice. “I’m very hungry, Archie. I’m starving.”
“Ollie, please…” His words died, and in his eyes, I saw he didn’t want me to stop. He might tomorrow though, and I couldn’t risk feeling the sting of his rejection again, so I had to do a better job of pretending I didn’t want more than he could give.
“Relax, Archie,” I said softly. “I know your stance. I was talking about food. I wanted to split the calzone with you because I don’t need anything too heavy on my stomach before I go to bed.”
Maria returned to our table with a large glass of ice-cold milk she set down in front of Archie. “I forgot to ask what you’ll be drinking.”
“That glass of milk looks perfect.”
“Great.” Maria slid Archie’s glass across the table to me, eliciting a shocked gasp from her son. “Oh, you stop. I’ll be right back with the salads, breadsticks, and your glass of milk.”
“Thanks, Mamma.” There was a softness in his eyes and a reverence in his tone when he talked to his mother. It hit me low in the gut. There was nothing more beautiful to me than a person who loved and cherished their family.
When Archie returned his gaze to mine, I had to look away. I didn’t want him to see the naked desire I felt to belong to someone. It wouldn’t end well for whatever was blossoming between us.
“I gotta say, Ollie. I’m dying to know what makes you tick.”
“What do you mean?” I was confused because I was pretty much an open book.
“I respect your love for God and your desire to help people. Hell, I’m grateful Henry could call on you today.”
“Henry can call on me any day,” I told him. Archie narrowed his eyes as if he misunderstood my words. “Not in a romantic way.”
“But you have romantic cravings?” What the hell did he think our fooling around in the prop closet was all about?
“Romantic and sexual,” I replied because they weren’t the same thing. “Just not for Henry. Him, I want to help spiritually.”
“But with me…” he said, steering me into a confession I wasn’t ready to give him.
“I want what you’re willing to give me, Archie.” I offered a soft, friendly smile. “If all we can ever be is friends, it will be enough for me. The truth is, I’ve been disappointed by men who didn’t want the same things as me or couldn’t see past my clergy collar. Your reticence isn’t new.” It just hurt more, but that was my problem, not his.
“Ollie…”
Maria had the worst timing, or the most impeccable timing depending on what Archie said next. “Here you go, boys,” she said, setting down our salads and a basket of breadsticks to share along with his glass of milk.
“Thanks, Mamma,” we both said at the same time, earning a sappy smile from her. I thought she might be getting the wrong idea about us. Then I knew it was the case when she said, “Too bad you guys didn’t order a plate of spaghetti to share like Lady and the Tramp.”
“Mamma,” Archie said in a low tone, pleading for her to stop talking and give us privacy.
“Oh, all right,” she said, waving her hand in the air. “I can tell you don’t want me telling Ollie it’s your favorite Disney movie.” She smiled mischievously then added, “He had a hard time figuring out if he wanted to be the lady or the tramp growing up.”
I nearly choked on my drink of milk. Maria pounded on my back then rubbed it in small circles. “I’m all better now,” I told her.
“I’ll leave you boys alone. Your calzone will be out in just a few minutes.”
“Where were we?” Archie asked when we were alone once more.
“You’d just said ‘Ollie’ with this sad voice and dramatic pause. I think you were about to deliver some bad news.”
Archie looked down at the table for a few seconds as if he was trying to recall what he was about to say, or maybe choose his words better. Whatever the reason, he was more composed when his green gaze met mine again. “Ollie…” Same serious tone, same dramatic pause.
Oh boy.