A Touch Of Sin [BxB] - Chapter 18: Chapter 18

My leg bounces irritably as I wait for 6:30pm. I take a swig of the beer beside me to soothe my nerves. I've never been on a 'date' before and it's only now dawning on me that it really is a... date. With another guy. It's not like it didn't feel real before but it certainly does now.
My phone vibrates for the twelfth time today. I exhale, seeing Jake's name across the screen.
"Stop calling me," I answer bluntly.
"If you answer then I wouldn't have to keep calling," he snaps at me. "Are you over your tantrum yet?"
"Clearly not and it's not a 'tantrum'."
"Look, I'm sorry. I guess it was a dick move. I didn't go."
"It's not even the fact whether you went anymore it's the fact that you were going to and didn't care. Especially after I made it clear that I wasn't okay with it." I argue, pinching the skin between my eyes. I swear just seeing Jake's name on my screen rises my blood pressure.
"So, dating you basically means you're in charge and tell me what I can and can't do?"
"For fuck sake," I groan. "Stop trying to self-destruct. You know it's not normal to do that. When you're with someone, you're with that one person. That's how it works. We had a really good day yesterday and it freaked you out. So, you did what you always do and stuffed it up for yourself."
"Right. Sounds like me." He says sarcastically and I unflex my fingers as they're beginning to ache from being clenched so tight.
"It is and I'm sorry Jake, but I'm not doing this with you anymore."
He does a breathy laugh. "Yeah? You always say that."
My lips part and my eyebrows raise. Wow.
"Strike a nerve there, did I?" he continues when I fail to reply. "I'm coming over, I'll make it up to you."
"Don't bother," I say angrily, throwing my wallet angrily down onto the bench. "I won't be here."
"Why, where are you going?"
"Out with Rhett and I'm turning my phone off," my hands shake as I lean onto the bench. "And Jake, this is my last warning. Leave me the hell alone."
I hang up and toss it onto the kitchen bench. I kick my foot out and knock over the bar stool. I angrily throw my hand through my hair and sag to the floor. Jake fucking Haze. I hate him, sometimes. He makes me so damn mad.
Heavily sighing, I get to my feet. I right the chair, drain my drink and look in the mirror. My eyes look a little wild and my hair messy. I spend a moment trying to fix it up and compose myself. A loud knock jolts me back to reality.
"Hey," I greet when I open the door. "How are you?"
"Good," Rhett replies with a smile. "Ready?"
"Yep."
I lock the door behind me and walk side-by-side with Rhett towards his car. He walks me to the passenger side and opens the door for me.
"Well, that's a bit cute," I flash him a grin.
He chuckles. "I'm a gentleman, what can I say?"
My foot is on the floor of his car but I pause. My hand rests on the roof as I hover, thinking.
"You okay?" he asks.
"I have to be honest with you," I blurt.
He looks panicked for a moment. "What?"
I sigh, pulling my foot back out. "There's been some stuff go down with Jake."
"Oh."
"I was going to cancel, if I'm honest. But he really pissed me off. So, I agreed to go on this date. I really do want to hang with you, but a part of me agreed because he is furious about it." I hang my head, staring at my feet. "I'm really sorry. I feel like an ass."
"Wow," he breathes. "That's..."
"Horrible?"
"Really honest," he says instead. "You could have shown up tonight, lead me on and not said a word. That's really bold of you to come out and say all of that."
"Really?" I murmur.
"Really. I'm impressed," he offers me a half-smile. "And I'm still keen to go on this date. Or, we can call it a hang out. Whatever you want. I just want to get to know you, if you're cool with that."
"I'm definitely cool with that," I smile. "Thanks."
"Any time. But let's go because my fingertips are starting to go numb," he laughs.
"Sure," I reply, sliding into the car. He waits until I'm reaching for my seatbelt before closing the door.
He adjusts the heat and fiddles with the stereo for a moment, before we begin driving. His car is extremely tidy and has a hint of a pine scent mixed with something I'm not quite sure of. It's a nice combination though.
"What did you get up to today?" he asks.
"I went for a really long run this morning and then went to the beach for a quick dip. I had to dedicate my afternoon to my history project due next week," I answer, settling back into my seat. "What about you?"
"I've been doing work experience of a weekend with my dad's firm. Not fun at all."
"That's really good though, it will look great on your uni application."
"I sure hope so," he says dryly. "It's not enjoyable, believe me."
"I should have just met you here," I point out as we head out of town. "It's out of your way picking me up."
He shrugs. "I wanted to. Besides, I know the way here. I don't mind cruising around Alwood though. It's a nice place."
I was relieved when he suggested dinner out of town. I know Jake would somehow track us down and make things complicated if it was somewhere close by.
We arrive at an Irish pub. I raise my eyebrows. "Irish pub?"
"It has the best food," he assures me. "And cool music."
When we walk inside, Rhett places his hand on my back gently and I jerk away from him in surprise. He startles and drops his hand to his side.
"Sorry."
"No, no, don't be," I quickly say. "Sorry. Simply not used to public affection," I laugh. "I like it, though."
"Okay," he smiles but doesn't reach out again. We enter and the guy at the counter sticks a pen behind his ear and grins at us. "Reservation for Johns."
"Aw, you made a reservation?" I grin.
"Yeah," he laughs. "So, I'm glad you didn't cancel."
"Over in the corner there, fella's. Enjoy!" the long-haired man says.
It has a chaotic vibe to it in here. The music is loud, every table is taken over by groups of people and the lights are so dim you can't see across the room. It's so warm that I've already shed my jacket by the time we get to our table.
"Sorry, I didn't really think about the noise when I booked it," he apologises, quickly hurrying to my side of the table to pull the chair out for me.
I blink down at his outstretched hand. "You really are a gentleman."
"I try," he grins.
"Wait, so am I the girl in the 'usual' date cliché?" I question with an arched eyebrow.
He laughs. "No, but I organised the date, so I'm the one that's supposed to do the nice things."
"It was my idea though," I challenge.
"You can have your turn next time," he teases and I feel a hot flush creep up my neck at the idea of there being a 'next time'.
It's strange how this is so normal. Going on dates doesn't seem that big of a deal, until I met Jake. Everything seems like a big deal with him. Nothing is simple. I mentally shake myself. No. I'm not thinking of him tonight, he doesn't deserve my attention. Rhett does.
I glance up, to see Rhett watching the band, a cute, boyish smile on his face. His elbow is resting on the back of his chair. The neon lights flash over his dark skin, making his eyes appear a few shades darker and his teeth a bright white. He really is quite attractive. We're very different looking guys, but I think that's a good thing. His chest is broad and well-defined, showing off his good figure. He looks like he works out a lot, which makes me feel a little self-conscious that I don't. I'm lean because I run a lot. I don't think I'm too lean, but I feel it when I'm with Rhett.
"I love this band," he yells over the table at me. "I've seen them a few times. They play really great cover songs."
"I think I've seen a Facebook video of them," I agree, glancing over to them. "They're cool."
"Hi guys!" A ginger-haired girl with a perky grin approaches us. "Ready for some drinks?"
Rhett is dressed in a button up shirt that looks pretty damn adorable. We're dressed quite similar in style, which I take as a good sign.
"Can I admit something without sounding lame?" he asks me.
"Sure."
"I was so nervous for this," he admits with a sheepish smile. "I must have changed my outfit three times. In the end mum forced me out of the house."
"That's sweet," I smile. "I was nervous, too. But just the one outfit for me."
"You're lucky, every colour looks good on you."
"I can't imagine you struggling to find something to make you look good, Rhett," I compliment and even though the lighting is dark, I'm positive he is blushing.
"I was thinking, we could do a social game of tennis one day? You bring some mates, I'll bring some. Have a few drinks. It would be fun."
"Sure, that sounds great," I say, although the panic inside begins. Would I say that Rhett and I have been on a date? I'd have to come out to all my friends and once they know, everyone will know. My heart rate has now sky rocketed. I pull at my collar and lean back, taking a sip of my drink. I don't want him to think I don't want to go so I try my best to keep calm. "What else do you like to do, other than play football and tennis? And volunteer to work on your weekends," I grin.
"I like to think I can surf but my mates tell me I can't," he chuckles.
"We should go for a paddle one day; I'll give you some tips." I give him a two-finger salute before sipping my drink.
"Sounds perfect."
The same girl who got our drinks takes our orders. We hand over our menus and I fiddle with the napkin that my knife and fork are wrapped in.
"I have to warn you, I'm a bit of a dancer," Rhett says to me.
"Oh, are you?"
"Little bit of this," he moves his shoulder in a fluid movement with his arms, having a ripple effect. "A little bit of that."
He moves his neck around in a weird but cool angle, before doing an upper body ripple. I let out a snort.
"You look like you can actually dance."
"Oh, I can dance," he grins. "I'll show you."
A full-blown, wide grin has taken over my face. This is what I want. Someone who is outgoing and confident and just damn happy to be seen with me.
"What's your family like?" I question.
"Mum is great, I'm really close with her. My dad works a lot so he's not around that much. My sisters are very annoying. But they're good." He pulls his phone out. "Here's mum and the girls." He gets up a photo from his gallery.
"Wow, your mum is a lot lighter than you, same with your sisters," I note, noticing their skin is much fairer.
"Yeah, my dad's aboriginal. I look more like him," he explains, swiping a few photos until he finds one of his dad.
"Ah, yeah, you look a lot like him," I nod.
"What about you?" he asks, putting his phone back into his pocket.
"Mum and I are really close, considering it's just us two at home now. My sister is the best. We get along really well."
"That's nice. I wish I had two older sisters rather than younger. They're little brats when they want to be."
"I could imagine. I'm pretty lucky. Ellie is super easy-going. We've never really fought much. Mum always says she can't believe how little we did fight."
"That's so nice. And you're really easy-going, too, so that would probably be why."
He gives out compliments so effortlessly. I smile at him. He's cute, drama-free and pretty much everything I want. There's a small, nagging voice in my head, reminding me that he's not Jake, but I'm doing my best to ignore it.
"I'm not sure if this is an appropriate question to ask on a first date, but have you dated many guys before?" I ask before I lose the courage.
Rhett doesn't seem bothered by the question. He shrugs. "One. Adam. He was my best friend for, like, ever. I had this mental breakdown to him when I was fourteen. Confessed that I was gay and that I was a little bit in love with him. Didn't expect him to say he felt the exact same way."
"Oh wow," I raise my eyebrows as I lean forward, resting my elbows onto the table. "That's incredible."
"Yeah, it was. His dad got relocated though and he had to move to Western Australia. We tried to do the long-distance thing but it's just too hard. I've only seen him twice since he moved. It sucks. But he plans to move back after he graduates," he continues.
"That would be good," I say and I mean it.
"So, yeah. That's about it. What about you?"
"Same with me. Jake and I had a thing a few years ago. He used to give me a really hard time and I think it's because he liked me and didn't know how to handle it. We got really close. But he moved away. I feel like we have the same story here," I laugh. "Except we didn't stay in contact. And now he's back and it's complicated."
"Do you mind explaining why it's complicated?" he asks gently.
"Basically, I want someone who is happy to be with me. Someone I can date, for real. Go to parties with, go to family events, just be my person, you know? And he's not ready for that. He doesn't want to admit that he's gay, he doesn't want to come out. I'm not out, completely, but I'd be willing to do it for the right person. Also, I'm not into drama. I don't want complication and secrets and lies. It's too much."
"I'm right there with you. It's hard. I see both points. I see why he doesn't want to go public. It's a really scary thing to do. But I see your side, because that's how I feel, too. My best friend and I, Adam, we dated and no one knew. It was all secret because he didn't want anyone to know and it sucks. It doesn't feel real when no one else knows," he replies. "That's what I really like about you, Cal. You're open and honest." He reaches out, holding his hand open-palmed, facing up.
I smile. "Same to you, Rhett."
I slide my hand into his, our fingers linking together. I glance around. No one is ogling at us, no one even cares.
Our food is delivered to the table and the girl glances at our hands and smiles. I exhale a breath I wasn't aware I was holding. People can see us together. They know we're on a date. It's not a big deal. It's easy to think something like this is fine in your head, but it's a different story when you do it for real. Maybe I have been a bit hard on Jake.
I haven't eaten since before lunch time so I dig in straight away. I spend most of dinner just listening. Rhett is easy-going and the conversation flows the entire time. He wants to know a lot of things about me which I think is nice. It shows he cares. He also tells me a lot about himself. Overall, this date is going better than I could have hoped.
Since we started dinner, the dance floor has flooded with people as the band began to play some popular hit songs. I finish the remainder of my drink, to see Rhett flashing me a grin.
"You ready for a dance?"
"A dance?" I echo. "You were being serious?"
"Hell yeah."
He's on his feet, swinging his jacket over his shoulder.
"All right then," I laugh, also standing.
It's too humid in here to wear my jacket now, so I tie it around my waist. Rhett reaches for my hand and guides me to the dance floor. The lights flicker around us, having a dizzying effect.
Rhett slides from me, straight into the centre. He begins to shuffle, moving his arms in a strangely hypnotising way. He gains a lot of attention, people moving to clear his path and people stopping to simply stare. A few guys begin to cheer and egg him on. I laugh, joining in clapping. He wasn't lying, he can dance. After showing off a few moves, he holds his hand out to me.
A little hesitantly, I let him pull me in. I begin to dance, too, but nowhere near as coordinated as him. Everyone else joins in, making me feel like I'm not in the spotlight so much.
"I'm having a really good time," I shout at him as he pulls me close for a moment, before sliding away.
"Me too!" he grins.
"I'm really glad I didn't cancel."
"Me too!" he repeats, spinning me around.
I throw my head back in laughter, going along with it. We continue to dance, or, 'tear up the D-Floor', as Rhett calls it, for another hour or so. I feel like I have endless energy when I'm around him.
We eventually retire, paying our bill and stumbling out onto the chilly-aired street. I feel a little drunk, even though I haven't had anything to drink. Maybe this was what Jake meant the other night. Wow. Jake. I haven't thought about him for ages.
"That's a cool place," I say as we walk past his car and further down the street. "Really fun."
"I thought you'd like it," he beams. "Want to get a snack? Ice cream, or something?"
"It's freezing," I point out with a laugh, even though I'm still too warm to have my jacket back on. But I will be soon, when I climatise to the outside temperature.
"I just don't want this night to end yet," he admits.
"Ice cream it is, then," I say.
This time, I'm the one who reaches for his hand. It's warm and big and kind of perfect. He gives my hand a squeeze. We walk into the ice cream shop and I head straight for the window, my eyes scanning over the different colours and flavours.
"I have an idea," he says.
"Yeah?"
"I'll choose yours; you can choose mine."
I tilt my head. "Interesting. Challenge accepted."
We get to the counter and Rhett places my hands behind my back. I twist around to give him a curious stare, before he straightens me. He rests his chin on my shoulder and presses his chest to my back. I stiffen in surprise, feeling his body heat seep through my shirt. His arms snake through the gap between my arm and the side of my body.
"Hi," he says to the young girl. "I'm Callum."
I burst out laughing, realising what he's doing. He's acting as me, but using his arms.
The girl grins. "Hi Callum."
"Today, I'd like a chocolate hazelnut scoop on the bottom please and then a rocky road scoop on top of that," he waves his arms around as he talks and I can't stop laughing the entire time.
"Sure," she giggles.
"Your turn," he says, stepping out from behind me.
Swallowing, I take his place, basically hugging him. His skin is warm as I rest my chin on him.
"I'm Rhett."
I flick my hands as I talk and the girl giggles.
"I'd like two big rainbow flavoured scoops please, with chocolate chips on top."
"Sure thing," she replies, tapping her blue-coloured fingertips on the register. "Anything else?"
"That's all," I give her two thumbs up. "And, I got this," I continue when Rhett goes to pay. He begins to grumble under his breath but it's too late, I was prepared and had my card tapped before he could even reach into his pocket.
We find a table near the back, where a bunch of young boys are gathered around a pinball machine, all fighting to have a turn.
"So, what's our next adventure?" Rhett asks. "Tennis day, or surfing?"
"Surfing would be easier to organise because it's just us two," I point out.
"True. When do you want to go?"
"Next weekend?"
"Sure. There's a party over in Tintenbar, too, on the Saturday night. Would you want to come? Meet some of my friends?"
I'm nodding before he's finished talking. "Sounds great."
"Cool. I'll text you during the week anyway," he says, licking his spoon. "What's your Snapchat? And Instagram?"
I rattle off my handles. "I'll follow you when I get home, my phone's off."
"Flat?"
"Just off."
He arches a curious eyebrow. "Do you often go out and turn your phone off?"
"I'm not hiding anything, I promise. It's to stop being hassled," I assure him.
"Jake?"
Sighing, I nod. "Yeah."
"Let me know if I'm being too overboard, by the way," he suddenly says. "With making plans and stuff. I know there's things going on with him and you're probably really confused. I'm happy to hang out, in whatever way, but I don't want you to feel pressured."
"Thanks, I don't at all," I smile. "How's your ice cream?"
"Good, yours?"
"Really good."
We finish our ice creams and eagerly head back to the car, seeking its heater. I rub my hands and hover them over the vent, waiting for the air to change to hot.
"What's playing?" I ask as I press the AUX button. Eminem blasts through the speakers and Rhett let's out a yelp before turning the volume down.
"Sorry, it always does that when you switch from the radio."
"Eminem fan, hey? Me too."
We spend the remainder of the trip discussing what songs of his are our favourite and why, realising that we have very similar taste in music. Rhett parks on the edge of my driveway, my house in complete darkness.
"Mum not home?" he asks.
"She's been out a lot over the weekends. She's seeing someone."
"Oh cool. That's cool, yeah?"
"Yeah," I agree.
"Do you mind if I run in and use your bathroom? I promise that's not an attempt to come inside, I actually have to go," he says awkwardly.
"Sure," I laugh.
We exit the car and I search my pockets for my keys, my fingers beginning to feel numb from the cold.
"Your house is really nice," he comments when I flick the lights on.
"Thanks, it's been apart of the family for a long time," I say, which is my generic response to everyone that compliments the house.
I go straight to the remote and turn the heat on while Rhett uses the downstairs bathroom. We don't use the air conditioning very often but it's particularly cold tonight. I want it to be nice and warm when Ma returns home.
"Well, thanks for tonight," Rhett says with a shy smile. "I had a great time."
"Me too. Let's do next weekend," I say. "It'll be fun."
"Maybe we could surf, grab some dinner and then head to the party, or something," he shrugs.
I nod. "Sounds like a plan."
"Okay," he says, his hand on the door knob. "I'll message you later."
"Sure."
He hovers awkwardly for a moment, before he walks out. I blow out a breath and run my hand through my hair. I walk to the stairs, when the front door flies open. I cringe, thinking it might be Jake, but Rhett stands there. He has a determined look on his face as he strides towards me.
Grabbing my face between his palms, he kisses me. It's warm and nice and just as I imagined it would be. I kiss him back. It feels weird. Boys are so different to girls, and Rhett is so different to Jake. Kissing Rhett is a completely different experience. He steps back, breathless.
"Sorry," he utters, his face completely red. "I've wanted to do that all night."
I'm a little speechless. I shake my head and grin, gathering myself. "No problem."
"Okay. Goodnight."
I can see the tremor in his hands as he walks back out the door. I lean against the wall, my fingers to my lips, a goofy smile on my face.
Well. That wasn't a disaster.