It was hours later when I woke again. It was still dark, and I was briefly confused as to my whereabouts. Then I remembered. I was in Mack’s hotel and, discount or not, the giant bed was supercomfortable. I had fallen asleep in my usual position, lying on my right side, facing the door. I didn’t have to turn over to know I was alone.

I could feel that I was alone.

Sure enough, when I sat up, the other side of the bed was empty.

The darkness was puzzling, since I was feeling incredibly well rested. Leaning out of the bed, I hooked up my discarded jeans and fished around in the pockets for my phone, swiping clumsily at the screen.

10:09.

The fuck?

I glanced at the window. There was one line of bright sunshine where the curtains didn’t quite meet in the middle. Black-out curtains.

Oh well, at least I wasn’t due in for a shift in the café today—though I had planned to make an early start on the paperwork mountain waiting at home...

I got out of bed and headed to the bathroom, where I took a long morning piss. I stared at my dick and thought about what I’d done with it last night. About Mack’s face as I’d pushed my cock into his mouth. The way his body had arched and writhed under me as I fucked him.

His words in the night between us.

“Hold me.”

Had Mack had left, or had he just popped out for some reason and intended on coming back? And if he did come back, would he be up for another round of sex, time allowing? When did we have to leave the room anyway? Wasn’t it usually eleven for checking out of hotels?

I slouched back into the bedroom, switched on the lights, and cast my gaze about the room. The rucksack and guitar case were gone.

Then I spotted the note.

Nathan,

Didn’t want to wake you, sleeping beauty :-) but I’ve got to be somewhere today, so I’m off. Room’s paid—you’ve got to be out by 11.

Have a great life.

M

Short and to the point.

Nice note. Nice guy. Great sex.

The reason I felt so hollow? It had to be that serial-monogamist gene kicking in. The one that turned every guy I fucked into a potential boyfriend.

Yeah, that was it.

Gav picked me up at the hotel an hour later in my car. He’d brought all my stuff so I could drop him off, then drive straight back to Porthkennack. We spent the journey to his flat teasing each other about our respective hookups and how quickly we’d both ended up leaving Club Indigo.

“You going to see Adam again then?” I asked, waggling my eyebrows at him.

Gav grinned. “Well, I’d definitely fuck him again. My God, Nath, his mouth.”

“Is that all? He seemed to be very into you. And a nice guy.”

“He is a nice guy.” Gav shrugged. “But I need to be single for a while longer. I can’t just jump into another relationship like—” He flushed.

I understood immediately. “Oh. Like me, you mean?”

He sent me a brief apologetic look. “I only mean I don’t want to end up in a rebound relationship.”

“Hey!” I protested. “None of my boyfriends were rebound guys.”

“No,” Gav agreed. “You were never in love enough with any of them to need a rebound guy. The point is, you just sort of fell into every one of those relationships.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I said, offended. “I didn’t fall into anything.”

“Yeah, you did,” Gav scoffed. “You’d let their eagerness to be your boyfriend carry you along for a while till you finally came to your senses and realised you weren’t in love. And then you’d fall into exactly the same pattern with the next poor sap!”

“It wasn’t like that!”

“So you loved them all, did you?”

“Of course I loved them—I still love them—all of them.”

“You see?”

“What? No.”

“You still love them now—all of them—the same as when you were with them. You were never in love with any of them. Not like I was with Carrie.”

I opened my mouth to protest, then closed it again, frowning.

“Anyway,” Gav said, waving an airy hand. “What about you and this Mack?”

“One-nighter,” I said firmly. “Didn’t even get a number.”

“Disappointed?”

I sighed. “Maybe a bit.”

Maybe a lot.

“I thought you weren’t looking for a relationship either?”

“I’m not.”

“Then why . . .?” he trailed off invitingly.

I said, “There was just . . . something about him.”

“Hold me.”

I swallowed against a sudden lump in my throat, then before Gav could ask me any more questions, I changed the subject, saying thickly, “Hey, keep an eye out for a coffee place will you? I need to get some caffeine before I head back to Porthkennack.”

Thankfully, it was enough to distract him. “Fuck, yeah, coffee,” he groaned. “I need a triple Americano right now.”

And after that, Mack was forgotten.

By Gav, at least.