“You didn’t tell Kit that you were going to show me the town?”

Bentley poked at the mound of ketchup with his potato wedge as he answered. “I didn’t.”

Paulie waited for the rest. When he realized the rest wasn’t coming, he probed for more. “May I ask why not?”

“He and I had been arguing over the fact that he was even entertaining you in the first place, so after days of not speaking it would’ve been weird for me to text him and say, “Oh, by the way, I’m hanging out with the dimwit.”

Paulie chuckled as he picked up his fish taco. “Yeah. I guess I can understand that.”

They were quiet. Around them, the sound of people chatting loudly and being happy surrounded them. Bentley sat back in his chair and stared down at the table top. This felt … awkward to say the least. He didn’t know Paulie, hell, he barely gave a shit about the guy. But for some reason, this felt like the right thing to do.

“Regardless of all of that, I wanted to say thank you,” Paulie began. He wiped at his mouth with a napkin and took a deep breath. “Not many people would’ve offered to do this. I know I fucked up a lot.”

Bentley could see that Kit definitely had a type. He didn’t think Paulie was anywhere near as gorgeous as he was, let’s be real, but Paulie was a tall guy with an athletic build and a strong jaw line. He had the charm and the million-dollar smile that probably got him out of a lot of situations. Bentley turned his attention away from Paulie and reached for his water. 

“Don’t mention it. Seriously.”

Paulie glanced up at him before looking away. “Something tells me you’re a man of few words.”

“Listen,” Bentley began, sitting forward and staring Paulie in the eyes. “I’m not looking to become your best friend. We don’t have to talk at all. I just figured I’d take you to a spot in West Hollywood and show you a few more guys who are out and proud. Maybe you can gather some courage from them and never put another human through what you did to Kit.”

At his words, Paulie went silent. His face was a bit more somber, but he slowly began to nod like he understood. Bentley pulled out his wallet to pay for their meals, but Paulie quickly stopped him.

“Let me. It’s the least I can do.”

Bentley already had his hand on a twenty-dollar-bill. “Oh, we’re going Dutch.”

It took a moment, but Paulie smiled. He reached into his pocket for some cash, too. “Fair game.”

??

The ride to West Hollywood was filled with Paulie gushing about how nice Bentley’s Bentley was. He spent a little bit of time discussing the football game, and telling Bentley that he saw a few of his games at home during his senior year. Bentley listened as he always did when someone told him that they were a fan of his running game as a Bruin, but the more and more he immersed himself as a BMX superstar, the more thrilled he was that he had the courage to leave UCLA. He was doing what he loved and it felt perfect.

He rehearsed in his head how he’d make it right with Kit as he drove, and how they’d avoid having this stupidly petty fight ever again. The best way was to come clean and admit that he felt insecure about seeing other guys give Kit attention. Bentley was going to do everything he could to work on it. He was only jealous because he didn’t want to lose Kit, but ironically, he knew that his insecurities could eventually be the thing that caused Kit to walk away. As Paulie talked about his girlfriend dumping him some more, Bentley played out the details of his I’m Sorry gift in his mind. There was no way Kit could stay mad at him after this.

They parked a few blocks away and walked towards the club – Flaming Saddles – and Bentley had to wonder what he was getting himself into. This may’ve been a good deed, but he felt ill-equipped to deal with a gay bar of this caliber. The rainbow flags and gorgeous drag queens hanging out front told him as much. He and Paulie exchanged a look before deciding they’d walk closer.

“I don’t really do clubs. I’m more of a house or dorm party type of guy,” Bentley admitted. “And while I think some guys can be good-looking, I’ve only ever been attracted to one.”

Paulie turned to face him. “You’re afraid, aren’t you?”

“A little bit.”

He laughed. “I think we’ll be fine, Bentley. You watch my back, I’ll watch yours.”

Bentley pulled out his wallet. “You did bring a fake, right?”

“Yep!” Paulie pulled out his fake ID that read he was a 26-year-old from Wisconsin. “Chad Teller.”

Bentley showed off his. “Bentley Williams.” He held it against his side and walked closer to the venue. “Having a fake identity was too much pressure for me.”

Paulie seemed impressed. “That looks really real.”

“One of my best friend has a knack for falsifying documents. Come on.”

They approached the club and the bouncer looked annoyed before they’d even gotten all the way on line, but after a moment, he seemed to realize who Bentley was.

“Hey… aren’t you that kid that was on Sami Perez’s show?” he asked.

Bentley stared at the taller Latin man. One punch from him and he’d go flying across the street. He nodded. “I’m him.”

The bouncer then eyed his company. “Hm. That doesn’t look anything like the cute little twink you’re dating. You two called it quits already, huh? It’s hard to find a relationship that’ll last in this city.”

“His boyfriend is meeting us later.” Paulie lied. “We’re here to pregame.”

The bouncer looked between the two of them and smirked. “Come on in boys. Enjoy yourself.”

Paulie grinned as he looked at Bentley, but Bentley only stalked inside, pushing past the bouncer and the loud group at the entrance. He allowed himself to look around the dance floor and then the second level before checking to see that Paulie had made it in safely.

Paulie seemed both nervous and thrilled when he’d caught up to Bentley. “Wow. This place is… a lot.”

Bentley turned away from him and looked at the bar. Men in cowboy attire were dancing on poles and entertaining the crowd. On the second level were tables where people were dining. He took a deep breath and gestured towards the bar.

“Club soda?”

Paulie smiled. “We have fakes, you know. We can grab a beer or something.”

“I’m having a club soda. Come on.” He walked off towards the bar, already seeing people’s eyes on him. This was going to be a long night.

The bartender was busy flirting with a few guys at the opposite end of the bar. Paulie moved in to Bentley’s side and took his time looking around. He was tense. Before Bentley could comment on it, another Bartender popped out of nowhere.

“Hey, handsome. What can I get you two?”

“I’ll just take a club soda, please.”

“Can I have a gin and tonic?” Paulie added.

Bentley turned to look at him and shook his head. “I think you should be able to remember what happened tonight when you reflect back on this all tomorrow. You should make positive decisions that you aren’t ashamed of.”

Paulie smiled. “Hey, you’ve been with one guy. You aren’t the gay Dr. Phil. I’ve got this.”

“I’m sorry to interrupt,” said the voice of a man who was dark-skinned, tall, and muscular. “Tonight is karaoke and we’re looking for volunteers. Any of you sexy fellas interested?”

Bentley rubbed tiredly at his head. He was way too fucking sober for this. “Count me out. I’m just chilling.”

Paulie simply shook his head no. “Yeah. We’re just taking it easy tonight.”

The man rubbed Bentley’s arm before winking. “Noted. See you around.”

Bentley waved goodbye and then turned to face Paulie. “Alright. I’m ready to go.”

“He was … gorgeous.” Paulie took a deep breath. “Yeah. I… I’ve only been with… you know. And this is more than a little bit overwhelming. I’m going to make a fool of myself, aren’t I? Everyone here is a seasoned veteran. I’m the closeted football player.” 

“I just want to see my boyfriend.” Bentley sat down on a stool and put some money on the bar as the bartender placed a tall glass in front of him. “Thanks, man.”

Paulie paid for his beverage as well. “Are you listening to me?”

“Yep.”  Bentley took a sip and shrugged. “Not sure what you want me to do, man.”

Paulie stared down at his drink in silence. A new song came on and people at the bar wolf-whistled before hitting the dance floor.

“Just so you know, I’ll be fine.”  Paulie finally tasted his drink. “You can leave whenever you’re ready.”

“I don’t see myself leaving you here alone…”

“It’s cool.”

Bentley sighed. “Look, you’re here in Los Angeles at this amazing club. There are at least twenty different men looking in your direction. You have a pass to be yourself for an entire night. Be the person who you’ve always wanted but you’re too chicken shit afraid to be. I’m not saying you have to fuck anyone, but talk to a guy. Dance. Do something.”

Paulie glanced at Bentley for a moment. He was silent, but the smile forming on his face gave him away. He began to nod and turned to look around the club. “I guess you’re right. I need to stop thinking so much and enjoy myself.”

“You need to know that being attracted to men isn’t the end of the world, either. If I thought that way, I’d definitely be missing out on something so incredible…” Bentley trailed off as he thought about Kit. Shit. He really wanted to see him.

Paulie’s eyes found a man across the room and Bentley turned to see who it was. He was shorter than them, shirtless, and very much making his way in their direction. Paulie took a long sip and a deep breath.

“How do I look?” he asked Bentley.

Bentley shrugged. “Like normal, I guess?”

“Hey…” the man started with Bentley first. “You look familiar…” He looked at him for a moment. “Oh. I know you! Biker Boy!”

Bentley nodded. “In the flesh…” He turned and gestured to the brunette beside him. “This is Pasta. He’s visiting from Ohio.”

“Paulie,”  Paulie corrected. “Not Pasta.”

“Paulie-not-Pasta is sexy as hell,” the man said.

Paulie immediately began to blush. “Thank you.”

“I’m Winn. Would you like to dance?”

Paulie looked to Bentley as if he were asking permission. Bentley downed the rest of his glass and sat it on the bar.

“Go have fun. I’ll be here.”

Paulie grinned. “Okay, Bentley.”  Before he walked off, he stopped and turned to him. “You know, you can leave if you’d like. I think I’ll be alright.”

Bentley shook his head. “I’ll be here.”

Winn and Paulie made their way out to the dance floor, and as promised, Bentley hung around for a while just to make sure he didn’t get dragged off or ganged-up on. He himself had to tell guy after guy he wasn’t interested, and the attention alone made him want to blow the joint, but he kept his word. It seemed like Paulie could fend for himself, though. He’d gone from dancing with Winn, to being sandwiched between the hot karaoke guy and a guy in a Japanese flag tank top that was doing the Macarena. Most of all, Paulie was genuinely enjoying himself. This probably wouldn’t be possible in Ohio. Bentley thought for a moment that it’d suck for him to go back to OSU and have to be fake, dickhead Playdough. He wished him the best.

A little over an hour and three more sodas in, Bentley really had to take a piss. He looked away from the Cowboy entertainers and looked around for Paulie to let him know that he was going to go to the bathroom. It took him longer than he liked, but he found Paulie in the far corner chatting with Winn. He tapped him on the shoulder and Paulie turned around with a wide smile.

“Hey! We’re taking a break from all the dancing. Winn here is a third-grade teacher. We’re just talking about his students a little bit.”

Winn smiled, piggybacking. “They teach me more than I teach them, I think.”

Bentley nodded. “I’m going to the bathroom. Do you think you’re almost ready to go?”

Paulie turned to his new friend and pouted a little. “I probably better. I have a curfew with my coach, and Bentley has things to do as well.”

Winn pouted even more. “It seems like we just started talking. Maybe I can take you back to your hotel?”

Paulie turned to look at Bentley, and again it was almost like he was requesting permission. Bentley stared at him like he was stupid.

“No offense,” Bentley began. “But you just met him and I don’t know if he’s –”

“Crazy?”  Winn asked.

Bentley waited a while before nodding. The DJ put on a new song, announcing it was the last before karaoke. “Like I said, no offense.”

“None taken. You know my name and how I look, so I’d be stupid to do anything to harm him, don’t you think?” Winn then turned to Paulie. “It’s up to you, though. I parked a few blocks down by the Starbucks. We can get a coffee and then I’ll drop you off.”

Paulie smiled and began to nod. “Alright. I mean, I’d like that.”

Bentley knew he couldn’t exactly tell Paulie ‘no.’ This guy was his own person, and an adult at that. He shrugged when they turned to him and then gestured to the bathroom. “I’m going to the little boys’ room.”

“Be careful in there,”  Winn said.

Bentley was about to ask what that meant exactly, but he figured it out. “Thanks.”

??

It wasn’t all that bad peeing when you could hear someone fucking in the stall behind you. Bentley minded his business, did his business, and then left the club with Polo and Winn. They said goodnight and went their separate ways, and Bentley all but sped off hoping to hurry up and see Kit again.

He parked and walked onto the sand in his Louie Vuitton loafers. He felt like he was ruining a gorgeous pair of shoes, and Kit would probably smack him straight across the forehead if he noticed, but there were more important things at stake.

He was determined to make this right right now. The sun had set a few hours back, and the beach was as cool as it usually got this time of night. The crowds had dispersed, leaving a few stragglers. One group danced around their stereo system singing badly but passionately to a Sam Smith tune. Another group stood at the shore watching the water come in and complaining about how freezing it was, but doing nothing to move out of the way. Bentley guessed they were stoned.

He walked further down the beach and found his crew – Jonah expressively telling a story to Bella and Ariel with his hands flailing and his face doing all of the gestures, and Tawny, Noah, and Kit working on a sand castle that looked utterly ridiculous. Bentley smiled as he watched Kit pay such close attention to detail on his side of the castle, while Tawny merely tossed piles of sand on top and poked at it with a stick. He switched the bag he was holding from his left hand to the right, shifting his attention to Noah as he approached.

“Broski! Welcome,” Jonah said, cutting his story short to walk over to his best friend. “We’ve been expecting you.”

Everyone looked over at him and greeted him in a friendly manner – even Ariel. Kit looked as if he was trying to hide a smile, and Noah looked as if he was hoping that everything that happened earlier outside the stadium was forgotten.

No such luck.

“Hold this,” Bentley said, thrusting the plastic bag into Jonah’s chest.

“Ouch. Okay?”

Bentley walked over to Tawny, Kit, and Noah. He said hello, maintaining a charming demeanor the whole time. Noah smiled – that was until Bentley laid eyes on him solely.

“Can we talk for a minute?”  he asked.

Noah’s smile dropped. “Sure? Everything okay?”

“Follow me.”

Kit watched the two of them walk off before turning to Tawny. She shrugged.

“I’m watching you, Benny!”  Ariel shouted.

Bentley walked, and walked, and walked some more. They were pretty much near the pier when Noah finally spoke up and asked where they were going.

“Just wanted some privacy,”  Bentley answered. He smiled at Noah and roughly placed a hand on his shoulder. Noah flinched.

“So, you’re dating my baby sister. When did you plan on telling me this?”

Noah tried to pull away from the grip, but it only made Bentley clutch his shoulder harder. “Benny… that’s my pitching arm…”

“I’m aware.”

Noah sighed, wincing slightly. “I… I’m sorry. I was afraid you’d kick my ass, or tell her that maybe we shouldn’t date. I didn’t want you to be upset, so I asked her – it was my entire fault – I asked her if we could keep it under wraps for a while. She would’ve told you otherwise. I just – I was afraid, Benny. It was my fuck up.”

Bentley continued to stare into Noah’s eyes. He wore no emotion. “What’s there to be afraid of? You’re a good guy, right Noah?”

Noah forced a smile. “I am. I – You know I’d never hurt your sister. We all grew up together. I think she’s great – ow fuck, Bentley can you not…”

“You know, Noah, you are a good guy. And you’re one of the closest friends I’ll ever have.”  Bentley was almost too calm as he said it.

Noah nodded. Bentley thought the kid would pee himself. “I feel the same about you, man.”

“But, there is something that needs to be said.”  Bentley loosened his grip and fixed Noah’s t-shirt, adjusting it on his shoulders and stepping in close. “If you hurt my sister in any way, shape, or form, I am contractually obligated to make you pay for it.”

Noah stared back at him.

“You do understand, right? It’s my job. It’s how it has to be.”

Noah cleared his throat, taking a step back. “Bro, you know I’d never do any –”

“Listen. We both know you’re a good guy. We’ve said that much. But if you happen to hurt her, I have to do what I have to do. We’re clear, right?”  Bentley smiled, awaiting an answer.

Noah was stunned silent for what felt like ten minutes before he finally began to nod. “I totally get it, Bentley. I understand.”  He squeezed his eyes shut as Bentley patronizingly patted him on the face twice.

“Good.”  Bentley took a step away and smoothed out his Louie polo before walking off. “See you over there.”

Noah remained frozen in his spot – seemingly sinking into the sand. “O-Okay.”

??

“What if Bentley took Noah across the beach to choke him out and toss him in the ocean?” Jonah asked Ariel. He then rubbed his chin. “I wonder if Mom would let me have his Jeep.”

Bella playfully slapped him on the arm. “Shut up, silly. Ariel, don’t worry. He just wanted to talk to him. Like a good brother should. Right Kit?”

Kit wrapped Bentley’s sweater tighter around himself and deadpanned at them. “I don’t know. I kinda think he went to kill him.”

“Stoooop,” Ariel whined, tossing her head into her hands. “This is all my fault. I shouldn’t have listened to Noah. I should’ve just told the big idiot.”

Tawny stopped smiling. “Oh shit. Bentley’s coming back alone.”

Ariel turned and stood up immediately. “What the hell did you do to him?!”

Bentley rolled his eyes at her. “Relax. He’s back there somewhere.”

She smacked him in the head and walked off, going to find him. Kit watched Bentley as he swaggered over. He had so much to ask him about whatever that whole thing with Paulie was, but he also had to remember that they had a lot they needed to talk about.

A lot.

Bentley thanked Jonah for his bag as he took it from him. He then smiled at Kit and gestured away. “May I have a minute?”

Tawny grinned at Kit. “Say yes, bitch.”

“I was going to.” He stood up, flicking a little sand in her direction. “Mind your business.”

Bentley walked off first, a few feet in front of Kit. He stopped once they were a reasonable distance away from the water and looked out at the city. Kit did the same. He couldn’t deny how beautiful the view was, or how good it felt to be near Bentley again. Their whole argument had taken such a strain on him emotionally.

“You should probably know…” Kit began. “I asked Saint if he’d be my model tomorrow since I knew you wouldn’t show for rehearsal yesterday.”

Bentley’s face dropped. He looked at Kit with a bit of confusion. “Saint’s going to do the show?”

“No, actually.” Kit turned to face the water. “He told me he’d help out with rehearsal because he didn’t want me to look like an idiot in front of my peers, but he felt you’d come around before the actual day.”

Bentley licked his lips, looking down at his feet. “I fucked up, but I still want to be there for you tomorrow. I’ll do whatever it takes,” he said. “I’ll be at the venue at 4 in the morning if you need me to.”

Kit looked at him and tried to stay calm. There was a large part of him that wanted to ask Bentley what the hell he was thinking – he wanted to shout, and tell him just how much it hurt being ignored like that, but he kept his cool instead. Kit knew neither one of them were innocent, and he believed they could handle this like adults without the finger-pointing.

Instead of being irrational, he changed the subject, “Did you kill Paulie?”

Bentley smiled. He reached into his pocket and went through his phone. “Read this. Got it a couple minutes ago.”

Paulie Madison: Hey! Thank you so much for tonight. Just wanted to let you know that Winn dropped me off at the hotel after Starbucks. I had an amazing time with him. It sucks to think of going back home tomorrow, but at least I had tonight. Best of luck with everything, especially Kit. And seriously, thank you, Bentley.

-Chad ;)

Kit was touched as he read the message. At least Paulie had a good time, but he couldn’t help but wonder who the hell Chad was. “Um?”

“That’s the name on his fake,” Bentley supplied, knowing exactly what he was going to ask. He took his phone back and continued, “He had a good time, and as you can see, he’s still alive.”

Kit nodded, crossing his arms in front of him. “Well, that was rather nice of you. I’m still shocked.”

Bentley shrugged nonchalantly. “I… I really want to model your design tomorrow, Kit. I want to be there for you like you’ve been there for me.”

Kit looked into Bentley’s eyes and nodded. “I’ll talk to the club director if you’re serious. I’m sure it won’t be a problem.”

“I’m serious.”

“Okay.”

They were quiet for a moment longer. Bentley played at the bracelet around his wrist and broke the silence. “I’m reenrolling at UCLA in the spring, by the way. My mom and I came to an agreement where I schedule all BMX related activities around my studies and she’ll pay for me to return.”

Kit’s eyes went wide as he turned to face him. “Really? Are you for real?”

Bentley smiled. “Yeah. I’ll be a Bruin again, and I’m sticking with my sports communication major. I’m really excited.”

Kit felt the need to hug him, but they were still very much in an awkward place. He couldn’t help his smile, though. “I’m happy for you, and I have no doubt you can do both. You have an awesome mom.”

“I hope so. And yeah, she’s pretty great.”

Kit smiled. “So, what’s in the bag?” 

Bentley turned and looked at Kit, licking his lips. “Before I get there, I have some things I’d like to say to you.”

Kit nodded. “I’m listening.”

“Sorry,” Bentley began. He stepped a little closer and gave Kit his complete attention. “I am so fucking sorry.”

“What are you sorry for?”

“Ignoring your calls. Making you feel like shit. Not showing up to your rehearsal. You would’ve been there for me without a doubt, angry or not. I’m sorry for going days without letting you know that you mean so much to me.”

Kit took a deep breath and nodded once more. “I hope that I do, Bentley. You mean so much to me, and not hearing from you just… it hurt.”

Bentley looked down at the sand covering their feet. “I can’t say sorry enough.”

Kit turned away. “I’m sorry for keeping that from you. I guess it wasn’t all that big a deal to me… talking to Paulie. But I know it is a big deal because of the things that took place, and I’d probably care to know if Zoey or whomever were reaching out to you on a consistent basis. So, I’m sorry.”

“You don’t have to tell me every person you speak to.”

“True,” Kit said. “But the point of trust is to be open and honest. I have to admit… if you knew that Paulie was messaging me to begin with, you wouldn’t have reacted the way you did to his ridiculous message about hanging out when he got here, and we could’ve avoided all of that to begin with.” Kit reached out for Bentley’s free hand. “With that being said, I’ll be as open as I can with you. In a healthy way.”

Bentley began to laugh. “I… I have some things to deal with. Like… my jealousy. I don’t like seeing guys show interest in you, even though it’s bound to happen because you’re the most beautiful man on the planet behind Barack Obama.”

Kit laughed. “Fair.”

“I went to this gay bar with Post-It. Guys were, like, pouncing. I kept having to say I’m not interested, and I thought ‘what if Kit were here…?’ I’d probably flip my shit if a guy came near you like that.”

“You know that you can trust me, Benny.”

“I know. I just can’t trust other men. And they’re… they’re full-fledged gays. Like, rainbow flag, Anderson Cooper gay. How do I compete with that?”

Kit stared at him for a moment before shaking his head. “You’re an idiot, Bentley. I’m attracted to you because of who you are. How you treat me and how I see you treat others, your personality, how happy I am when I’m with you… not because of your orientation. There really isn’t a competition to be had.”

Bentley sighed and looked back out at the ocean. “You don’t get it.”

“I do…. Do you know how easy it’d be to compare myself to a hot girl? I don’t have what girls do. I know you can just as easily be attracted to them as you are to me, but we’re together and I have to trust you. I do.”

Bentley looked at him and smiled. “Yeah. But they don’t have your soul and that’s what I am most attracted to.”

Now he sounded like a demon. Kit smiled. “Are we over this, Bentley?”

“Yeah.” Bentley nodded. “We are. I trust you. I’m going to work on my communication.”

“As am I,” Kit said. “And we aren’t going to ignore each other for days ever again, right? No matter how mad we are.”

Bentley agreed. “Never again.”

Kit smiled. “Good.”

“Can I kiss you?”

Kit leaned in and pecked him on the lips. “That’s what you get for now.” He smiled at Bentley’s laugh and gestured to the bag. “What’s in it?”

He watched as Bentley opened the generic plastic bag that read ‘Thank You’ in red letters. Out of it, he pulled a brand-new friendship bracelet kit and smiled widely.

“I got this for you and Tawny. You two can work on it while she’s here and hopefully you won’t give your new one away to any irresistible boys…”

Kit’s face lit up. He began to laugh as he accepted the art kit from his boyfriend. This was the sweetest thing Bentley could’ve done. It was incredibly thoughtful of him. “Are you for real? This is amazing, Benny. Thank you so much! Tawny will get a kick out of this –”

“There’s more,” Bentley teased. He smiled softly and got down on one knee as he pulled something else out of the plastic bag. Kit felt his heart drop. He looked at him like he was insane.

“What are you doing?”

Bentley showed him the strawberry-flavored ring pop. “I want you to be my husband.”

“Get off the sand, Bentley.”

Bentley burst out laughing, and Kit couldn’t stop giggling. He held out his hand and allowed Bentley to slide the ring pop onto his fourth finger after he stood up.

“It’s a tight fit, but it’s so beautiful!” Kit said proudly.

Bentley smirked.

Kit smacked his arm. “You’re disgusting.”

Bentley chuckled some more. He kept his eyes focused on Kit and shook his head.

“What?” Kit asked.

Bentley stared in his eyes for a while, causing Kit to blush. “I don’t know. I just… I really missed seeing your smile.”

The words, although cheesy, only made Kit grin harder. He buried his face in his hands and ignored his boyfriend laughing.

Bentley turned to look at their friends. “Maybe we can move the party back to my place. Watch a movie or play some music… hang out in the pool. What do you think?”

Kit loved the sound of that. He glanced back around to see that Noah had rejoined the group. He looked petrified. Kit only shook his head. Tawny got up and began to jog over to them.

“That sounds good to me,” he answered. “We have been out here for quite a while –”

“I heard the pier is still open…” Tawny said, looking at Bentley expectantly.

Bentley seemed confused, and Kit could understand why. He gave his bestie a muddled look.

“Yeah…” Bentley gestured over to the pier. “Pacific Park closes at midnight tonight.”

“So you can show me around before we head back to your place. We need to talk.” Tawny smiled at Bentley before winking at Kit. “Be right back, hottie.”

Kit watched as Tawny dragged Bentley off towards the pier. “Because I don’t trust you, we’ll tag along. I feel like going to the arcade anyway.”

Ariel pinched Bentley as he walked by, and he shoved her away. Kit made his way over to Noah to squeeze him tightly, and the hug was quickly reciprocated. He knew Noah would end up venting to him about whatever when down between he and Bentley soon, but he also knew Noah was just grateful to have the hard part over it.

He was happy to have the hard part over with, too. Kit was hopeful that going forward, he and Bentley would be on the right track.