Chapter 1

 

Sunlight shone right into his eyes so Luke closed them again and held up a hand. Why had Caleb opened the curtains? He knew Luke liked to sleep long – especially when they used the summer holidays to take a vacation in Vegas and were partying every night, damn it!

His head hurt like hell. Luke grabbed a pillow and laid it on his head. Someone moaned but it wasn’t himself, he’d know that. Pretty sure… say eighty percent.

To be clear Luke used his own voice: “Coffee.”

There it was again, someone moaned – and right beside Luke was a movement. In his bed. He tore his eyes open and suddenly was very aware that he had no clothes on. Like none at all. But he never did one night stands. That was Caleb’s thing.

Luke also didn’t have a girlfriend – Patricia had left him months ago – but if he had one he wouldn’t have been as crazy as other people and bring her to Vegas.

He still hid behind his pillow but the other person moved again.

“Where am I?”

Oh thank god, it was only Pierre!

Luke put the pillow away and turned his head to his best friend who was supposed to be in the room he shared with Liam. His black hair was all curly and he narrowed his eyes as he lifted himself on his elbows and looked around.

His eyes met Luke’s and got as big as apples.

Luke felt a rush of shame going through his body. His eyes wandered down and landed on Pierre’s naked chest.

“Please tell me you’re wearing any pants.”

“I don’t think I am.”

“Why not?”

Pierre let himself fall back, sighing heavily. Luke stared a few more seconds at him, mouth wide open, before he pulled himself together and looked around the room. Yes, it was the one he shared with Caleb. Who was nowhere to be seen, his bed was not only empty but also made. He apparently had spent the night somewhere else.

Not that this was more important than the question why Pierre was lying naked in Luke’s bed.

“Luke, I… uhm…”

“Dude, I’m sure there’s a rational explanation to all of this.”

“I’m sore. You know, where… well, it’s safe to say I had sex last night.”

“Hey, good for you!” Luke held up his hand but Pierre didn’t hit it. He just turned his head and looked at him.

“Sure Liam was here and… uhm… I sleepwalked in here in the morning and… uhm…” Luke sighed and threw his hands in front of his face. No. Just no. He didn’t even want to think about it. Oh my god, embarrassing! He never wanted to see Pierre again.

“Are you sure?”, he mumbled through his hands. A dash of pain cut through his head and his limbs felt weak with the typical after-alcohol-impact.

“I am and judging by the fact that you seem to be naked, too, uhm…”

Luke puckered his lips. He tried to remember last night. It didn’t work. He did smell Pierre’s cologne though and the scent went right into his guts, awakening his lust. For one millisecond he felt hands all over his body and hot skin between his thighs, then it was gone and the morning sun crept in between his fingers.

He took them down and still didn’t look at Pierre.

“Damn. We did it.”

“Look, Luke, uhm… This doesn’t have to be awkward. Let’s just say… it was an experiment, okay?”

“Whatever, dude.” Luke turned away to lie on the other side. Pierre got the hint, after a few moments he was dressed and on his way to the door. But he stopped before he reached the door and held up his hand.

“Is this your ring?”

Luke stared at the hand. It was a pure golden ring.

“No.”

“Oh. Okay. I’m… breakfast.”

As the door was closed behind him Luke jammed his fists into the matrass and then against his head, wondering what stupid, stupid thoughts (or rather drinks) had led him to have sex with Pierre.

He froze in the middle of his action and stared at his own hand.

Three seconds later he had put on his boxers and was pulling open his door.

“Pierre!”

The seventeen-year-old boy was a few feet away in the hallway and turned around. Luke gestured him to come back and as he had done so grasped his arm to pull him back into the room. He glanced up and down the hallway, shut the door and reproachfully held his hand in front of Pierre’s face.

“Now explain me this!”

He wore a golden ring, too.

Pierre’s face got pale. He opened his mouth and shut it again. Luke took his hand to compare their rings. They were identical.

“This doesn’t – no, tell me I’m hallucinating. It doesn’t mean what I think, tell me!” He shook Pierre who only stared at Luke with his big golden eyes.

“We better don’t tell the others”, he whispered.

Luke let go of him and went to his clothes that were lying before the bed. There, his jeans. In the pockets were papers. Luke unfolded them and after one look he sank onto the floor.

“We are married”, he said so quietly that Pierre probably couldn’t hear it. The other boy came closer and Luke held up the papers.

“It can’t be legal. We’re underage”, he said. Pierre read the papers and then sat down on the bed, one hand wiping over his forehead.

“Uhm. We can’t tell the others.”

“Is this all you are worrying about? That Liam finds out? Hello, I’m your man now!”

Luke didn’t know what he was saying. He got up and quickly added logical stuff.

“It’s either illegal or we can let annul it easily. Haven’t you seen ‘Friends’, that’s exactly what happened to Ross and Rachel!”

“Apropos friends…”, Pierre said, pointing to the part of the paper where the witnesses to the marriage had signed.

Luke tore it out of Pierre’s hand. “Gilly and Anthony where there?! And approved? What the hell! Now, there go your plans to keep it a secret.”

Luke grinned though he again didn’t know what was driving him. Well, he could tell as much that he had been very opposed to Pierre’s plan to win Liam back. So if this silly marriage would stand between them then it kind of served a good purpose.

Other than that it was totally insane and he really had to stop proposing to people (if it had been his idea).

“This isn’t funny! Oh God! He’s gonna – he’s gonna think I don’t love him!” Pierre ran his hands over his face and Luke crossed his arms, biting his lip. There they went again.

“Well, maybe you don’t”, he said. “After all you married me, not him – oh gosh! Listen to me.”

He made an unidentified sound and almost went to the bar to get a drink to drown his pain. But thinking how alcohol had led to this situation somehow made him stop in his tracks.

“I need to know what happened last night. Let’s just hope Liam, Brayden and Jenny aren’t downstairs already.”

Luke glanced at the clock. Twelve am.

“Very unlikely.”

“Let’s go to Gilly and Anthony’s room and ask them.”

Pierre jumped up and picked up Luke’s Shirt to push it against his chest. As he did so his fingers touched Luke’s skin and burnt their way right through it, sending shivers downstairs while blacking out any upstairs activity. For one second Luke saw himself pushing Pierre back on the bed and getting down on him.

“Get dressed, Luke, come on! We’ve lost too much time already.”

Luke cleared his throat and decided he needed fresh clothes. And a cold shower.

“I’m with you in five.”

Damn, the night must have gotten to his head. How else would he explain those fantasies? If Luke could only remember how it had been with Pierre… Hell, he had made his first full-on gay sex experience and then didn’t remember it. Just… ugh.

-

Gilly and Anthony weren’t in their room so Pierre and Luke went to the dining room. It was lunch time anyway.

Caleb jumped from his chair and started clapping long before the others saw them.

“Our newlywed couple! Oh, oh, guys, I’m so touched! Of course I will make room and move in with Liam so you two love birds can have all the privacy you need!”

“I am not gonna live with Caleb”, Liam said, arms crossed. Gilly was similar smitten as Caleb, getting up and hugging them. Anthony just shook their hands, as did Brayden and Jenny before Pierre found his tongue and groused at them.

“Stop it! We’re not… Gilly, how could you let this happen? And if we’re on it, what did happen? Why…?”

“You don’t remember?”, Anthony chuckled. “Dude, it was the best night of your life or at least you said so!”

“I think we might have drunk a bit too much”, Luke said, sitting down beside Caleb who still had tears in his eyes and patted his shoulder.

“Liam, I swear I don’t know how that could happen, I…” Pierre sat down next to his ex-boyfriend on the other end of the table. He continued to quietly but enthusiastically talk to Liam and Luke watched them for a few seconds, not liking it at all.

Then he realised he’d clenched his fists and loosened them, trying to concentrate on Gilly who sat opposite to him.

“It wasn’t even an Elvis who married us. Look! Luke, show me your ring!”

She held out her hand and Luke saw she was wearing a ring, too, though it had little sparkly stones in it. So he logically turned to Anthony or rather his hands. Yup. Him too.

“Oh my god, who didn’t get married last night? Brayden, Jenny?”

“No, oh no, oh god no!” Brayden laughed while Jenny now crossed her arms, glaring at him.

“They, Liam and Caleb weren’t with us”, Anthony said.

“Why not, and where were they and –“

“Luke! Your ring!”, Gilly said.

Luke rolled his eyes and showed her his left hand.

“Oh! Nice! Not as nice as mine, though…”

“It was your idea, wasn’t it? And Pierre and I just went with it”, he said.

“Actually, dude, it was your idea”, Anthony said. “And Gilly and I went with it.”

“I don’t believe you. Why would I want to marry Pierre?”

“Uhm… Seriously?”, Caleb said. “You’re back in denial? How is that – is that even possible?” He turned to Anthony who only shrugged.

“All I know is we’re gonna get an annulment. You don’t?”

Gilly and Anthony shook their heads and Luke did so, too, because they all were just crazy. He got up to the buffet to get food and swallowed down the lump in his throat that hurt every time he saw how eager Pierre was to make things right with Liam – when would he finally see Liam wasn’t interested in him anymore?

Then he got an idea, a very good one. Maybe all this crazy stuff would be helpful after all.

“Caleb, can I ask you a favour?”, he said as he sat back down.

“I’m sorry, I’m not available for threesomes. At least not with dudes.”

“What – oh god! I don’t want to – Caleb Jackson, shut your mouth”, Luke said, shaking his head. “I was just wondering if…” He shot a glance to Pierre and Liam. Still talking, good.

“Just grab your things and move in with Liam before Pierre can prevent it?”

Caleb grinned. Then he put his hand to his head, said “Aye, aye!” and got up with one last shoulder pat.

“Don’t tell him”, Luke said because Gilly looked at him.

“I was just – is Pierre still obsessed with Liam? Even after yesterday?”

“After yesterday what?”

“Well, there was pretty much booze involved”, Anthony said. “Maybe his conscious mind needs more time.”

“What the hell has happened yesterday?”

Anthony got out his phone and put on a video before he gave it to Luke. He started unbelievingly at himself and Pierre, sitting on a bench in a chapel waiting room. They didn’t seem able to keep their hands to themselves, and either stared into each other’s eyes or made out. Then the camera was directed at a giggling Gilly.

“Will they ever stop?”, she said.

“I seriously doubt that”, Anthony’s voice said. Then Luke and Pierre were on the screen again. Gilly had to call them three times before they actually listened and got up into the ceremony room. The minister pointed at the screen and said to put the phone away and the video ended.

Luke gave Anthony back his phone and tried to process what he’d just seen.

Had alcohol made him gay (well, gayer than his occasional attacks) and in love with Pierre?

“I still don’t get it”, he mumbled. Yeah, he liked Pierre and didn’t want to see him with Liam but… he didn’t love him. Right?

 

 

Chapter 2

 

“I said no, and I mean it!”

“Relax, bro! Don’t you want to give Pierre and Luke some privacy?”, Caleb said.

Liam irritated shook his head. “They are not a couple! You heard them.”

“Yeah, you heard me”, Pierre said. They were standing in the otherwise empty hallway in front of Liam and Pierre’s room where Caleb had stacked his luggage.

Luke nervously teetered on his feet, hoping his plan would work. He tried to look grim when Pierre shot him a glance but then put up both thumbs to Caleb who after all was that annoying because Luke had asked him to.

“You two aren’t a couple either. So what!?”

“Frankly, I don’t care”, Luke said. “Let’s just get your stuff, Pierre, let Caleb have his fun.”

“No, he can’t just do what he wants, he –”

“Pierre, do you even know me?”, Caleb said. “I always do what I want.”

“And what if Pierre and I were a couple?”, Liam said.

Luke’s heartbeat stopped. He only could continue to breathe because the look Pierre gave Liam was as surprised as the one Caleb gave him.

Luke stepped beside Pierre and put an arm around him. Time to clear things up.

“Right now, Pierre and I are married, okay? See this, yeah?” He waggled his finger. “So technically that would be cheating.”

“Luke, what the hell…?”, Pierre said, freeing himself from his arm.

But Liam had had enough by now, he threw his hands into the air, mumbled “You are all insane” and finally opened the door to his room. Caleb smirked

Impressum

Verlag: BookRix GmbH & Co. KG

Tag der Veröffentlichung: 25.02.2016
ISBN: 978-3-7396-3956-7

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