Another snippet from Placeless

I'm so excited about the direction the next Bay Wolves story is taking that I'm sharing another snippet. This is when the narrator, Keaton, first runs into Scotty.

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The nearest theater was the AMC on Van Ness, an easy jog in my current state. I loved the fact that it was a converted building designed to fit into the architecture of the neighborhood instead of screaming modern movieplex. The individual theaters weren’t large, and you had to take an escalator to get up to the top floor which was a pain in the ass if you were running late, but during the day, it wasn’t busy, so I could sit in quiet and enjoy whatever I wanted.

Needless to say, I went a lot. I’d always loved the escapism of Hollywood, imagining myself up on the big screen as I went to audition after audition. Now, I viewed it all with a sense of sad nostalgia, because the odds of me ever acting again were pretty much nil.

As I paid for my ticket, a guy got into line behind me. He was shorter than me, probably five-eight at best, with windblown black hair and dark eyes partially obscured by heavy-framed hipster glasses. The clothes were pure hipster, too, his jacket hanging open to reveal a flat stomach and slim hips. When our gazes met, he smiled, and for a split second, I got distracted by how damn pretty it made him. He might be older than me by five or six years, but before I’d been changed, I would’ve hit on him at a bar in a heartbeat.

The corner of my mouth lifted before I turned back to the cashier. A second later, a wave of arousal hit my senses.

My breath caught at how intense it was. Being able to smell other people’s desires had overwhelmed me at first, especially when I got rented out during my captivity. I didn’t want to know how badly those men and women wanted me, especially when I was shifted. Rather than make me feel desirable, it reminded me I was a creature to them, not a man. I’d learned how to tamp down my disgust, both with them and myself. It made living with it easier. A lot easier.

Since I’d been freed, I was too much of a loner to find myself around people who’d find me attractive. Corey didn’t, but then Corey was straight as far as I could tell. Nobody in group was interested in me in that way, either. That was the sum total of my human encounters for the most part.

The man behind me thought I was hot. Very hot. And knowing that might’ve been the first thing to make me feel human in a very long time.

My gait was looser as I strolled inside and headed for the concession stand. I ordered popcorn with extra butter and a large soda, during which time my admirer from the ticket booth showed up to buy his own movie snacks. The smell of him was stronger than the food, and my dick began to harden against my thigh.

That was a first. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been aroused of my own volition.

I stepped aside as I waited for my order, angling so I could look at him more naturally. He smiled first, which made it easier to break through my shell and smile back. It wasn’t much, probably obscenely shy compared to how confident I used to be, but considering how crappy this day had been already, I shocked myself by being able to smile at all.