Looking for Trouble(8)

“Sure. Thanks. I’d appreciate that.”

Dylan filled out some paperwork before heading back to his car. The mechanic locked up his shop and pulled out in his work truck. Dylan transferred his suitcases and other bags into the vehicle, and the guy drove him to a motel.

“Thanks again for the ride.” Dylan got out of the truck and grabbed his things from the back.

“No problem. I’ll be in touch soon,” he said, then drove off.

Instead of going into the motel, Dylan looked up another one. It was obvious this one was pricier than he could afford, and he’d need to be smart with what little money he had. Once he found another place, he took an Uber there.

It only took a few minutes to get a room, complete with a small kitchenette, which he reserved for a week.

When he got inside, it looked clean…kind of… A king bed, bathroom, and the kitchenette off to the right. One window faced the parking lot, and the other, opposite it, looked out toward the woods behind the motel.

It definitely wasn’t somewhere he’d choose to stay. The decor looked like it was from the seventies, and there were a couple of stains on the carpet.

Okay, so it didn’t look very clean, but it would have to do.

It would be his home for the next week. He hoped by then he would have his car and had figured out a way to deliver the letter to Clayton, ensuring he’d read it.

With a sigh, Dylan fell back onto the bed, pulled out his phone, and looked at the picture he’d snapped, entranced by the sad eyes looking back at him.





CHAPTER SIX




Clay


Her lips felt wrong against his, but Clay tried to ignore it. Something had to be wrong with him if he felt that way. What guy his age didn’t like making out with girls? Mike fucking loved it. It was all he could talk about, so Clay figured he was missing out on something.

Unfortunately for him, he still couldn’t figure out what that something was.

Mike moaned from his spot on the bed. The sound made Clay snap away from Lily and glance over at Mike and Dana. They sure seemed to be enjoying themselves a whole lot more than he was. Lily too. Maybe it was because he was in a room with another couple while they were kissing?

“What’s wrong?” Lily asked.

“Nothing…sorry. I thought I heard a car and wanted to make sure your parents weren’t home.”

“They’ll be gone until tomorrow, silly.” And then they were kissing again, and his stomach clenched, sort of rolled, and his mind wandered, and he just couldn’t seem to focus on what he was doing or really like it that much.

He pulled away again. “Do you wanna do something else?”

Maybe she’d want to watch a movie or something too.

“I’m not ready to have sex, but we can do other things.” Lily reached for his zipper, and Clay shoved his hand between them, blocking himself from her.

Oh God. He wasn’t even hard. What would she think if she realized he wasn’t hard?

“You don’t want to?” Lily asked.

“I just…” How did he even reply?

“I’ve done this one other time. We can go into the other room if you want?” She reached for his zipper again, and Clay stopped her a second time.

Lily got the message that time, her eyes both surprised and embarrassed.

Shit. He didn’t want to make her feel like he didn’t like her. The last thing he wanted was to hurt her feelings, but he didn’t really like her that way. Maybe he should at sixteen, but he just wasn’t as into it as his friends seemed to be.

“What’s up?” Mike asked, and Clay realized they’d stopped kissing, that Mike was sitting on the edge of the bed, looking at Clay.

They were all waiting for Clay to respond, but he didn’t know what to say and didn’t want to look like a loser, and dude, why couldn’t he have just liked Lily? “I…”

“Damn it. I forgot my mom needs our help moving some furniture today,” Mike said.

“Huh?” That was the first Clay had heard about it.

“Yeah, remember? I asked you yesterday. If we don’t get home, she’s going to lose her shit. I just got ungrounded.”

“You’re leaving?” Dana’s voice rose in surprise.

“Yeah…I’m sorry. Believe me, I don’t want to.” Mike leaned over and kissed her again. “Mmm, your lips taste good.”

“Fine…I guess I forgive you,” Dana teased. “But just because you’re helping your mom.”

They were halfway to Mike’s house when Clay said, “You shouldn’t have had to leave because of me.” It was embarrassing to even say those words. Did Mike wonder what was wrong with him? Think he was weird?

“Eh.” Mike shrugged. “You weren’t feeling it. I could tell you were uncomfortable. You’re my friend. That’s what friends do for each other.”

“But you wanted to be there.” Clay knew there wasn’t one part of Mike that had wanted to leave Dana.

“But I wanna be there for my friend more.” Mike glanced at him. “It’s all good. There will be other days and other girls. And eventually, you’ll be wanting to be there just as much as I do. You’re just a little behind.” Mike laughed.