Page 8 of Fruit and Flash

“Hi,” I say again.

“Hi,” Kai echoes and smiles in a way that makes me smile back. “Fancy seeing you here, farm boy.”

His words send a thrill that’s part déjà vu, part desire, racing up my spine. Kai’s shirt has a deep neckline and I can make out his nipples through the thin fabric. I want to take his shirt off to see them. Kiss them. Maybe lick and suck on them.

Clearing my throat, I look at his eyes again. “Guess it’s a small world, after all.”

Kai laughs and the sound is a joyful noise I want to bottle. How has he gotten even hotter since I last saw him?

“What are you drinking?” Kai asks, like we see each other all the time and this isn’t another life changing instance.

“Uh, mead,” I hold my cup up to show the golden liquid I haven’t touched yet.

“Ooh, that’s what I got. It’s very good. Try it,” he tells me and I do it without thinking. It’s sweeter than I normally like in a drink, but tasty. “What do you think?”

“It’s good.”

“A man of few words,” Kai teases and I feel myself blush. If I ever even stopped.

“Hayes, come break,” Leon calls from across the room where he's holding two pool sticks.

The guy probably thinks he’s getting me out of an awkward conversation when it’s the opposite. Well, it’s a little awkward, but I don’t want to get out of it.

“Join us?” I ask without thinking. “For pool, I mean.”

“I could be down for a game of billiards,” Kai says like he’s considering the options, then glances over to Ezra. “Let me ask the others if they want to join.”

“Okay, yeah.” The thought that the others might say no has me adding, “If not, find me before you leave?”

“Of course,” Kai agrees and bites his lower lip. “Can’t let you get away so easily this time.”

Not knowing what to say to that, I wave awkwardly and go to join Leon. My eyes track Kai’s movement as he walks with Ezra back to their table, joining two others. My break is terrible but I sink a solid as I watch Kai pointing in my direction. When all of their eyes look my way, I focus back on the balls and miss a shot so spectacularly Leon laughs at me.

“Maybe I shouldn’t take you off the farm.”

“Oh, screw you,” I shove at his shoulder and make him miss his own shot on stripes.

“Who are we screwing?” Kai’s voice interrupts our horse play and I freeze again. I wonder how long he’ll need to be in town before I act like a normal person and stop making a fool of myself.

Not sure I’ll ever be able to act normal around him, I decide to talk to him while I can.

Chapter five

Kai

Convincingtheotherstojoin Hayes’ game of pool isn’t hard. Avery even comments on how they’re both cute and I get the confirmation that he’s also queer. Though I want to stake some kind of claim on Hayes, I don’t. The man is likely not out and I don’t own him.

Now, two drinks in, Olly and Leon are playing pool while Ezra and Avery chat about clothes some more. Normally, I’d love to be in on the conversation, but this time I only have eyes for one man.

“So how is farm life treating you?” I ask, noting that he switched to soda after the one mead. I’m standing close enough to hear him over the sounds of people, music and the TV behind us that I can smell it’s non-alcoholic.

He has to be responsible, too? Why is that a turn on? I think everything he does is a turn on at this point.

“Same old, same old,” Hayes replies, rubbing at his beard. “Good yields this season, animals are healthy.”

“That can’t be true. I bet every day is a new adventure.”

In truth, I’ve started researching farming and it looks like work, but also fun.