San Diego

Riley

After talking to Ethan, the weekend was a bust. I wanted nothing more than to find him and love on him, though the bastard didn't deserve it. He was using playfulness to cover up what happened between us, and there was something else going on. Something he was struggling with, but I wasn't sure what exactly.

By Tuesday morning, I was a mess over what to do about him or what to even say to him when I saw him. I'd have to play it cool, but that fact alone aggravated the piss out of me. We'd already busted through the barriers that led to a relationship, even a loose one, but here we were again. Tense. Unyielding. Questioning.

Had Deza shut down the idea of something happening between us?

"Riley. How are you?" Clayton opened the door to the studio as I walked up from the parking lot, lost in thought.

"I'm good. Really good. How are you?" I gave him a warm smile and moved to accept the side hug he offered. I was grateful it wasn't a fully frontal hug. It seemed too intimate and almo