Crashing Hearts- The Complete Series

by Zane Menzy

  Tess laughed. “Sounds like mine was… but without the pool.”

  Keegan nodded. What do I say? For someone he knew so well he had no idea what to talk to her about.

  “Have you decided what you’re doing next year with university?” Tess asked.

  “I think I’ve left the whole uni thing a bit late to be going now. I was thinking I’ll get a job round here and have a gap year. Have a think about what it is I wanna do.”

  “Sounds sensible.” Tess smiled. “Which is totally you.”

  “It is?”

  “Yes. You always have been sensible. Always the one to make good decisions.”

  “Well, I chose to date you, so I must do.”

  Tess rolled her eyes. “Yes, and you also chose to end the relationship, which was even more sensible.”

  Keegan was surprised to hear her say this. Sure, she hadn’t been upset when they broke up. They even hugged afterwards but it was odd to hear Tess almost thank him for it. “You liked that decision?”

  Tess nodded. “I did. It was the right thing to do.”

  “Don’t look too happy about it. I thought you would be at home pining for me for years.”

  Tess laughed. “Sorry. Would it help if I lie and say I cried for days?”

  “It would help a little.” Keegan grinned.

  “If I’m being honest, I was thinking about breaking up with you too, so it’s kind of weird you did it first but I mean it doesn’t matter. It’s all for the best.”

  “I agree.” Keegan began to think maybe they could be friends. They could still attend the same parties together.

  “Is your uncle staying with you?” Tess asked. Her voice came out brittle but hopeful. This instantly killed any idea of a budding friendship.

  Keegan hesitated and ran a hand through his hair. “Uh, yeah. He is. He’s been down here for Christmas but I think he is going home tomorrow.”

  “Okay.” Tess nibbled on her lip. “Well it was nice seeing you. Have a nice night.”

  “You too.” Keegan watched her walk away and join her brother. He shook his head, amazed how ballsy she was to come and snoop for info about Damon. Keegan didn’t feel mad, he sort of felt sorry for her. He knew what it was like to fancy someone who was unattainable and although Damon had slept with her he was never going to date her. The guy stayed single so much you would think he was allergic to commitment. Damon had a very long trail of broken hearted girls. Tess would just become another to add to the list if she pursued the vain bastard.

  Keegan waded through the crowd to go find his mates. He put Tess and Damon to the back of his mind. Tonight wasn’t about them. Tonight was about having fun. When he found Liam and the others by the deck he was pleased to see Liam holding a spare bottle of bourbon for him. Keegan snatched the drink with greedy speed and wasted no time in downing its contents.

  Had he only known the shit storm the night ahead would bring—thanks to getting so pissed—he wouldn’t have touched a drop of it.

  Chapter Ten

  Keegan slammed the drinks back like they were going out of fashion. Each time he got near the bottom of a bottle Liam would go fetch him another one. The more he drank, the more he found himself losing subtlety, spilling his gaze over Liam.

  He knew he should have told Liam to stop fetching him round after round, but Keegan loved how his best mate was doting on him, handing the drinks over so their fingers touched, carrying a caring glint in his eye. A small sober segment in Keegan’s brain told him that this was all imagined but his wishful thinking kept pushing it aside.

  “Are you alright?” Tony asked, piercing Keegan’s concentration. “You look about as fucked as Skippy is.”

  “I ain’t farrked,” Skippy slurred loudly.

  “You’re fine aren’t you, Keegan?” Liam stated as much as he asked.

  “Yeah, man. I’m fine.” Keegan swallowed down another mouthful of booze. His vision wasn’t blurry yet so he knew he wasn’t too far gone. “I gotta go take a slash though,” he declared, putting his empty bottle on the ground. He staggered away, making his way in the direction of the portaloos. If it wasn’t so crowded he would have just gone and pissed in the garden but he didn’t fancy being shrieked at by someone who disapproved of sprinkling flowers with urine.

  When he got to the toilets he was annoyed to find them both in use. He stood tapping his foot impatiently, waiting for one of them to open up. Finally, before his bladder burst, one of the doors opened and he raced inside, sighing in relief as he quickly flopped his cock out and let flow a steady stream of piss.

  When he was done, he zipped up and stepped out to go find his way back to Liam but before he could take two steps someone grabbed his shoulder. He whirled around expecting to see Tess. “Hey, Tess,” he started before realising his mistake.

  Garth!

  “Hey, blondie,” Garth said, smiling like a loon.

  “You know my name is Keegan. Not blondie.”

  “I know.” Garth grinned, displaying his cute dimples. He took a swig on the bottle of beer in his hand, keeping his eyes locked on Keegan while he gulped down his drink.

  Keegan had only met Garth a few weeks earlier and although their meeting was brief, the rakish Garth had left quite the impression. Garth had attended Keegan’s birthday party with Liam’s older brother—one of many strangers who had turned up to take advantage of someone else’s party—and while there, Garth had tripped along the edge of the bon fire, setting his jeans leg alight. Damon had rushed to the rescue and whisked in, whacking the fire out with someone’s jacket. After Damon had saved the day, he had sent Keegan up to the house to help Garth tend to his burn. Luckily the damage had been minimal but the short time they spent together had been pleasant. Keegan had been a bundle of raging hormones that night and while Garth’s back was turned as he stripped out of his jeans to wash his singed leg, Keegan had taken advantage of the situation and quite freely checked Garth out.

  To Keegan’s horror, Garth had picked up on his rear end’s visual violation, but instead of being angry he had found it amusing and flattering. Keegan had denied checking him out, insisting he was straight and that Garth was dreaming.

  Since that night Garth had text him a few times, telling him to come and have a drink at the bar where he worked in town but Keegan had yet to take him up on the offer. As much as he liked Garth—based on the little he knew about the guy—he didn’t want his sexuality scrutinized any further by someone who seemed hellbent on proving Keegan had a crush on him.

  “So… Keegan. What brings you here tonight?”

  “I’m friends with Joel’s brother, Liam.”

  “Oh true.” Garth nodded. “Good looking guys both of them.”

  Keegan rolled his eyes at what he knew was Garth testing the waters again. “I hadn’t noticed,” he lied.

  “Really?” Garth shrugged. “How could you not. Those guys could be models.” He shot Keegan a flirty wink. “But so could you.”

  “For a supposedly straight guy you seem hung up on dudes,” Keegan said.

  “It’s more for your benefit really. I was taught it is good manners to talk to people about things they are interested in.” Garth let his eyes glow. “And since I know you like cock then I know it’s a good topic.” He attempted a seductive pose that was more comical than sexy.

  Keegan laughed. “Nice try.” The pose may have failed but it didn’t hide the fact that Garth had a certain charm. He wasn’t model material like Liam but something about the way he looked was appealing. Keegan couldn’t decide what it was. Was it the boy’s messy brown hair that looked in a constant state of rebellion like he had just rolled out of bed? Was it his jagged smile of sharp teeth? Or was it the way he oozed strength despite his skinny body? It was probably all those things wrapped together, gifting him a casual masculinity that was oh so fucking sexy.

  “Fancy joining me for a smoke?” Garth arched his eyebrows up, encouraging Keegan to join him.

  “I don’t smoke.”

>   “No. I mean the green.”

  “Again. I don’t smoke.”

  “Wow. You really are as innocent as you look.”

  “I’m not that innocent,” Keegan snapped back with a portion of aggression in his voice.

  “Calm your farm. I was only joking.” Garth flicked his eyes across to a quiet area by some bushes. “If you ain’t that innocent then you can come sit and talk some shit with me while I spark up.” Keegan didn’t want to seem rude but he wanted to get back to Liam and the others. Garth spotted his hesitation and added, “If you come I’ll make it worth your while.” He groped his crotch.

  Keegan laughed. “You have issues.”

  “I know right. That’s why you wanna come hang with me.” Garth started to walk away then turned ‘round waving his arm. “Come on, man.”

  Keegan sighed, giving in to the pushy invite and followed the nutty smoker into the shadows.

  Garth led them over to a sheltered spot in a hidden corner of the garden where they were conveniently alone. Garth sat down on the grass and pulled out a fat joint that he wasted no time in sparking to life. He inhaled deeply, holding it in before letting it out like a dragon. “Fuck, I needed that,” he said, letting out a satisfied breath.

  Keegan nodded, watching Garth drag back on the spliff. He felt twitchy, wondering what the hell they could talk about. He settled with the generic topic of work. “So how’s the bar?”

  “It had been super busy with all these functions leading up to Christmas but I quit last week.”

  “You did. Why?”

  “Got over it.” Garth laughed without smiling. “I needed a change.”

  “Did you get sick of working two jobs?” Keegan asked, remembering that Garth’s main source of employment was as a grease monkey working alongside Liam’s older brother, Joel.

  “Nar, bro. I had already lost that job.”

  “You quit that too?”

  “Nar. I didn’t quit the workshop. They fired me.”

  Keegan frowned but hid it quickly. “How come?”

  Garth turned his head and smiled. “I lost my shit on a poxy arse Mitsi that wasn’t cooperating so I attacked it with a hammer.”

  “You fucking what?”

  “Attacked it with a hammer. Smashed the bonnet up real good.”

  Keegan laughed. “For real?”

  “Yeah.” Garth grinned at him. “I just lost my fucking rag with it and yeah... apparently you don’t keep ya job for long when you pull stunts like that.”

  “I imagine not.” Keegan chuckled. “I hope you don’t do that to people when they annoy you.”

  “Nar, man. I’m a lover, not a fighter.”

  Keegan rolled his eyes. “Good to know.” He looked at Garth’s long fringe dangling forward. “So now you need a haircut and a job.”

  Garth laughed and ruffled his hair. “Nothing wrong with my hair, bro. And yep I am officially one of the unemployed.”

  “What will you do for work?”

  “I can find another job a piece of piss,” Garth said. “Might be a bit hard landing a mechanics role down here after the stunt I pulled but I can easily find other hospo work ‘till I know what I’m doing.”

  “I hope you find something soon,” Keegan said sympathetically.

  “Bugger that. I don’t wanna work New Year’s. That’s half the reason I quite the bar job.”

  “What about money?”

  “I’m just using my savings account at the moment. That should see me through a bit before I need to look for work.”

  “Cool,” Keegan muttered.

  “Maybe I could sell my body,” Garth said. He patted his chest, grinning at Keegan. “Whataya think?”

  “I think… good luck.” Keegan sniggered.

  “Aww, come on, blondie, I bet you’d pay for a piece of this premium meat.”

  “In your dreams.”

  Garth winked at him. “You need to be inside my head before you make such claims.”

  Keegan couldn’t tell if that was a real flirt or a joke. He chose to ignore it and let Garth ramble on about how glad he was to not be working two jobs anymore. He watched Garth’s lips move but paid little attention to the words coming out. He began wondering if Garth had brought them over here for a reason.

  He seemed pretty keen for us to be alone.

  When Keegan saw Garth was getting to the end of his joint, he felt a strange panic grip his feelings.

  Maybe he wants to do something but he needs me to make the move?

  Keegan looked towards the noise of the party. No one was anywhere near their secluded spot. No one would see if they fooled around. Keegan felt butterflies flutter in his stomach, prompting him to do something. The frisky feeling felt like he was falling. He tried ignoring the hunger growing inside him but it wasn’t working and Keegan found his dick stiffening.

  He brought me here for a reason. I just have to try and let him know I am keen.

  The idea of just blurting out “let’s hook up” seemed too risky. Too blunt despite the determination growing in his pants. Keegan wracked his brain to think of how best to bring about the right circumstances.

  “Has your leg healed up okay?” Keegan asked. The randomness of the question caught Garth unaware.

  “What?” Garth stared at him blankly.

  “Your leg. From where you fell in the fire at my birthday.”

  “Oh that,” Garth said, nodding. “Yeah healed up fine, but there wasn’t any damage really if you remember.”

  Keegan licked his lips. “Can I see?”

  Garth chuckled by the random request. “Sure.” He bent forward and rolled his ripped jeans up to his knee. He ran his hand along the thick crop of brown hairs running down his leg. “See. No scar. Nothing.”

  “You must be a Targaryen after all,” Keegan joked.

  “Ha. That’s me, man. If only I had a dragon.”

  Garth was about to roll his jeans leg back down but Keegan jerked his hand forward latching onto Garth’s arm. “Do you mind if I touch it.”

  Garth’s lips turned into a crooked smile. He didn’t say anything. He just stared back with a goofy look on his face. Keegan chose to be bold. He lowered his hand to Garth’s ankle and ever so gently ran his fingers up Garth’s leg, groping at the firmness of his calf muscle. “Yeah. Healed up fine by the looks,” Keegan murmured, continuing to let his hand roam the hairy terrain.

  Garth cleared his throat with a soft laugh. “Are you enjoying yourself?”

  Keegan realised that Garth wasn’t as clueless about his intentions as he had thought. He pulled his hand away and straightened his posture. He took a deep breath and said, “I was ‘till you said that.”

  Garth leant back resting on his elbows, stretching his leg out. “I didn’t say you had to stop.”

  No, you didn’t.

  Keegan chewed his lip. It seemed pointless skirting around the horny issue. He took a deep breath, bracing himself. “Is it alright if I kissed you?”

  Garth threw his head back with a laugh. “I fucking knew it!”

  Keegan flinched. Unprepared for the response.

  “I knew you fancied me,” Garth said. He shook his head, looking pleased with himself. “I knew you digged guys. Fucking knew it.” He kept smiling like he had won a prize.

  “You’re… you’re not gay?”

  “Nar, man. I told you. I’m straight as.”

  “But-but you keep flirting with me,” Keegan stammered.

  “Yeah, but it’s just for a laugh.” Garth sniggered. “I ain’t gay. I just like kidding around.”

  Keegan’s stomach tightened; he felt dizzy, bombarded by the moment. He wanted to get up and run away but he fought the urge to flee, worried it would make a scene. A scene where Garth could tell everyone what he was running from. A rejected gay kiss. Keegan curled his fingers into a fist, trying to figure out what his next move should be.

  “I gotta say, bro, that was a seriously smooth move trying to feel up my leg like that,” Garth lif
ted his leg off the ground, admiring his exposed hairy limb. “I guess I do have nice legs though, aye.”

  Keegan heard the words but they weren’t registering. He began to sink into his own world of gloom. What have I done. He felt his eyes sting and his cheeks slowly become wet with tears.

  “You’re not crying are you?” Garth asked.

  Keegan raised his hands, covering his face.

  “I’m real sorry. I didn’t mean to make fun of you,” Garth sounded remorseful. He placed a hand to Keegan’s shoulder.

  Keegan ignored the comforting touch. He kept snivelling under his hands, too scared to show his face.

  “Oh, come on, man. I’m sorry. I really am,” Garth kept rubbing his shoulder. “I won’t tell anyone if that’s what you’re worried about. Promise. I won’t say a fucking word.” He lowered his hand to stroke Keegan’s back affectionately. “You can kiss me if it’ll make you feel better?”

  Keegan rubbed his eyes and removed his hands, sniffing back tears. “Just leave me alone.”

  “Come on, Keegan. Stop being such a sad arse and just stick ya fucking tongue in my mouth.” He tugged on Keegan’s shirt trying to bring their faces together. “You can do anything you like above the waist,” he whispered. “That’s all good by me.”

  Keegan pushed him away. “You don’t have to keep making fun of me.” He got to his feet and saw Garth looking up shocked.

  “Settle down, man. We can still talk, can’t we?”

  “I’m really sorry I made a move on you.” Keegan rubbed his eyes dry. “Please don’t tell anyone.” He stormed off, leaving Garth sitting alone.

  “Come back, bro,” Garth called out but Keegan strode ahead refusing to look back.

  He couldn’t handle this. He hadn’t been ready to spill his truth. He needed to get away from Garth and away from any potential fall out for being so incredibly fucking stupid. He snuck around to the quiet side of the house, stomping his way through fluffy flower beds to access the front yard. He was about to cross the lawn and barge onto the street when he saw a group of partygoers sitting on the fence.