Page 13 of Mouth to Mouth

Brad sighed. Thinking over how to expand on his answer without revealing too much. Of course Cal waited him out. Cal had the patience of a saint. Brad had noticed that with some of the other guys. James in particular. Cal seemed to be the person that everyone went to for a good talk. Maybe Brad should take advantage of this opportunity to have Cal focused on him. Setting his mug down, Brad nodded. “I’m starting to find my footing here.”

“It’s different than LA,” Cal pointed out.

“So much different.” It really was. Not only smaller and more intimate but the people were so much better.

“Josh and James both seem friendly with you,” Cal said.

“Sure. They had friends before I got here though.” It was hard not to think about Luca. How everyone loved Luca. He pretty much ran the city and everyone knew who he was.

“Are you talking about Luca?” Cal’s question was blunt and to the point.

Brad winced. “You heard about that?”

“There isn’t much that happens around here that I don’t hear about.”

“We…had a miscommunication before I even knew who he was,” Brad said.

Cal opened his mouth to no doubt offer his advice but Brad cut him off.

“I know I need to make things right with Luca,” Brad said. “I’m working on it.”

“Is that what you want to do?” Cal asked.

Brad wasn’t expecting that question. “What do you mean?”

“I just mean that you shouldn’t do anything that you don’t want to do. Don’t let the pressure of having mutual friends influence you.”

“I like Josh and James,” Brad said. He wanted, needed to be friends with his crew. Brad had pushed away his old crew when everything went to shit. His old friends had tried to warn him and Brad hadn’t listened. It had been hard to face them after that.

“They can be friends with both of you,” Cal said. “You’re new here but that doesn’t mean you’re not important. What are your feelings?”

No one else had asked him that. “I was a dick to him.”

“Did he deserve it?” Cal asked.

“No.” And that ate at Brad. Luca had shocked him but Brad hadn’t meant to hurt the other man.

“Then why didn’t you apologize already?”

“I was shocked the first time I ran into him at the coffee shop,” Brad confessed. “I never thought I’d see him again. We met…” Was it okay to tell him about the club? It had been a kink club.

Cal held up his hands. “You don’t have to tell me details.”

“Thanks. I don’t mind but I don’t want to tell Luca’s business without his permission.”

“Which makes you a decent guy, Brad. What happened when you saw Luca at the coffee shop?”

“I was still trying to recover from just seeing him there and he…yeah…he just was obviously not interested in anything that I had to say. I’ve tried a few times since and he makes a smart comment and walks away. I’m surprised he even allows me to get my coffee there.” Brad was glad. That would have been humiliating. Not the way that Brad wanted to restart his life or career.

Cal smirked. A lift to his lips that Brad could honestly say that he hadn’t seen before.

“What?” Brad asked.

“Do you want to know what I think?”

“Sure.” Why not. Cal seemed to care enough to sit down and talk to him.

“I’ve probably known Luca the longest. I was already here when he moved to town. Josh and James came later,” Cal explained.