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about buddies like that.
    Jackson reopened one of the messages, but the gut feeling he had in response made him close it again.
    It was worth waiting for more.

Chapter 7
Chase
    The music was pounding by the time Chase made it to the only gay club in the city. It was clean and classy, with lights and music that always made Chase feel a little higher on life. And the drinks were good and cheap. Even if it had been expensive and overrated, he still would've had to go. It was one of like two in the whole province.
    Ugh, this place sometimes.
    But it was so out of the way that it was the last place anyone would think to look for him.
    It had been a long night, and still nobody had bitten. “Another cooler, please,” he called over the counter to the bartender. He didn't even mind the music being loud up here by the bar. It was okay sometimes not to have to make conversation with the guys standing next to him.
    After Chase paid for his cooler, he turned and leaned against the counter. Time to scan the room for available men.
    It was often the same kind of crowd from week to week, so he already saw at least half a dozen guys he'd gone home with. He chugged from the bottle and decided he wanted someone new, but wouldn't complain if it were a repeat.
    The club wasn't just for gay guys. The queers and freaks and shy people who didn't feel comfortable going out to mainstream bars wound up here. Lots of students who were flexible in their gender or sexuality, too. Then there were visitors from small towns looking to join the “big city's” nightlife.
    It was a good thing. It made for some variety, otherwise it would have been the same hundred guys all the time.
    Chase liked that he got so much attention here. Sure, every pickup line was the same, but it took the effort out of it. He wore his short-sleeved shirt or a low v-neck t-shirt to show off his tattoos. It made it easy for guys to approach and talk to him about them.
    Some nights, like tonight, the conversation didn't go anywhere with anyone, though. The club was nearly closing and there still wasn't a nibble. It was frustrating.
    He heard someone talking over the music and turned to take him in. “Nice tats.”
    “Thanks,” Chase automatically answered. The guy was a little taller than him with broad shoulders and blond hair, and a wicked smile. He had nice lips, at least. It might have been just the lighting, but his skin looked a little darker... Italian? He had the curly hair for it. “I'm Chase.”
    “Antonio.”
    Definitely Italian, then. Someone foreign – that was a bit more interesting. He turned to face Antonio. “Studying abroad?”
    “Yeah. It's my first semester, so I moved here on August first to start my lease.” Antonio looked casual. He wore a short-sleeved collared shirt of his own and nice, smooth-looking trousers. He dressed well, then. All the Europeans did – the few who wound up in this city, anyway. Not a lot of people wanted to study abroad here compared to, say, Vancouver or Halifax or Toronto.
    Chase nodded, taking a few deep gulps of his cooler. The accented words rolled off Antonio's tongue effortlessly. “You speak good English. Did you grow up speaking it?”
    “Yes. English, French, and Italian. They're all pretty easy to learn.” Antonio's eyes were raking up and down his body.
    “We learn French, too, but it's Québécois. A little more slangy, I hear.” Desire burned through Chase's body in response to the look. Just being wanted was enough to make him tingle. Being lusted after was even better.
    Being lusted after by a stranger, someone he didn't have to look in the eye later, was fucking perfect.
    It was probably sick, but that was the way it was: Chase needed to be wanted by people who didn't know who he was. Once the relationship got deeper, he got scared off. He was used to it and he adapted his dating patterns accordingly.
    Antonio chuckled. His eyes were back on Chase's, and there was no doubt what he wanted. He slowly