Nate hadn't seen Dante in a week.

There were no calls, no visits, he thought he would maybe see him at the bar the following week but he never showed. The only person that had stayed in contact with him was Andrew, who had been sweeter than he expected. They had gone on a couple dates, one formal since Andrew wanted to prove to Nate how much he wanted him.

They had gone to a fancy restaurant in the middle of the city, where a pianist settled the mood for the night and dim candles decorated each table. Nate had enjoyed the outing, had even gelled his hair backwards for it and Andrew ended up messing it up anyway when they returned to his home.

They hadn't done the deed yet, had come close but it was Andrew that stopped, pulling himself away from Nate's grasp and whispering, "I don't want to go too fast. I want to make this right." It hadn't been awkward afterwards; they cuddled to a movie and Nate ended up falling asleep within his arms.

Nate was beginning to develop feelings for him, however there was something missing. There was the lust and the attraction, but there wasn't the spark. He didn't feel excited to see Andrew, but he didn't dread it either; it was as if he was floating with time and letting the waves drag guns
But with Dante, it had been different. There had been hunger, as if the only oxygen he could breathe was from Dante.

He longed to see Dante again, wanted to feel him or even to see him squirm, gratified by each of his strikes and his panting when his body began overwhelmingly warm. He wanted to see him enter his apartment, remove his sweater and reveal his toned physique before turning around and asking vulnerable for his wrists to be cuffed. He wanted to touch him and see him cringe in a servile manner, biting his bottom lip and his higher toned moans that echoed across the apartment.

Even more than that, he couldn't stop thinking about the one night in the truck. Nate's entire body shifting over him, his mind falling into a land of wonders, the ecstasy rising in his throat, too much for him to handle. He wanted Nate's fingers to pin him, restrain him as he breathed heavily beside his ear, both their sweaty physiques fitting perfectly against one another.

Andrew didn't make him feel that way, but Nate didn't want to pass on a good opportunity merely because of desires that may never happen again; there was always a chance Dante had ended up dead somewhere.

He exhaled a long sigh, feeling Andrew's fingers snake around his waist before plopping his head against his back. "You alright?"

He had asked to spend the night together since it wasn't a school night, and Nate had agreed since he had no other plans. He hadn't spoken to Jules since the incident, mostly because Jules hadn't showed up to school since. As for Tyler, she had other plans that she said she couldn't reveal to him, which bummed him out but it wasn't the end of the world. And there was no way he would call his aunt and ask to hangout, he rather not have her nagging at him, at least he wasn't in the mood to put up with it.

Nate turned around to face him, Andrew reaching for the top of the blanket and pulling it over Nate's shoulder. "I'm fine," he assured.

Andrew's droopy eyes stared back at him for a moment before he closed them. "You sighed," he stated bluntly. "Did something happen?"

"No, I don't know why I sighed." Nate shrugged his shoulders, feeling Andrew's fingers squeeze the skin on his waist before releasing his hood. "Maybe just tired."

"I've been falling asleep here," Andrew chuckled, leaning his forehead forward and landing it on Nate's chest. He had always loved feeling his warmth that way, even the rhythm of his heartbeat made him feel calm and protected. "If you can't sleep because of me, I can head home."

"Don't even say that," Nate dismissed, reaching forward with his fingers and letting them linger across Andrew's jaw. "I'm glad you came."

He saw the corner of Andrew's lip lift slightly, but before he could say anything, they were interrupted by sudden loud pounding at the front door. It was almost as if they were stomping their leg on the door, on the verge of making it collapse.

Andrew's eyes instantly widened in alert, staring at the frown across Nate's face as he started getting up. Nate flickered on the light in his bedroom, reaching for his sweater on the floor and pulling it over his head.

"Are you expecting someone?" Andrew reached for his phone on the bedside table to check the time before pushing himself to his feet as well. "It's two in the morning."

"No." His breath had been shaky which alarmed Andrew who shoved his shirt on and followed Nate outside of the bedroom.

"Do you want me to open it?"

"I don't even think I'll open it," Nate admitted. "I'm just checking who it is through the peephole."

"It's Raphael." They both heard the deep tone from across the door and that made Nate's eyes widen. Raphael was Dante's friend, or at least he assumed since they were always together.

Before Nate could open the door, Andrew grabbed his wrist and pulled him back. "Did you need something?" he asked, a hostility in his voice. "We're in the middle of—"

"Andrew Lavender." They both shuddered when they heard him say his full name. "Can't say I'm surprised to hear your voice. How is Mrs. Lavender, is she doing alright? Still working as a secretary at John High?"

That made Nate furrow his brows, instantly pushing himself off of Andrew whose jaw had tightened. Through his eyes, Nate could almost taste the guilt, a sudden nervousness overwhelmed Andrew's body language.

"Mrs. Lavender?" Nate repeated, tilting his head to the side. "You're married?"

Andrew didn't know what to say, it wasn't a topic he had thought he would need to reveal this early. Instead, he diverted his anger to the person across the door. "Who are you and how do you know about my life?"

"I'm not here for you. I'm here for Nathan." There was a short pause, Nate's eyes still stuck on Andrew, in shock of what had been told. He was breathless, unable to believe he had been tricked by a man that had approached him. "Nate, I need your help. Open this door."

"Don't open that door—"

"Don't touch me," Nate spat, narrowing his eyes towards Andrew before continuing his path to the door, twisting the doorknob and pulling it open.

He wondered who was more intimidating, Dante or Raphael because both their presences were large and brute, as if they could fall into a fit of flaming rage in any moment and murder everyone around them. Raphael eyed Nate for a moment, seeing his attire and ruffled hair before turning his sight on Andrew, noticing his flinch and glance elsewhere rapidly. He always dressed nice, as if he was going to a ball, his dress pants and rose dress shirt this time a nice combination. His navy eyes always seemed laid-back and free of stress, the complete opposite regard of Dante.

Raphael motioned with his head towards Andrew, his eyes locked on Nate. "You always let your minions speak for you?" Andrew squeezed his teeth together but stayed quiet. "Anyhow, we have to go."

"Go where?" Nate raised an eyebrow.

That seemed to annoy Raphael who rolled his eyes and began walking away. "Do you always ask questions?"

Before Nate followed him, he felt his wrist being clamped and turned around to see Andrew holding him. "You're really going to leave with his random man?"

"Let me go, now," Nate snarled harshly, shoving his hand away from Andrew's before adding, "You better be gone when I come back."

***

"How do you know he's married?"

Raphael shrugged his shoulders, pulling the cigarette from the corner of his lip for a moment. "I do research."

Nate stayed quiet, leaning his elbow against his passenger door. He wasn't exactly upset that Andrew had lied to him, but he was annoyed that he hadn't caught on to it. There was nothing that seemed odd with Andrew though; his stories seemed to be valid. He was a full-time pilot that often took long breaks and flew across the world for sometimes weeks or even months. There wasn't any red flags that Nate had noticed, or maybe he didn't care enough to truly look into it and decipher all he had said.

"Why did you do research on him?"

"I do whatever Dante tells me to do."

There was a short pause that followed. "What else did your research come up with?"

Raphael took a quick glance towards Nate, seeing his furrowed eyebrows closing towards each other. "He has another kid on the way."

Nate wanted to punch the window until it broke, but he maintained his composure. He was so sure he didn't even really care about Andrew, but he still felt betrayed, as if he had never meant anything to him and that he was a pawn in a grand scheme. If Andrew had told him he was married initially, he wouldn't have been upset and would have most likely still seen him without expecting some sort of relationship. But now, since he wasn't given that chance and lied to about it, his anger wanted to scream at him until his ear bled.

"Anything el—"

"So many questions," Raphael exhaled in a long sigh, shaking his head and sending narrowed eyes to Nate. "Why can't you just calmly sit still without speaking?"

"You can't even tell me where we're headed without throwing a temper tantrum?" Nate snapped.

When Raphael heard that, his head sharply turned towards Nate, his eyes in shock that he had been spoken to in that way. People that knew of him and Dante would never dare to even raise their tone or talk back. After a few seconds, his lips turned into a smile and he slowly shook his head. "I can see why Dante fancies you. We're going to a bar."

Nate turned away, already bothered that he had been tricked by Andrew, and now he was being given attitude for no reason, simply asking questions that anyone would want answers to. Raphael chuckled when he noticed his pouting, shaking his head as he continued to peacefully smoke his cigarette, in the silence he wanted.

When they reached the bar, Raphael unlocked the doors and squished the end of his cigarette in his ash try before lighting another one. Through the glassed doors, they could both see the crowd of people on there, the dancing and the chugging of beers, they could even see the tables where people played card games and the bartender rushing from left to right, pouring as many drinks as he could at once.

Raphael pointed to the doubles door and said, "He's in there."

That made Nate gulp; he wasn't sure what to even say to Dante at this point. The last time they had spoke, Dante had been hurt, it was noticeable in his gaze and the way he didn't seem as bold and shielded as he always did, as if nothing could ever get to him since his pedestal was high as a skyscraper.

Nate frowned when he glanced towards Raphael who didn't say anything else. "What did you need my help with?"

Raphael rolled his eyes in annoyance, pushing his car door open. "Getting him out of there." He slammed his door shut and made his way around the truck, waiting for Nate to descend before stepping in front of him to lead. "He's been off the railings ever since your little argument; I hate when he gets this way."

"Does he get this way often—?"

"Jesus," he grumbled, shaking his head as approached the door. "All you have to do is talk to him, get him out. He's been in and out of bars all week—he always does that when he has emotions he doesn't want to feel."

Nate furrowed his brows again and his lips sealed, shoving his head in his sweater's pockets before following Raphael inside. Raphael's presence had caused a few eyes to divert, women taking two or more glances, licking their lips flirtatiously or boasting their cleavages a bit more than a second ago. Even so, Nate agreed with them, Raphael was quite attractive, totally out of his league and the fact that he was tall made his presence much more noticeable.

Both their eyes searched through the throng, jumping from face to face, having a hard time finding Dante. Until they eventually saw him; he was wearing a suit similar to Raphael with his top buttons undone. His hair was disheveled, his eyes were unusually droopy and his lips were clearly swollen, which made Nate scoff. Even his face made it obvious he was drunk, it was tinted rose and they could hear his panting from across the place.

But he wasn't alone. There was another man with him, shorter than him, standing in front of him with a beer in his hand. They were both in their enclosed vibe, feeding off one another's energy as he watched Dante lick his upper, a wicked grin spread across his mouth before almost shoving his lips onto the man's, connected with such aggressiveness and hunger, as if he had been searching from someone ideal to devour.

Nate felt a stinging in his chest when that happened, his jaw clamping as he glanced towards Raphael who had a peculiar smirk on his lips. "How would you like me to get him out when he's shoving his tongue down someone else's throat?"

Raphael snorted without a response, stepping a bit closer to the two making out. "Hey Dante!" Dante instantly pulled away, keeping his fingers tightly grasping the man's jaw as he lifted his eyes, seeing Raphael walk towards him with an ecstatic smile. "I found someone you might be interested in." When Dante's eyes shifted to the side and met the bright blue ones he hadn't seen in numerous days, his entire face changed.