Bobby walked down the hallway to his room. He kept waiting for the guilt to kick in over how he lured AJ into bed, but it didn't come. Instead he felt happy. His skin still glowed where AJ had touched and caressed and licked him, and his smile felt like it would be permanently etched onto his face. He reached his door and rested his head against it for a minute before sighing softly and opening it. His empty bed greeted him and the first sharp pangs of loneliness stabbed his heart. He wanted AJ all over again and being separated from him was even more painful now. Bobby took out his phone and sent AJ a "missing you already" text before undressing and staring at himself in the mirror. His fingers traced a small mark AJ had left on his chest. Bobby looked at the mark in the mirror and smiled a rueful smile. He turned off the light and crawled into bed, bringing a pillow close to him and hugging it.

The next morning James let himself in the room about six am. AJ was awake, but pretended not to be. He listened as James quietly picked up things around the room and put them in his suitcase, and his heart emptied a little more with every thump and thud. It only took a few minutes of this for AJ to lose all patience and he sat up with a frown. "James," he said.

"Knew you weren't asleep," muttered James as he found a sock hanging out of a drawer.

"I wasn't sure if I was ready for an argument."

"You ready now?"

"No," AJ said. "But I'm curious."

"Are you?" James stared at AJ, silently daring him to say something inflammatory.

AJ sighed and went ahead to start the routine. "Yes. What happened to you last night?"

"I got good and drunk because I broke up with my cheating ass boyfriend, that's what happened."

"That's what you think happened, but it ain't what really happened, James, and you know it." AJ said, aiming his voice at the bed. "You got this idea in your mind and you didn't care if it was the truth or not. If I didn't know better..."

"What?" James said. "Go on, finish your sentence." Their eyes locked, and again, James dared AJ to say something. AJ swallowed and looked away. "What's wrong, AJ?" James said mockingly, "cat got your tongue?"

"I've changed my mind," AJ said, rubbing his neck. "I don't want to fight. I don't care what happened last night. I don't want this to end. There. Happy?"

"No."

"What would make you happy?"

"Going home."

"Fine."

AJ laid back down. He pulled a pillow over his face and yelled into it. James smiled despite himself, but he wiped the smile off when AJ tossed the pillow aside. AJ got up out of bed, naked as the day he was born, and wrapped his arms around James' broad body as he jammed his clothes deep into his suitcase. AJ pressed his cheek against the strong muscles in James' back. James' activity slowed...and slowed...and stopped. He stood there relishing the warmth of AJ's body. His dick fluttered in his jeans.

"James," AJ said, "I really don't want this to end."

James didn't say anything. He rubbed AJ's arms where they criss-crossed over him. The sun glinted through the curtains and James stared at it for a while, absently rubbing AJ's arms. "Okay," James finally said, "okay."

"Okay what?" said AJ.

"Okay, I'm listening," replied James, who broke the embrace and sat down. AJ sat down next to him, and James instantly covered his crotch with a sheet. "I can't concentrate with you showing me all your goodies," he said, smiling. AJ smiled back. "So," James continued, "now that you're all covered and decent, and I've told you what I did last night, tell me what you did."

"I thought you were listening?"

"Listening to your answer."

AJ rolled his eyes. "I laid here all night, all upset, thinking about you. Happy?"

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

James took AJ's hand. For a second the truth trembled on his lips. He wanted to be honest and admit to AJ that he wasn't perfect and let whatever happened, happened. He looked at the sun again, and then at AJ, and AJ's eyes slid away from him in a way that James recognized as a move he'd pulled plenty of times. The guilty shuffle. He realized then that AJ had done what he'd feared, and he'd still picked James. A corona burst inside his heart. He grasped AJ by the chin and kissed him once, twice, softly yet firmly. "I'm sorry," he whispered between kisses, sealing their mutual lie away. "Let's forget it." AJ kissed him back and tangled his fingers in James' silky hair. They fell back on the bed together and soon neither clothes nor sheets separated them.

Half an hour later James sprawled on the bed sweaty and spent. AJ was looking around for his pants. "James," he said, "are you sure you didn't pack my jeans?"

"I don't know," admitted James. "I was just throwing stuff in there."

"How do you expect me to get outta here? Am I supposed to fly in my boxers?"

"Fly naked. I bet you'll get a discount."

"You and that smart mouth."

"I think you mean talented mouth."

"That too," AJ said.

"I know. I got you to forgive me real quick."

"You think you're forgiven? Nuh-uh boy, slow down with that. You put me through too much this weekend. You've got to put some work in for me to really forgive you. Today was a be-ginning, got that?" AJ said as he pulled his jeans out of the suitcase. "I expect more in the next couple of days."

"More?" said James. "You've done tore me up as it is!"

AJ cast James a sultry look. "More. I want more." He folded his jeans up and strutted into the bathroom. Soon the shower started.

James stretched out in the bed and knocked one of the pillows over. He picked it up and caught a whiff of Cartier Declaration, Bobby's favorite cologne. He tossed the pillow across the room. "I bet you couldn't wait to bring your ass in here, fuckface," he said out loud. "I'll teach you." He rolled over and waited for AJ to finish up. His phone buzzed and he checked the text. It was Cate. "good morning. just waking up. last night was great." James' brow furrowed and he tried to remember when he gave her his number but couldn't come up with it. He shrugged and saved her number under Talent Relations.

Later that morning the elevator doors opened and Bobby strolled out, ready to take on the day. He checked out at the desk and looked outside for the airport shuttle. It wasn't there yet, but he spotted AJ...and James standing next to him. His eyes narrowed and he gripped his suitcase a little tighter as he stood and watched them. They seemed comfortable with each other. Playful, even. A crowd parted around Bobby as he studied the two of them and a man said, "hey, what the fuck is your problem?" Bobby swung his head to catch the man's eye. One look into Bobby's machine-cold blue eyes was all it took for the man to blanch three shades, duck his head, and hurry out. Bobby flicked his eyes back to AJ and James. Now James was hugging AJ. Bobby's lips thinned to a bloodless line. He walked forward and the glass doors hissed open to set him loose. Bobby walked forward slowly, each heavy foot thudding in front of the other. AJ was the first to see him, and his smile went down a few watts, then turned quizzical. He waved but didn't speak to Bobby and this upset Bobby a little more. James turned around and his smile vanished instantly, replaced by a burning glare. Instead of turning away Bobby stood and met the hateful heat with a icy stare of his own. Bobby kept walking until he was just two feet from James, neither of them dropping their eyes, instead locking their eyes up, each of them unconsciously standing with their left legs forward. AJ put a hand on James' arm but James pulled it up and then circled AJ's neck with it, drawing him close. Bobby's body stiffened and James wore a small triumphant smirk that held until AJ pulled away.

"Guys," AJ said, rolling his eyes, "give it a rest." He turned his back on both of them and pretended to mess with his suitcase.

"You heard him, Bobby," James said, "give it up."

"That isn't what I heard," Bobby replied. His azure eyes still stabbed deep into James' emerald ones.

"What did you hear, then?" asked James.

AJ turned back around. "Both of you stop it and stop acting like kids. Y'all act like someone pissed on your toys. James. James." He put his hand on James' arm again, but James didn't move. "Bobby," AJ said, and Bobby tore his gaze from James and looked at him. Bobby's face softened and his eyes went to devouring AJ. A soft blush came to AJ's face and he tried to look away, but Bobby's eyes held him until James stepped between the two of them. AJ blinked rapidly and took a sharp breath behind James' back. Bobby, his point made, grabbed his bag and strolled away, sending another quick, loving glance at AJ as he walked down the sidewalk to talk to Austin Aries and So Cal Val.

James turned to face AJ. "You stay away from him."

"James-"

"Don't even start. Just stay away. That's the deal. You hear me?"

AJ flushed a little more and said, "I don't think you're anybody to give me orders today. Ease up."

James opened his mouth, then thought better of it and shut it again. The airport shuttle came around the corner and he busied himself with making sure his bag was ready, even though it already was.

That night, Bobby sat down before his computer and wrote an email to AJ.

"AJ,

The other night was incredible. I wish that it had happened years earlier. Problem is, I can't stop thinking about you and everything about you. I need to know if I'm wasting my time and last night was just a fling to get back at James or what. It's driving me crazy.

Bobby"

As soon as he hit send he regretted it. He sat back and tried to figure out how he would blame this on the beer. Right when he decided to just go sleep on it, a new mail alert dinged.

"Bobby,

I've been thinking over a lot of things. I care a lot about you and I think you're a great guy. But last night...last night was wrong. We both knew it was wrong. I regret it, a little. Anything else please text me. I'll be up for a while.

AJ"

Bobby didn't waste any time getting out his phone.

"Wrong?"

AJ wrote back, "yeah, wrong. I'm already a cheater once over don't need to make it twice"

"you know James is no innocent himself"

"I don't know that"

"I'm just saying, I know him, I know he wasn't just drinking by himself last night, he was doing something"

"You have any proof?"

"no"

"of course you don't"

"I was too busy wrapping my lips around your dick while I had the chance"

"don't be crude"

"we both know James and we know his style"

"whatever"

"fine. I'm just saying. he wasn't as innocent as you think"

"I don't want to sit here and go back and forth on that. I was wrong and that's enough for me"

"okay"

"okay then"

"I still want us to be friends"

"I'm fine with that but James wants me to stay away from you"

"you going to do that?"

"nah but I need you to respect my choice to stay with him and don't do things like you did today"

"your wish is my command"

"I know lol"

"if you ever change your mind though...let me know"

"you'll be the first to know ok I promise"

"I am gonna need a little time. I don't like being yanked around"

"bobby I really am sorry for that. I thought..."

"you thought what?"

"I thought everything would be clear once we spent some time together. but it just made things worse and I don't know what to do next."

"worse"

"more complicated"

"let me guess. guilt."

"you know it"

"I do"

"now what"

"now sleep on it. we'll talk later. this is too big to handle through texts"

"yeah. good night"

"good night"

Bobby put down his phone. Then he opened a fresh beer, one of many more to come that night, and stared out the window trying to keep a lid on his frustration.