Twisted Together (2 page)

“
Relax,
Jack.” The car turned sharply, making me bounce in my seat.
“I'll take care of it.” He guided us into a plaza, a
collection of buildings with brand names I associated with the rich.

The
car had stopped moving, but my brain hadn't. Staring at Kris
blatantly, my reflection bouncing off of his shiny sunglasses, I
couldn't hide the unease in my voice. “You're going to
buy
my clothes? Why would you do that?”

The
sun caught his dark hair, making it glint like obsidian. I was sure
he was watching me behind those glasses, I didn't need to see his
eyes to tell. Kris had a way of making you
feel
his gaze. “If I'm going to trick my dad, I need to be
convincing. I wouldn't date anyone that didn't have good taste.”
He paused, no doubt noting my scowl. “No offense.”

Pushing
the door open, I hurried outside. “None taken, dick.”
My
taste is plenty fine!

He
stretched his long arms over his head, then strolled towards a store
with a giant glass front. Inside, suits of various colors stood on
posed mannequins. “Come on, this way.”

Pouting,
I shoved my hands in my jean pockets. The door chimed as we entered,
the scent of expensive cologne wafting over me. I'd never even been
inside such a store. I felt extremely out of place.

Kris
looked comfortable in his dark slacks and green button-down, making
me wonder if part of it was the attitude. I was sure I looked uneasy.
In contrast, with his glasses propped on his scalp, he looked chill.
“Over there,” he said, nudging his chin towards a far
corner.

The
store was quiet, only a few patrons wandered about. In the back,
among the racks of clothing, Kris began thumbing over the hangers.
“What should I do?” I mumbled, eyeing him as he worked.
“Should I be looking for anything in particular?”

“
Just
stand there and look pretty,” he mused, throwing a smirk my
way. Before I could do anything besides getting flustered, he started
holding different tops up against my chest. “Hm... this one,
and this one maybe. Here, try these on.”

Thus
began the shopping process. He would load me up with outfits, shoving
me into the nearby changing room. Each time I came out, showing him
the results, he asked me to turn in place so he could see every
angle. It wasn't like anything I'd ever dealt with before. Kris was
brutal, he told me when he hated something.

Worse,
he told me when he
loved
something.

“
Oh,
yes,” he said, one hand clasped to his chin. His deep cobalt
eyes ran over me, eating me up from toe to nose. “That looks
perfect on you, Jack. You've got the right broad shoulders for it,
dark grey compliments your skin tone, too.” He paused, looking
pointedly at my ass. “Yeah, it suits you for sure.”

Blushing
furiously, I hurried to change back into my old clothes.

When
we were done, he loaded me down with two new pairs of dress shoes,
three jackets, two pairs of slacks, and a number of dress shirts so
large I simply forgot. My head was swimming before I glimpsed the
price on the checkout screen.

My
companion didn't flinch when he swiped his credit card, his smile
resting on me. “You alright?”

“
Sure,”
I lied, struggling with the situation and how it made me feel.
Like
he's taken me out to play dress-up, like I'm some weird new toy to
him.
“Sure,
totally alright.”

The
bell chimed again as we left. Tossing the bags into his car, we
climbed in after them. “Where to now?” I asked, my
stomach twisting with how awkward I felt.

“
I
thought we could go get some drinks.”

“
Drinks?”

The
engine rumbled as we drove out of the lot. “Drinks,” he
repeated, chuckling to himself. “Come on, you know all about
drinks.”

The
reminder of my current debt, the reason I was with Kris, was subtle.
That cut at me more, like he was casually threatening me. Shifting on
the seat, I watched him from the corner of my eye. He still had on a
little half-smile that was infuriating. “
Why
drinks, I mean.”

“
If
we're going to fool my father,” he said, the car roaring out
onto the highway, “we need some practice. No offense, but I
don't think you've ever pretended to be into a dude before, right?”

No
offense? He likes saying that. If only it wasn't offensive every god
damn time.
“Of
course not!”

“
Right,
so instead of taking a blind shot and blowing it, let's get some
drinks and use our time wisely. We can get to know each other a
little bit in the process, it'll make the lie about dating even more
convincing.”

His
logic was sound, I just didn't like the idea of being...
What?
Seen in public with him?
Frowning,
my gaze wandered out to the encroaching sunset. The sky was melting
with purple and yellow.
It's
all pretend, just go with it. He's right, messing the game up at the
event would be awful. If I'm freaking out about how he's treated me
so far, I'm bound to make a mistake at the party. Practice... would
be smart.
“Alright,
you've got a good point.”

He
only answered me with a silent smile.

****

The
place we ended up at was the Daily Bar & Grill. I'd never been,
but that was just fine with me. It was far enough out from our
college that I was less worried about people I knew seeing me.
Reaching for the handle of the car door, Kris's hand on my shoulder
stopped me. “Wait, hold up.”

“
What,
what is it?” In the confined space, having him touch me made my
neck hairs prickle.

If
he noticed how I was eyeing him, he didn't say. “Change into
one of the new shirts.”

“
I—why
is that necessary?”

His
eyebrows trailed into his hair line. “You'll fit in better.
Just do it, what's the big deal?”

How
could I explain that getting changed near him didn't sit well with
me?
I
don't get what it is, but he's making me super uneasy. We've seen
each other shirtless in the dorm, it shouldn't matter. But...

“
Fine,”
I grumbled. Reaching down, I dug one of the new, silky shirts out of
the bag. I was aware of him watching me closely, making me hesitate
with my fingers wrapped in the hem of my T-shirt.
Just
do it, just get it over with.
Grimacing,
I yanked the cloth upwards, messing up my hair.

The
inside of the car was warm, if that counted for anything. We were too
close in that tiny space. I could
hear
his breathing. Glancing over, I saw how bright his blue eyes looked
in the lights of the bar's illuminated sign. It filled the car with a
weird yellowish color.

Oddly,
I found myself wondering what he thought about what he was seeing.
Kris had such high standards about everything, I was learning. Did I
meet his approval?
Why
am I wondering that?
Frowning
hard, I quickly buttoned the new shirt up the front of my chest.
“Better?” I asked, hearing my sour tone.

“
Better,”
he agreed. He reached out, too fast for me to stop him. His agile
fingers smoothed my hair, fixing it back into place. It set my veins
pumping, my breath vanishing before I could exhale in surprise. “Now,
let's go get a drink.”

The
sound of my air slipping between my clenched teeth was hidden by the
beeping of Kris opening his door.
Fuck,
what the hell.
Clasping
a hand over my chest, I felt the palpitations of my heart.
Why
am I freaking out? He just touched my hair, that's all. I need to
relax.
It
was easy to agree with, hard to put into practice. Kris's nearness,
his contact, had turned my belly into butterflies.

And
I didn't know why.

Together,
we entered the bar. I was trailing behind him, hands tucked into my
pockets. My reflection in the windows showed my gloom. That quickly
changed to confusion when Kris slid his arm around mine, locking
elbows. “What are you—”

“
Hi
there!” he shouted, tugging us up in front of the hostess.
“We'd like a table for two.” For emphasis, he squeezed
his arm. I felt his bicep smothering my own, my cheeks flaring pink.
In a panic, I pulled myself away from him. He was too fast, catching
my hand and linking fingers. He shot me a pointed look, his smile
forced at the edges.

The
hostess looked surprised, her fingers twisting a pen. “Uh, two.
Right. Just follow me, please.”

Kris
let me go, trailing after the girl. I followed, rubbing the hand he'd
held against my shirt as if to scrub away his touch. He'd been so
sudden, so forceful, it set my brain reeling.
What
was that about? Did he need to be so obvious?

“
Here
you go,” the woman said with a winning grin. She gestured to a
corner booth, the two of us sliding inside. “The waitress
should be over soon.”

“
Thanks,”
Kris said, his own smile far brighter than hers. The instant she
wandered off, he turned those lips to me. They melted into a scowl.
“What the hell, Jack?”

“
That's
what I should be saying!” Slapping my palms on the table, I
leaned across in his direction. “What were you trying to do
back there?”

He
lifted an eyebrow, reminding me of a teacher dealing with a
rambunctious student. I didn't like the comparison. “Did you
forget what we're doing here?”

“
I—no,
of course not!”

“
Then
are you just an awful actor?”

“
No,
wait, it isn't...”

Sighing,
Kris rubbed at the side of his elegant neck. “Man, look. You're
going to blow everything if you can't keep up a simple ruse by
holding my hand. We're supposed to be dating, right?”

My
face was hot, I wished I had a cold drink handy. Where was that
waitress? “Yeah, I get that. I just... I wasn't expecting you
to lock arms out of the blue.” Remembering how warm his flesh
had been, how strong the muscles had felt, made my heart throb in a
way I didn't appreciate.