Page 37 of Can't Stop Now
“Whatever you say. If you ask me, he fucking wants you. I can tell just from how he looks at you. Did youseehis eyes when you gave him that little tug on his hoodie? I melted! …Shit, he’s coming back,” Maya said, pulling her drink up to her lips.
“So what time are we heading out?” Jacob said, walking back into the kitchen.
Maya looked at the time on the microwave.
“I say we go grab some dinner now, maybe walk around Downtown Boulder and I’ll show you guys around, then we’ll head to the club?” Maya said, smiling.
“Beautiful. Let’s do it,” Will said, finishing his drink.
They walked downtown, found a great Korean place to eat dinner, and then meandered around downtown Boulder for an hour, taking in the sights.
Will was already falling in love with Boulder – there was so much going on, but it didn’t have a huge, “big-city” feel. It was quaint, calm, and the mountains hovering in the distance cast a beautiful backdrop against every street.
He was feeling loose after the drink Maya had made him, and the two more drinks he had ordered with dinner. Even Jacob was starting to loosen up, without alcohol. Will figured he was warming up to Maya and Boulder, and getting over the anxiety of meeting Will’s best friend. Will felt his lustful attraction to Jacob coming to the forefront again, and he ignored the confusion he felt deep down. If Maya wasn’t there, he would have stopped right on the sidewalk and pulled Jacob in for a kiss, in front of all the shops and passersby.
After it had been dark for a while, they made their way to the club. Maya called Sarah to tell her directions to the club, and Will turned around to face Jacob.
“Hey, you,” he said to Jacob, his voice low.
“Hi,” Jacob replied, giving him a sweet smile and stuffing his hands into his hoodie pockets.
“How are you doing? You having an okay time? I’m sorry we’re drinking and you’re not, I really don’t want you to feel left out,” he whispered to Jacob. Will placed his hand on Jacob’s chest and lightly ran it down to his stomach, grabbing one of Jacob’s wrists through the hoodie and giving it a little squeeze.
“I’m doing great. Really. I’m loving Boulder. Don’t worry about me anyway, have a good time with your friend. She’s awesome,” Jacob said, with a small smile.
“Okay,” Will said. He wanted to push Jacob up against the wall that they were standing by, wanted to run his hand through Jacob’s short hair and pull him close. But he couldn’t do any of that in front of Maya. When he turned back towards her, he saw a cute, tiny blonde girl with short hair walking up.
“There you are! Hi!” Maya said to the blonde girl, giving her a hug.
“Will, Jacob, this is Sarah. She’s in my grad program. Sarah, this is my best friend Will from college, and his friend Jacob,” Maya said.
Sarah said hi, and in a few more minutes they were inside the club. Will instantly knew that Maya and Sarah could be a great couple – they were already so cute together, and they weren’t even dating yet. He really hoped it could work out between them. Will turned to look at Jacob and thought,well, guess we’re on a double date. He didn’t say it out loud, unsure of how Jacob would feel.
Twenty-One
Jacob
It was still relatively early, but the club was packed. Jacob looked around, seeing that the club was on two levels, each one swarming with young people in their twenties. He noticedlotsof women with short hair, and plenty of muscular guys in sleeveless shirts.
“Damn, this placeisawesome!” Will said to Maya, talking loudly over the music.
Maya nodded emphatically. They went to the bar to order more drinks, Jacob getting a club soda with lime, and found a table to stand around where they could finish their drinks. It was hard to talk over the music, but Jacob put his face close to Will’s, talking into his ear.
“Is this… a gay bar?” Jacob said, cocking his head to one side and smiling at Will.
Will took one look to his left, one to his right and smiled. “Yeah. Seems like it,” he said into Jacob’s ear. He shrugged, looking up at Jacob and taking another sip from his drink. “Is that okay?”
“Yeah, I think so!” Jacob glanced around again, taking it in. He had never been to a gay club before. He took in his surroundings for a few minutes, and so far he thought that it seemed even better than a regular club.
“We’re gonna go dance!” Will said into his ear, “Wanna come?”
Jacob hesitated. “I’m not really…” he started to say, shaking his head.
“No excuses!” Maya said, looking at him and laughing. He smiled as she grabbed his hand, pulling him toward the dance floor. “C’mon, at least one song.”
Jacob laughed, shaking his head but going out onto the dance floor with them. He was sure that he was the only one in this club who was actually still sober, but he still found it kind of freeing to be out on the dance floor. It was packed, dark, and the lights were flashing, so he didn’t feel like anyone was looking at him specifically. He didn’t care if he looked like an idiot, he just tried to move his body to the music.
He looked over at Will, who was dancing with Maya. They really were quite a pair - they had so much fun together and were garnering attention on the floor for their moves. In a few minutes, the song ended and a small circle that had gathered around Will and Maya clapped, as they jokingly took a small bow. They laughed, hugging each other, and then Maya went over to hang out more with Sarah.