Utterly Forgettable | MM Romance | Complete

Twenty-Four: Not My Finest Moment (1/2)

Josh had hoped he would get to Mark's, bury his head in a pillow, and pretend to sleep. He'd hoped, but he'd known his best friend enough to know it wasn't going to happen.

Mark welcomed him with said pillow, clean sheets for the couch, and an interrogation. "What happened? From the beginning."

"What do you want me to say?" Josh was feeling belligerent. "I went out, met a guy, and all I could think of was that if we got it over with quickly I could go on with my to-do list. Didn't really make much sense to even begin, did it?"

Mark gestured for him to follow him into the bedroom and buried his head in the closet, voice muffled. "That's not the beginning. Why were you out in the first place? Weren't you going to have dinner, watch something, and pretend you and the boy toy aren't dating?"

"I don't have to pretend." He was still feeling on edge, but Mark wouldn't look kindly on him kicking the furniture. "Yes, I was going to stay home. Then he made dinner, and... Damn it, this sounds stupid when I say it out loud."

Mark's face reappeared. "Everything sounds stupid when you say it out loud. Emphasis on both the 'everything' and the 'you'. Here."

Josh caught the pair of lounge pants Mark threw his way mid-air and didn't bother rising to the bait.

"Do you need a t-shirt?"

"No, these are fine."

They made their way to the kitchen by unspoken agreement, where Josh decided to forego anything else and just attack Mark's crunchy peanut butter with a spoon. His best friend side-eyed him in disgust. "Aaaand that's all yours now. Take it home, make love to it, do whatever you'd like but leave it out of my fridge."

Josh narrowed his eyes at him. "Can a man not have some comfort food?"

"A man could," Mark replied, "but a barbarian just slobbered all over the jar, so now a man can't anymore."

"I don't slobber," Josh protested. He was already feeling better, though whether it was the peanut butter or the banter was anyone's guess.

"You? Never!" Mark put a dramatic hand on his forehead. "Perish the thought! Back in the real world, what's going to sound stupid said out loud?"

He really wasn't getting out of this conversation tonight, was he? "There was sauce on my face."

"Ah, so he kicked you out of your own house because you slobbered all over dinner? Smart man."

Josh snorted. "Yeah, you got me. That's exactly what happened. The End."

Mark crossed his arms and waited him out, knowing Josh would have no choice but to go on.

"There was sauce on my face and he wiped it and if I stayed there another minute I might have kissed him so I left," he mumbled in one breath.

Mark raised an eyebrow, a skill Josh found himself perpetually envious of. "And, instead of coming here, you figured you were in the perfect state of mind to hook up with a random guy?"

Josh ate another spoonful. "Not my finest moment."

"And you don't think this is getting ridiculous?"

"Of course this is getting ridiculous! But it's not like there's much I can do about it, is there?" Josh let out an exasperated breath, shoulders slumping on the exhale. "Will you keep your ear to the ground for me? I know I told you I was taking a break, but I could use a client to focus on right now."

"I may have one for you already. I told the family you weren't taking clients for now, but they asked me to keep them posted for when you started again, so I think you're in luck. I'll call them in the morning."