In the Fishbowl - 6. Chapter 6

A/N: Thanks to Jim for editing!

Day or night, the high-set windows in the basement weren’t enough to brighten Dennis Gordon’s room without the assistance of artificial light, so there was merely a dim glow that cast shadows in the quiet room as the sun set. Stretched over his bed, Dennis had his eyes closed, enjoying the feeling that came with slowly drifting off a little too early in the evening, and not even Valentine’s snoring at the foot of the bed bothered him.

And he was content, a feeling far different than he experienced most nights when he found himself free of work and any other project that might require his attention. But then, most nights like that followed long, boring days of flipping channels or talking to no one except for a canine who only seemed to understand the words “food” and “bath,” and only responded positively to one of them. But, today hadn’t been that way, and tomorrow before work wouldn’t be that way, either. Owen claimed he needed four more chairs, so that was four more afternoons filled for Dennis; maybe more if he started working slower than he already was. And hopefully after the chairs, Owen would talk himself into wanting to build more. Dennis would build anything if it meant he got to feel as peaceful as he did for more nights to come.

It seemed ironic to Dennis that how peaceful he felt was exactly what he was thinking about when it all shattered. But, it also seemed that he should have expected that. He’d started believing in karma recently, and knew that his had some making up to do.

It started with the Chesleys’ phone ringing upstairs. Lately, the sound made him worry, and he supposed, for a good reason. The calls from his mother had been unsettling and curious, but not so curious to make him want to talk to her. He’d stopped wanting to talk to her--ever--quite a while ago. Hell, he’d figured that she had the same sentiment about him. But obviously she’d made a point to track down the Chesleys’ number, and their home had seemed a little less safe ever since. Of course, everyone in the house knew that he didn’t want to talk to her, so they never brought him the phone. That being the case, he was surprised when he heard footsteps coming down the stairs, and found himself opening his bedroom door before Reilly Chesley ever even reached it.

The boy seemed on edge, almost panicked, when he first told Dennis that it was a guy asking for him. Dennis had taken the phone and almost answered it before Reilly cared to mention that this guy also claimed to be his brother.

Lyle?No. Because for Dennis, his brother calling was even stranger than his mother doing it. The one time he’d run into Lyle since his older brother had come back to town, he’d ended up having to sand the paint off his car where some profane words had been mysteriously keyed.

Having the phone in his hand, the silence on the other end waiting for his response... it left Dennis feeling shaken before he finally just hung up, and as soon as the phone rang again a second later, Dennis was grabbing his coat and keys and leaving the house as if that was the only reasonable way to escape an unwanted phone call. And it was ridiculous, that’s how Dennis felt, for running from it even when he knew that it was more than the sound of the phone ringing that got under his skin.

It was everything; too much thinking about his family lately. He needed a break, and maybe tacos, he mused as he drove aimlessly through town. He was missing dinner with all his running away, and he’d already skipped lunch when he turned down the sandwich Owen had offered earlier. But at least his appetite was something he could fix, and he hit the nearest drive-thru that served a decent serving of carnitas as he stared at his gas gauge and contemplated how much of his full tank he wanted to waste driving around all night. Not too much, he decided quickly. He wasn’t interested in having to gas up before he worked tomorrow night.

In the clogged drive-thru he stared blankly ahead, wondering where to go next. Maybe he should have just gone inside, sat down to eat. That could have killed some time. But he was already feeling anxious. He hated feeling anxious. Stick with what’s comfortable. And if that meant staying in his car, so be it.

He lightly tapped the gas when the car in front of him finally left the window, and when he stopped he held his money out with one hand as he reached for his phone with the other to scroll down to a familiar phone number. Stick with what’s comfortable. And why, Dennis would have liked to know, did Owen Dovan suddenly feel comfortable? The same thought that had brought him a sense of peace not so long ago in the comfort of his own room was now irritating him. He didn’t have friends. He didn’t have one friend. He couldn’t call up Owen just because he was feeling a little off tonight and wanted a friendly voice to distract him. But, what the hell difference did that make? he mused as he tossed the phone over his shoulder, not caring where it landed in the back seat. It wasn’t as if he’d had much of that before he became the biggest loner he knew.

He turned his attention to the drive-thru window, suddenly ready to curse about how long things were taking. But instead, all he managed to do was drop a twenty dollar bill, and his jaw. His green eyes grew wide at the ones staring back at him.

Those eyes looked older than they had the last time Dennis had dared to look into them, but still just as effective as they trapped him in a glare that felt like a vise around his chest. And who the fuck knew, Dennis thought, his old man could look just as frightening in a Happy Fiesta uniform topped with a singing-burrito hat as he did in a tie with a belt in his hand.

Attempting to swallow past his suddenly dry throat, Dennis turned straight ahead, as if he hadn’t seen what had been right in front of his face, and he drove away as if he’d never wanted a taco at all.

 

Everywhere. They were fucking everywhere.

***

Owen Dovan loved both of his brothers, but at the moment, he would have told anyone that he loved Chris the most.

Owen would be the first to admit that he was apprehensive about what he was supposed to be walking into when it came to Nicky’s welcome-back party. It was much too easy picturing the worst-case scenario, afraid that Nicky had inadvertently arranged an awkward little dinner party where conversation would be strained when people not interested in seeing each other came face to face across the table. He’d experienced the same thing the night at the club when Aiden had come back from seeing his mom. Owen had wanted to ask him so much, but he’d just sat there, pretending that it didn’t hurt to be so close to him without being there with him. He didn’t want to do it again. He didn’t want to sit across another table and pretend it was okay that Aiden wasn’t talking to him because it was practically unnatural. He didn’t understand how two people so close that they’d more or less grown into each other’s skin could suddenly drift so far apart that they couldn’t even meet each other’s eyes. He was tired of trying to understand it. And thanks to Chris, it looked like tonight he wouldn’t have to.

Nicky was still getting his barbeque, and all of his friends were still there. But, Owen doubted that he’d expected them to all be in separate corners of the room, separated by at least thirty people that he didn’t know. It seemed that Chris could throw together a pretty decent party even with next to no notice, but if the smile on his brother’s face as he made his way around the room told Owen anything, it was that Chris thought he needed to throw parties more often, and he’d extended the original guest list to accomplish more than just to save everyone from the inevitable awkward moments.

Owen still picked Aiden out of the crowd right away. It was an old habit he didn’t know how to break. But, at least the room was crowded enough to go elsewhere if needed. Not to mention, crowded enough to blend into if he wanted to watch his ex for a few minutes without being noticed. And Owen wanted to watch.

He hadn’t seen Aiden laugh in a while, not the way he seemed to be, anyway. He looked happy, and in a moment that Owen didn’t care to experience, he wished that Aiden wasn’t. Because for a split second, it didn’t seem fair. How horrible was it that he even thought it? Owen wanted to know. Selfish. He was selfish, and in need of common sense, which came a minute later as he decided that Aiden wasn’t happy so much as he was amused. And why not? Given the company he had at his table.

Even Owen found himself smiling at the two across from Aiden, one with recently dyed auburn hair and the other with the type of flamboyant personality that could reach anyone, across any room. It had been a while since Owen had seen Leo or Ben. It had probably been a month since they first left for a winter vacation. He suddenly realized that he’d missed them both, and felt annoyed that he couldn’t go say hello while Aiden was standing right there.

And why shouldn’t he get to say hi to his friends? Because Aiden had known them first? Because Aiden was there first? Things didn’t seem fair again. But then, as if that very feeling had been shouted across the room and then considered, Aiden looked up, and when his dark eyes met Owen’s blue ones, there was no sense in running away. Owen nodded politely, and then hoped that was what it looked like, anyway.

Aiden’s smile had faded, but not enough for anyone else to notice, and he held Owen’s gaze for what felt like a moment too long before he surprised the blond by suddenly excusing himself from their mutual friends to go elsewhere, leaving the situation open for Owen to do what he’d just been thinking that he couldn’t do.

Leo and Ben were decidedly easier to approach without Aiden there, even when they’d started making out the moment Aiden was gone. They both greeted Owen warmly as he tapped Leo’s knuckles in greeting, and then hugged Ben, who’d been quick to pull a seat out for him.

“I didn’t know you guys would be here tonight,” Owen said. “Didn’t you just get home?”

“Days ago,” Leo replied. “Had to get out of the house.”

“And it’s good we did,” Ben added, suddenly gripping both sides of Owen’s face with one hand, squeezing until Owen’s lips puckered. “You look so sad.” Owen laughed and brushed him off, but then Ben looked serious and said, “You’ll call me later?”

Owen nodded. He’d been thinking of doing exactly that ever since Ben got into town. Ben had a reputation for being a little goofy, and loud, and making sure his wardrobe of bright colors and tight clothes would draw attention when he couldn’t be loud; but he also had a reputation of being a good friend, and when needed, a good shrink. Counselor. Whatever. He’d been helping Owen deal with his issues for years, and Owen didn’t even want to think about what the bill would be if Ben ever decided to charge him for it. Then again, Ben was worth every penny, Owen figured. He’d never been able to work through his troubles so easily with anyone else. He hadn’t yet discussed Aiden with Ben yet, if only because before Ben left things were too fresh and Ben was Aiden’s friend, too. But after spending some time with it, Owen was ready to talk. Ben would never betray his confidence if he said anything private, and while he’d only spent two days holed up in a garage with Dennis so far, he was pretty sure that the guy was getting sick and tired of hearing about Aiden.

Owen was actually impressed that Dennis had managed to go this long without commenting, or at the very least, without telling him to shut up. Something like, Shut your fucking mouth, Dovan, before I shut it for you. Yeah, that sounded like Dennis. They were supposed to be mortal enemies after all. Thinking about that, and the fact that his newest hobby was building chairs with Dennis Gordon at least brought enough of a smile to Owen’s face to successfully change the subject as he asked Ben and Leo about their trip and received more details than necessary from the couple who seemed to have trouble getting through five minutes without stopping to touch one another. Owen was beginning to fear that he’d soon become a third party at the little table, and was relieved when Nicky and Ryan joined them.

Ryan and Leo didn’t look much alike. Leo was older, but not nearly as tall as Ryan, and while everything about Ryan seemed to scream that he was bred in a gym, Leo took on the appearance of a sloucher, though anyone who knew him knew otherwise. The two were clearly related, though, always bickering or teasing in a good-natured way, finishing each other’s sentences and able to follow a conversation even when both of them were speaking at once. That seemed to be the case now as Ryan tried to figure out if Leo had seen any extended family during his vacation and Leo asked about Ryan’s mom and tried to figure out how Ryan had been doing in school. For a moment they seemed to be under the impression that they were the only ones at the table. Ben didn’t mind as he looked after them fondly, but Owen turned to Nicky, who’d pulled up a seat next to him, in hopes of finding more interesting conversation.

Instead, Owen found his best friend with his arms crossed as he glared at something across the room.

“Don’t hit anyone,” Owen remarked, drawing Nicky’s attention towards him.

“Huh?”

“Don’t hit anyone,” Owen repeated. Nicky wasn’t exactly the violent type, but Owen had known the guy his whole life and was well aware that when Nicky became angry with someone, the fastest and easiest way for him to get over it involved his right fist. Owen had been on the other end of that fist at least a few times since they first met.

Nicky let out a breath. “Couldn’t if I wanted to. It’s a girl.”

Owen arched his blond brow as he followed Nicky’s gaze, and then felt surprised when he realized that it was Lacy receiving the brunt of Nicky’s wrath as she stuck close to the barbequed ribs and a group of girls who she showed less of an interest in than she did the food.

“Why are you mad at Lacy?” Owen demanded.

“She’s the one who’s suddenly decided not to talk to me,” Nicky responded.

Owen sighed and glanced sidelong at Ryan. He wouldn’t doubt that Nicky had arrived with Ryan, and had likely been with him every time he’d attempted to get Lacy’s attention.

“I wonder why,” Owen sarcastically remarked.

“Hey,” Ryan suddenly cut in, as if he’d been absorbed in their conversation and not having his own with Leo just a moment before. “It’s not my fault she won’t talk to me, okay?”

“Oh, I’m sure it is,” Leo remarked jokingly, while Owen became defensive.

“Hey,” Owen insisted, “I’m not taking sides.”

Ryan rolled his eyes. “I know she’s talked to you, Owen.”

“So?” Owen retorted. “She’s my friend, she talks to me. You don’t see me getting pissed that I know Aiden’s been sleeping on your couch!” But, Owen didn’t exactly sound less than pissed when he said it.

“Whoa, guys,” Ben spoke up. “Let’s not get...”

“I talk to Lacy, too,” Nicky interrupted. “And I talk to Aiden... some. Anyone wanna get pissed at me for it?”

No, Owen was quick to decide, if only because he didn’t want to get hit. But, he didn’t respond to Nicky, instead turning his attention to Ryan. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean anything by...”

“I know you didn’t,” Ryan stated. “And just because Aiden’s hanging out doesn’t mean you can’t come ‘round.”

Owen nodded. He wasn’t entirely convinced, but didn’t really have the energy to argue.

“Hey,” Leo said to Ryan. “You and Lacy really haven’t made up yet? The last time we talked I thought...”

“Haven’t you been paying attention?” Ryan demanded. “Whatever you thought was wrong. She’s pissed, and you know, I’m tired of everyone pointing it out to me. I wish things would go back to normal already. Fuck. I wish she’d let them.”

I’m gonna go talk to her,” Owen suddenly announced, and then quickly looked to Ryan. “I’m not taking sides,” he reiterated. “But I’m gonna go talk to her.” Owen stood, and for a moment he waited, like he really thought this would be met with argument. All he got was a careless wave of good luck from Ryan, and Ben stood briefly to hug him again and insist that Owen remember to call, in case they didn’t get to talk any more before he left.

Heading across the room, Owen’s attention shifted to Lacy as he contemplated what he’d be picking off of her plate when he reached her. She’d hate that, but they’d both laugh, and then maybe they’d enjoy the party together for a while, because there was no way that Owen was going to bring up Ryan with her. After all, he’d hate it if anyone brought up Aiden with him. He understood, and he could understand how she must feel being off by herself when most of her good friends were surrounding her ex. Or at least, Owen knew that it must seem that way to her. It was difficult for people to split time between two parties refusing to speak to each other, especially when they were in the same room.

It was nice of Aiden, though, Owen started thinking, to walk away just so he’d be comfortable enough to go see Ben and Leo. But then... maybe that’s not why he did it. Maybe he walked away because he thought Owen was going to come over, anyway, and he didn’t want to see him. That was certainly a better-fitting theory. Sure, he’d sat at the same table as Owen when he brought Reilly into the club, but maybe Aiden had done so because he hadn’t seen Owen until it was too late.

This line of thinking was causing knots to form in Owen’s stomach, and he did his best to remind himself that tonight wasn’t supposed to be about Aiden. Lots of people. Lots of distractions. He could deal with this. He wanted to deal with this. It just happened to be really hard when he happened to turn his head and look through a parting wall of people to once again catch Aiden Knightly in his sight. And he wasn’t alone.

It was simple enough for Owen to place the guy his ex seemed to be wrapped up in conversation with. The tall body and broad shoulders, dark hair swept neatly over a narrow set of eyes, and the wide mouth that turned up into a lovable, dimpled smile that could beat out even Ryan’s, could only belong to Travis Beltnick. Owen didn’t know much about him, only that Nicky’s cousin considered him a friend, and Ryan had no complaints about the guy as a roommate. Owen... Owen had complaints. Or at least he did now.

Because Travis Beltnick had that smile--the one that no longer seemed so lovable--on Aiden. Owen couldn’t see Aiden’s reaction to this, but it certainly couldn’t have been negative because they were standing close--a little too close. It was far from the distance Aiden usually used when speaking to someone who was nothing more than an acquaintance, and Travis seemed to be leaning closer by the moment until he suddenly lifted his fingers to a fallen strand of Aiden’s hair and tucked it behind the ear he whispered into. It was jarring for Owen, who until that moment hadn’t realized that anyone could touch that hair, or whisper into that ear, besides himself.

It seemed cruel, shocking even, when Travis’s narrow eyes suddenly cut across the room and locked on Owen’s. And he winked.

A challenge? A message? Owen could feel his face growing red, and he felt defenseless against his own horrifying reaction as he watched Aiden reach up to touch Travis’s shoulder as he said something to make Travis laugh.

It was all Owen could take. Forgetting Lacy, and everything else he might have been thinking minutes before, he abruptly turned and headed for the stairs, wanting nothing more than to reach the outside of the club where he could get some air, and maybe, just maybe, empty the contents of his stomach onto the pavement.

***

Travis hadn’t been entirely bored at this so-called barbeque, but he’d been bored enough. He couldn’t figure out why Kyle had invited him if he was just going to be working most of the night. Travis hated being left to his own devices, especially in a crowded room where he was expected to be on his best behavior. All that good behavior prevented him from mingling, fearing that he’d say or do something to the wrong person and get Kyle miffed at him all over again. He couldn’t have that. His friend was happy that he’d come--and on time, too. And, it wasn’t like he didn’t know anyone there but Kyle. He’d been introduced to plenty of the faces he encountered. The problem was, he didn’t have anything to say to any of them, except for maybe Lacy; but given that she seemed to be in a venomous sort of mood, he’d quickly decided that she should be left alone. And there wasn’t even dancing to occupy himself with. He’d figured nightclub--dancing. He could at least be entertained. But all the dancing was going on downstairs, and the party was upstairs. It wasn’t very sensible to Travis, and he probably would have ditched the barbeque by now if it wasn’t for the two guys in the middle of the room who’d started making out in the sort of head-turning way that Travis was not above watching. He even heard himself chuckle as he stepped across the room and cocked his head in hopes of a better view as the cute blond and a rough-looking redhead practically crawled into the same chair, not caring who thought what about it.

“Jesus. That’s fucked up.”

Travis grinned as he turned and looked at Kyle, who’d snuck up on him. “D’you know them?” He was definitely interested in an introduction.

“Kind of. That one, is your roommate’s cousin,” Kyle explained, pointing to the redhead. “Leo. Ben’s obviously his... Ben.”

“I think the word you’re looking for is boyfriend. So that’s really Ryan’s cousin?”

“Yeah,” Kyle replied, sounding annoyed enough for Travis to notice now. “And they need a room. Seriously, right in the middle of the room...”

Travis snorted. “Don’t tell me you’ve got a problem with it. Weren’t you the one loving that movie... the two girls going at it?”

Kyle crossed his arms and shook his head as his narrowing eyes remained on Ben and Leo. “There’s a huge difference between... there’s a difference. And they’re right there in the open!”

Travis cut his eyes towards his friend speculatively. “So what you’re saying, is that you have a problem with two guys?” he asked, nonjudgmental.

Kyle was quick to get defensive. “No! I didn’t say that...”

“Because, you’ve looked around, you, right? Isn’t Nicky’s best friend...”

“I don’t have a problem with that,” Kyle insisted. And then shook his head again. “I just don’t want to see it.”

Travis raised an eyebrow, but then just shrugged as something else caught his attention. “If you say so. I’m gonna go talk to someone.”

“Hey, hold on,” Kyle said quickly, and when Travis stopped, he smiled. “I’m glad you came, okay?”

Travis gave a small shrug. “Yeah. No problem.” And then he was gone, headed through the crowd, because something really had caught his attention. Someone, to be more specific. Travis wasn’t really surprised to spot Aiden at the party, but he was surprised by the opportunity to approach him alone.

Moving stealthily through the crowd, Travis watched Aiden Knightly, looking severe in dark clothing, grab a soda as he seemed to weave through people effortlessly, and perhaps a little aimlessly. But, he was distracted, Travis noticed. Aiden’s dark eyes continuously made their way to one place in the room. The same place, that Travis had been so interested in looking before Kyle had interrupted him. But, when Travis noticed that a certain blond had joined the table, he doubted that it was Ben or Leo that Aiden seemed so interested in.

Travis slipped up behind his target of interest quietly and easily, and couldn’t quite resist reaching to tweak the short, dark ponytail that Aiden’s hair had been almost sloppily pulled into. Aiden spun around. It was too crowded for him to feel truly startled, but it was unclear if he was happy to see Travis or not.

“I didn’t see you,” Aiden said.

“Then it’s fortunate I saw you, don’t you think?” Travis remarked as he stepped up towards Aiden, and then nodded to where Owen Dovan was sitting with Ben and Leo. “Are you gonna go talk to him?”

“What?”

“Owen. He’s cute. Your last relationship, right?”

Aiden granted Travis a small smile. “Who told you that?”

Travis shrugged. “No one. It just seems obvious. He’s either your last relationship, or your next one. I’m gonna guess last. Am I close?”

Aiden turned around to face Travis directly. “You’re close, and no, I’m not going to go talk to him.”

“I guess that makes me the lucky one, then,” Travis remarked. “Are you ready to get out of here?”

Aiden laughed. “What?”

“You know, out, gone. Horizontal. Naked. Vertical depending on where we end up. You ready?”

Aiden was silent for a minute, a strange look forming on his face before he shook his head. “Did you really just say that to me?”

“Yeah. Why? It surprises you?”

Aiden thought about that. “No. And... no. we’re not going anywhere.”

Travis grinned. “Really?” he replied as he took a step closer--a step that visibly put Aiden on alert, but still didn’t seem to unsettle him enough to move when Travis lifted a low hand to finger a soft strand of hair that had fallen from Aiden’s ponytail before tucking it behind his ear. “Speak for yourself. This isn’t really my scene.”

“I didn’t mean you couldn’t go.”

Travis met his eyes, still smiling, and then looked thoughtful. “So you and Owen really aren’t together anymore?”

“No, but like I told you--I’m not ready...”

“Do you think he’s still single?” Travis asked when he caught the blond topic-of-the-conversation out the corner of his eye. Owen really was cute. Maybe a little brooding, but cute.

“What?” Aiden demanded.

“I mean, if you’re not into him anymore, maybe I should be,” Travis said thoughtfully as he turned his eyes over Aiden’s shoulder where he was a little surprised to meet Owen’s directly. The blond had been watching them, and something had definitely caught his interest. Travis’s smile widened, and he winked. “He might not say no as much.”

“Are you kidding me?” Aiden wanted to know, obviously not thrilled over the turn in conversation. Travis looked a him.

“Why not, right? You’re not even gonna talk to him.” He started moving forward, more through Aiden than around him, but stopped when he found Aiden’s hand on his shoulder and a serious look on the darker guy’s face.

“Don’t,” Aiden said flatly, and Travis laughed.

“You are still into him, then. So what’s with the not ready bullshit? Either stop being hung-up on your ex, or get over there and...”

“Travis. It’s complicated, but...”

“You should make it easier, then,” Travis cut him off with a shrug. “Owen seems worth it, right? I would.”

“Are you going to?” Aiden wanted to know, his meaning clear.

There was definitely a wrong answer to this question, so Travis shrugged.

“Don’t worry,” he whispered, as if Aiden’s sudden jealousy had anything to do with him. “You’re still my favorite.” And then Travis walked away quickly, deciding that he was leaving Aiden Knightly heated enough to think about him for the rest of the night.

***

Dennis Gordon rubbed his hands over the sides of his jeans, and then did it again, as if the action was a cure for sweaty palms. It wasn’t. And the flashing lights, along with the repetitive beats blaring in his ears did nothing to slow the fast pace of his heart, and faces that seemed to be everywhere, eyes watching him, mouths laughing at him... it brought his anxiety to soaring heights and he was forced back against a cool wall where he attempted to regain his balance, and bring reason to the chaos that he was feeling.

It was an anxiety attack. Panic attack. Or maybe, it was something else that he was experiencing. He was full of nervous energy and frustration that couldn’t seem to find an outlet. It had been a while for Dennis since anything had felt this bad, or desperate, and it prompted him to try to remember how he used to deal with it. When he remembered, he only became more discomfited, since taking his upset out on someone else no longer felt like a reasonable solution.

He needed to calm down.

How he ever thought that he could do that in a crowded nightclub that was especially busy for a Thursday night, he’d never know. He’d never been in The Shadow before. There was nothing familiar, nothing calming. But even outside as he’d waited in line to get in, he’d felt like it was the only place he really had to go. Besides, he’d been invited. Kind of. Dennis didn’t think Owen had really known what he was doing by asking him to come, and that accounted for most of the reason why Dennis hadn’t purposely sought Owen out. But still, he was there, and now he needed to figure out how to slow down.

Slowing down would have been a lot easier, though, if he saw one face that didn’t seem to be sizing him up. It was mostly his imagination, he knew. If anyone was looking at him oddly, it was because he’d officially turned into the weird guy in the corner who couldn’t stop hyperventilating. But still, he looked at passing features attempting to place each and every one. Someone from high school? Someone his parents knew? His brother’s friends? Someone he’d hurt before, directly or indirectly? Someone he hated? Who hated him? And the list went on. It was like waiting for the past’s demons to come flying from the shadows, and he didn’t feel prepared to face a single one of them.

“Dennis?”

Dennis turned towards the voice, barely audible above the noise of the club. He blinked, attempting to focus on the one face that was really looking at him, seeming to flash closer each time the lights blinked.

“Dennis? What’s wrong?”

The words sounded like a far-off echo, but as he looked at Owen, things slowly became clear and he regarded the blond head in front of him, taking note of the sour expression on Owen’s face that wasn’t directed towards him, but stubbornly refusing to disappear.

“What’s wrong with you?” Dennis countered.

“Me? Fucked-up night.”

“What?”

Owen looked frustrated as the music made it difficult for either one of them to hear and waved Dennis back towards the tables, where they could at least hear more voices than their own. “I said,” Owen repeated, as soon as he was sure that Dennis could hear him, “I’m having a terrible night. You look like you’re gonna pass out.”

“I’m not.”

“Yeah. Okay.” Owen decided to take his word for it. “How long have you been here?”

Dennis shrugged. “I don’t know.” They made it to a table towards the back, which had been temporarily abandoned. Owen didn’t seem to care that someone else’s jackets were still occupying it when he sat down, so Dennis sat with him.

“I didn’t know you were coming.”

“Neither did I.”

Owen studied him for a moment, and then asked, “Were you looking for me?”

“No,” Dennis replied honestly, after a moment of consideration.

Owen was confused, and he really did have reason to be. It wasn’t as if Dennis made a habit of showing up at a nightclub, especially this one. And, if that wasn’t reason enough to wonder why Dennis was there now, the fact that he didn’t want to be there at all was plenty to ponder.

“Then why are you here?” Owen wanted to know.

“Is it okay?”

“Yes. Yeah, I’m just wondering, is all. Like I said, I wasn’t expecting you to show. What made you change your mind?”

“Tacos,” Dennis replied, nodding as if this were a perfectly reasonable explanation.

“Tacos? Huh?”

“The Happy Fiesta drive-thru. I went there. I saw my dad.”

“Your dad eats at the Happy Fiesta?” Owen asked, and then shook his head, as if realizing that it wasn’t the point. “I mean... did he say anything? Are you okay?”

“He didn’t say anything... I don’t think he wanted me to see him.”

“Well that’s okay, right? You don’t want to see him, either?”

Dennis shook his head. “No... it wasn’t that he didn’t want to see me. He didn’t want me to see him. He was working there.”

“Working?”

“In the drive-thru.”

Owen was silent for a moment, and then, “Your dad works at the Happy Fiesta?”

“I think we covered that now,” Dennis said irritably.

“Sorry, I’m just... surprised. I’m supposed to be surprised, right?”

“We can be surprised,” Dennis agreed.

“And you,” Owen said quickly. “You must be... did it freak you out?”

Dennis sighed. Running into his dad had done more than freak him out, but now that the shock was wearing off, he wasn’t so sure that he wanted to recount it. “Maybe we shouldn’t talk about this.”

“Dennis, I don’t mind... I mean if I ever ran into my dad without expecting it first--or even if I did expect it...”

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Dennis stated, and something in his face changed in a way that reminded Owen of the days when talking to a rock was easier accomplished than talking to Dennis Gordon.

The silence that followed was an uncomfortable one before Dennis suddenly sat up in his seat and said in a voice that was borderline determined, “What’s your problem?”

“Excuse me?” Owen responded defensively.

“I mean, your problem. Talk about what’s bothering you. You’re better at it.”

Owen laughed at that. “Are you calling me a whiner, Gordon?”

“Sounds like,” Dennis said un-apologetically, and Owen smirked.

“Well, my problem is upstairs, and to be honest... I don’t really feel like whining about it anymore. Your dad working at the Happy Fiesta kinda upstaged me.”

Dennis sighed. “Then I guess we’re done.”

“You’re leaving?” Owen demanded, even when Dennis had made no move to get up.

“Probably... I don’t really know what I’m doing here, you know?”

“Well, did you eat your tacos?”

“My...”

“When you went through the drive-thru,” Owen explained.

“Never even got ‘em.”

“So, stay. There’s still food upstairs, and sooner or later I have to go up there because... well, that’s where I left my car keys. And my wallet. I don’t need my coat, but the keys and the wallet...”

“That party?” Dennis asked, beginning to feel uncomfortable again.

“Yeah. Let’s go up there.”

Dennis measured the option as his brow knitted and he looked over at Owen Dovan quizzically. “You do realize that if I walk up there with you, you’re going to have more problems than whatever you’re already dealing with?”

“Maybe,” Owen admitted. “Maybe not. Either way, since when have you cared?”

Dennis frowned, maybe because he felt like he should care, or maybe it sounded like Owen didn’t as much as he should. And Dennis shrugged because he didn’t know how to express it. The simple action of his shoulders rising and falling was interpreted as indifference, and soon he was following Owen through the club and up to the second floor.

And Dennis couldn’t figure out why he was doing it. Owen was one thing, his friends were an entirely different matter. Owen had been right before; there’d been a time when Dennis would have gone out of his way to piss any one of them off, in any matter of ways. And maybe there was an old piece of him left, almost thrilled with the idea of doing that again. But it wasn’t the same. He wasn’t surrounded by the same people who worshipped him for being the biggest asshole he could be; the friends that no longer felt like friends. He wasn’t the guy who recited a hundred offensive things a day in his mind, just to be sure he’d get them right when he inflicted them upon the world. He wasn’t the Dennis who would have walked into this party just to see Owen miserable with whatever problems he might have been going through. He wasn’t the same.

Dennis didn’t think so anyway, especially since instead of looking for ways to make Owen even more miserable, he was busy attempting to figure out why Owen seemed to be doing it to himself by bringing someone that he knew his friends couldn’t stand right into the middle of their private little gathering. He wanted to just ask. He wanted to know why he was feeling used at the moment, and if Owen planned to drag him into the same confrontations that he’d been working so hard to avoid, just as it seemed everyone else had been doing lately. Why the hell was it that the moment he stopped fighting, everyone else wanted to? It seemed ironic. Maybe a little fitting. But Dennis didn’t want any of it tonight. Not from Owen.

So he was relieved, and even felt guilty for thinking that the youngest Dovan had ill intentions towards him when he discovered that the party was not at all what he’d expected it to be.

The faces in the room were mostly unfamiliar to him, and if they were familiar at all it was because they were in a small town and he’d seen them around. Many were of college age--people he never went to school with, who didn’t know him. There were still a few he could name, but their attention was elsewhere, including Ryan and Nicky, who didn’t even seem to notice him; though, that could have been because Owen had chosen a path to specifically avoid them. Owen’s brother regarded him with a cautious look, but it passed soon enough as he focused elsewhere, and Lacy, who had run into them near the food, looked at Dennis just as she had when she’d found him in Owen’s garage. Fake politeness all around. Dennis didn’t mind, though, because she didn’t stick around, and Owen didn’t seem to care to seek out anyone else as they found a quiet place in a corner tucked behind the bar.

Dennis found that he couldn’t eat much of anything, but at least he wasn’t entirely uncomfortable even with a lagging conversation. Dennis was getting used to the silences. He and Owen didn’t really have much to talk about. No friends in common, and mostly everything else was a sore spot for at least one of them. Owen still didn’t want to mention why he’d had such a terrible night, but the way he looked around the room every so often as if he expected to see something particular clued Dennis into thinking that Owen must have seen Aiden at some point. But, Dennis didn’t ask for details that weren’t being offered to him in the first place, and Owen--as he often did when there was nothing else either of them was willing to talk about--filled the longer silences with stories about his brothers.

Dennis was always more amused than he looked. It was more of a reflex than on purpose, but he really didn’t mind hearing about a family that actually seemed like a family. They didn’t have their parents, but they’d certainly made their own unit, and the stories that three brothers who were actually close to each other had were often full of a fair amount of mischief and misunderstandings that made for entertaining scenarios.

Dennis listened to a more recent story, as he watched Owen pick at his plate of ribs and fries, about one of Chris’s recent girlfriends, and how Owen swore she became a stalker when Chris broke up with her. Chris hadn’t believed him, of course, until he finally spotted her outside of their house with a pair of binoculars. Chris’s way of handling it? He sent her flowers and a note asking her to stop. Owen was convinced that he should have left the flowers out of it since at least once-a-week baked goods and love letters were still showing up on their doorstep.

As if Chris had suspected his name being used all the way across the room, he suddenly called Owen over to where he was immersed in a group of several overly happy-looking people, and when Owen excused himself, promising to be right back, Dennis suspected that the blond was being beckoned because his older brother was telling equally embarrassing stories where Owen happened to be the subject.

Dennis didn’t mind that Owen went. He’d started feeling safe enough in his surroundings, having been there for a good hour now. But, being left alone for over sixty seconds made him feel fidgety, and he started to look around the room. That might have been a mistake.

It felt like a pretty big mistake when Dennis realized that he and Owen hadn’t been entirely alone in their corner with a silent observer on the other side of the room, looking as if he’d been watching them for a while now.

Aiden Knightly was clearly watching Dennis now. His expression was nearly unreadable, but while he didn’t seem entirely furious, he didn’t look pleased. It wasn’t the first time that Dennis had seen that look on his face. When Aiden and Owen were together, the few times that Owen had made a point to ask how Dennis was doing, Aiden was always somewhere close by, watchfully playing the role of a guard dog. Dennis had once thought it was funny. Not now, though. He suddenly found himself wanting to be anywhere but locked onto those dark eyes, and he was quick to lift the half-empty plates from the small table where he and Owen had been sitting to seek out a waste bin. There was one clear across the room, just before the stairs, and he made his way over to it in the straightest line he could without so much as glancing in Aiden’s direction again.

Dumping the plates, Dennis took a breath, deciding that when Owen returned to their table, he’d announce that it was time for him to be going. He turned slowly, reiterating the thought. He’d been there long enough. And as if to prove it, he found himself suddenly face to face with dark eyes that made Aiden Knightly’s seem friendly.

The dark-red hair, the long nose and square jaw were all part of a face that Dennis rarely encountered without feeling obligated to turn violent. Until now. But, it seemed that Leo Sader wasn’t going to change his way of thinking as quickly when it came to Dennis Gordon. And whether he wanted to admit it or not, Leo was one person who Dennis couldn’t blame for that. But still, while Dennis found it easy to avoid trouble when he found it staring at him from a good distance away, he needed practice walking away when it was facing him more directly. His voice sounded even to his own ears, and not the least bit intimidated. Maybe, because he wasn’t.

“Leo,” Dennis said, and wondered why Leo Sader seemed offended that his name had been said at all. After all, Dennis could have called him any variety of the words that he used to call him, and it could have been worse. Hell, maybe that’s exactly what Leo wanted.

“What are you doing here?” Leo demanded. His voice was low, but clear enough to sound furious.

Dennis, for his part, refused to be interrogated. But, lacking all the curses that usually filled his quick retort, all he did was stare Leo down. A surprise, since Dennis had never been the silent type during their confrontations before.

“I said, what are you doing here?” Leo repeated.

Dennis frowned, glanced briefly over the redhead’s shoulder to where a brightly dressed blond was watching them, standing, and looking concerned, before he met Leo’s eyes again.

“I think your... Ben. Ben’s waiting for you,” Dennis pointed out. “Maybe you should...”

“Don’t even fucking look at him,” Leo snapped, suddenly moving closer, as if to separate Dennis from any view of his boyfriend. “I know you, Gordon. You might not be as obnoxious as you used to be, but you’re still an asshole. I haven’t seen you in a while and I liked it that way, so don’t think you can start coming around my friends now, because if you even think of hurting any of...”

“Leo.” It hadn’t taken Ben very long to get across the room, or to take hold of Leo’s arm. His tone was calm but firm, and he was wary as he watched Dennis but refused to meet his eyes. “Leo, please. You’ve been drinking.”

“But that doesn’t really make a difference, does it?” Dennis mused aloud, seemingly unable to stop himself even when he knew that the slightest word out of his mouth right now would only make things worse. And it did. Leo tensed and stepped threateningly forward in a way that didn’t make the four inches in height that Dennis had on him seem like it mattered. And, Dennis didn’t think it had anything to do with being drunk. Still, though, when Ben’s quick reflexes placed him between his boyfriend and Dennis, Leo came to a halt, obviously not willing to fight Ben, who was pushing him back.

“Just leave him,” Ben was saying quietly, and then to Dennis, in a voice that wasn’t so calm, added, “You should go.”

Make me. It seemed like the natural thing to say; would probably be enough to provoke Leo to plow right through his boyfriend. But, with a serious amount of control, Dennis held off. He agreed, anyway. Time to go. He backed away as Leo did, refusing to break a hostile stare until Ben took the initiative and turned Leo’s face away, and then before Leo could turn his attention towards Dennis again, Dennis made sure that he wasn’t around to notice it.

Taking the stairs, Dennis forced the nervous energy prickling his skin to fade away. He passed a few people, not bothering to actually look at them. As it was, he was prepared to plow down anyone even standing in his way. So, the familiar voice that suddenly said words meant for his ears was not entirely welcome.

“Too many old friends in there for you?”

Dennis was near the bottom of the stairs when he stopped, and seemed to take a moment, considering whether or not he wanted to keep going. But ultimately, he turned and faced Travis, who’d been talking to a group of girls only to break away and follow him down the stairs.

“Something like that,” Dennis replied.

“That’s okay. Things are moving too slow in there for me.” Travis took a few steps closer, and looked at Dennis curiously. “Do you wanna get out of here?”

Dennis was silent for a moment, as if he hadn’t heard the question, or didn’t understand it, and then he finally shrugged. “Let’s go,” he said, and was walking away before he could see Travis’s surprise. But then, he didn’t have to see it to know it was there, because Travis was silent all the way out to Dennis’s car, likely trying to figure out why he hadn’t been blown off yet. It was a question that Dennis couldn’t quite answer himself.

***

Chris Dovan stood behind the bar, refilling a few drinks. He and Kyle had been taking turns, but as he spotted his brother wandering throughout the room as if he’d misplaced something--or someone--he contemplated closing the bar so he could go find out what the problem was. And perhaps, ask Owen a few questions that had been on his mind since his younger brother had walked in with Dennis Gordon over an hour ago.

Since he’d started wondering about why those two had found themselves in each other’s company, he’d learned from Nicky that Owen hadn’t been building those chairs alone in the garage, and from one of his other friends that they’d been seen having coffee together a week ago. Strange, indeed.

Not that Chris minded. Personally, he didn’t care for anyone in the Gordon family, but he figured that Owen was old enough to make his own decisions regarding who he associated with. Still, though, Chris couldn’t help wondering if Owen’s new friend had something to do with Aiden. He was well aware that it was difficult for them both. Aiden was like a little brother to him, too, and if he was unable to take sides, he doubted that anyone else could, either. Not that Owen or Aiden had done anything to suggest that they wanted people to. It just seemed inconvenient that they associated with all the same people, and explained why Owen had sought friendship elsewhere.

Chris was growing tired of wondering whether or not he was supposed to talk to Owen, or even Aiden, about this. It made him miss Tony. Tony was much better at worrying about things than Chris was, and he always knew when to worry and when not to. Not that Chris couldn’t deal with problems, he was just better at it when they were brought to him directly, and didn’t really care for trying to look for them.

Shifting his attention to where Lacy Chapman looked bored as she listened to one of her more chatty friends, Chris was faced with a problem that seemed much more in his face. He might not have known Lacy as well as he knew his other friends, since he knew her mostly through Owen, but he did like her, and right now it seemed very much like that girl needed to smile. And that settled it. The bar was closing.

Kyle attempted to take over when Chris abandoned his post, but he waved him away and told him to enjoy the party. The area had become so crowded that it was getting difficult to figure out who was old enough to drink and who wasn’t, anyway. He was pretty sure that some of the people downstairs had wandered up to take advantage of the food, but if they had, it was his own fault for not closing them off. It was late enough that he didn’t really care, though, and his attention turned to Lacy when he surprised her by excusing her from her friends, wrapping his hand around her wrist and leading her towards the exit. But, she still had no problem going along with it.

“You’re not kicking me out, are you?” she remarked.

“I should,” he responded. “Your bad moods are scaring away my guests.” Her eyes widened at that, and Chris smiled, not bothering to wait to let her off the hook. “Downstairs,” he said. “We’re gonna dance.”

***

“Where are we going?” Dennis wanted to know, as soon as he and Travis were on the streets.

“We can go to my place,” Travis said, and once again looked at Dennis as if he expected some kind of argument. But, a minute later Dennis was making a U-turn to get into the correct direction. “Are you alright?”

Dennis glanced at him, but didn’t answer the question, instead asking one of his own. “Are you sure my dad never mentioned Lyle to you?” Dennis wanted to know, and when Travis raised an eyebrow, he added, “My brother.”

“Oh. He didn’t even mention you to me.”

“He wouldn’t have. Never Lyle, though?”

Travis shook his head. “Why?”

Dennis ignored his question. “What has he told you about the divorce?”

“What do you mean?”

“Why are they getting divorced?”

“Why don’t you just ask your parents?”

“Because I’m asking you,” Dennis said impatiently, and Travis began to understand why the guy suddenly had a reason to be in his company.

For a moment, Travis thought about being obnoxious enough to withhold what Dennis wanted, but ultimately, he didn’t see the point. Besides, Dennis Gordon didn’t seem to be in any mood for games.

“I don’t know exactly why,” Travis explained. “It was going on before I knew him. I just know that your dad wanted to work things out with your mom for a while, but now he pretty much hates her, I think. Just as well, though. I think she has a huge problem with him. Trying to take him for all he’s worth, I hear.”

“Why is he working at a taco stand?”

Travis looked over at Dennis, suddenly grinning. “You found out about that, huh? Oh, that must fucking eat him up! He’s been trying to keep it this huge secret... but hey, if you’re ever in the mood, it’s kinda fun to go down there when he’s working. Gets him all riled up… and you should see it when his manager--who’s like, seventeen by the way--gets all over...”

“Do you know why or not?” Dennis cut him off. He wasn’t ready to think anything was fun about the situation just yet, especially after tonight.

“Yeah. It’s called temporary orders,” Travis responded, as if Dennis should know this already. “Your old man got hotheaded with a judge when he found out your mom has a boyfriend and now he’s got five hundred dollars a month to live off of until the divorce is settled. He upped my commission for extra cash, just so he could get an apartment.”

“Your commission?”

Travis nodded. “Everything outside of what I usually get, he takes under the table. He’s supposed to pay me off when things are settled.”

“And youbelieve he will?”

“Has to. He’ll do it right before he settles with your mom, or I’ll tell her about all the properties he’s been hiding from her lawyer.”

Dennis shook his head. “You’ve gotta be fucking...you know you’re playing with fire, right?”

Travis grinned. “I like things hot. Besides, your dad won’t fuck me over. I’m telling you, he likes me.”

“Because you’reblackmailing him.”

“I’m doing him a favor. And believe it or not, I told him up front that he didn’t have to pay me off. A raise would have been good enough--and that’s because I’ve earned it. He’s the one who said it would be better if he did for when I have to pay taxes.” Travis mentioned the taxes with a certain amount of disgust that suggested he didn’t understand why anyone would pay them in the first place.

“My dad said that?”

“He likes me,” Travis said victoriously, and then frowned at the brooding look on Dennis’s face over that. “Why does that offend you? I’m not such a bad guy, you know.”

“I’m not offended,” Dennis snapped. “Just forget it.”

“But you brought it up. If you don’t even talk to your parents, why do you care about what’s going on...”

“I said forget it.”

Travis frowned. “You do a good wall imitation. Why’s it so hard to talk to you?”

Dennis didn’t respond, deciding that Travis Beltnick could come to his own conclusions.

“Okay then,” Travis said, when it was clear that he’d get nothing more out of Dennis regarding his parents. “Do you at least get along with your brother? You keep mentioning him.”

“Nope.”

“Huh. You’re not gonna tell me why, are you?”

“Nope... why haven’t you just asked my dad about it yet, if he likes you so much?”

Travis fell silent for a moment, giving that some consideration. “I guess I wanna hear it from you.”

“Well, you’re not going to.”

“Yeah. I’m getting that. Changing the subject now. You good with that?”

“By all means.”

“Great. So your dad’s in a hurry to get this fight thing going...”

“I already told you I’mnot...”

“Will you relax? I’m not asking you. I get it, okay? I was just wondering what you think the chances are of Phil doing it. He’s about my size. I was thinking it might make a good match, plus, I kinda want to beat the crap out of him after...”

“Phil paid you to hit me because he was too much of a pussy to do it himself. What do you think?”

Travis sighed. “Right. Had to ask, though.”

They drove along in silence for a moment, nearing Travis’s apartment. “You’re really gonna do it then?” Dennis asked. “Fight for him?”

Travis shrugged. “Me too, remember?” He pulled into the parking lot, and as Dennis shifted the car into park, Travis looked at him again. “Are you coming in?”

Dennis shook his head. “I don’t think so.”

Travis put his hand on the door, but didn’t move. “Is that because of who my roommate is, or because you’ve had enough of me?”

“A little of both,” Dennis replied, and then sighed. “I really shouldn’t be anywhere where Ryan could show up, alright?”

“It’s still early. We could go somewhere else.”

“I don’t think so. I could give you a ride, though.”

Travis smiled at that. “Nah. That’s okay... so, about Ryan... why was his cousin being such an asshole to you?”

Dennis looked over, obviously surprised that Travis had seen his encounter with Leo, and even more so at the fact Leo was being labeled the asshole for once. For a moment it didn’t look like he was going to respond, but than shrugging as if to say what the hell, he did. “Leo doesn’t like me. I don’t like him. It’s simple enough.”

“Why don’t you like him?”

Dennis’s lip curled up. “Because he doesn’t like me.”

Travis laughed. “Completely reasonable, then... why doesn’t he like you?”

Dennis faced forward, almost like a dismissal as he waited for Travis to get out of his car. But, when the door didn’t open, he spoke quietly. “We were friends, a long time ago. But then I did something to hurt him--someone he cares about got hurt. I didn’t do anything to stop it.”

“And he won’t forgive you?”

Dennis cut his eyes over to Travis’s dark ones. “I wouldn’t forgive me.”

“So... could you have done anything to stop it?”

Dennis frowned. “I’ll never know,” he finally replied. “And neither will he.” He looked at Travis suddenly, not really for understanding. It was almost as if he expected his passenger to say something stupid enough to piss him off, and in a way, maybe that’s what he wanted.

But, Travis tilted his head, and seemed to weigh something in his mind, as if Dennis Gordon suddenly required a great deal of thought. He smiled slowly. “So, can I have your phone number?” he asked. “You might as well give it to me. I know where you live, remember?”