Harmony: A Bromance Read online

  Dallas Redford

  Harmony

  A Bromance

  Copyright © 2020 by Dallas Redford

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise without written permission from the publisher. It is illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, or distribute it by any other means without permission.

  This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

  Dallas Redford asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

  Designations used by companies to distinguish their products are often claimed as trademarks. All brand names and product names used in this book and on its cover are trade names, service marks, trademarks and registered trademarks of their respective owners. The publishers and the book are not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book. None of the companies referenced within the book have endorsed the book.

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  Contents

  Story Preview

  Devon

  Devon

  Anthony

  Devon

  Anthony

  Devon

  Epilogue One

  Epilogue Two

  Story Preview

  Devon

  When my bro isn’t acting like his normal self, I fly into action to help him feel better, orchestrating the perfect cheat day. But when it leads to something more between us, I know that it’s exactly what I’ve been looking for even if he is another dude.

  Anthony

  I’m super grateful that Devon has always been there for me. He even cheers me up when I realize that my dream of being a singer won’t come true. After a cheat day that leads to us going across the bros-line into something more, I find myself wondering if something more than just being bros with him is just a distant dream as well…

  Two guys discover a sexy new dimension they never could have anticipated in their relationship. Will they learn to trust one another and embrace the unknown? Or will it all implode?

  Devon

  After my third text went unanswered, I decided I was annoyed with Anthony. He’d skipped out on our plans to play basketball the previous night and he hadn’t picked up the phone when I called him to see what the hell was going on with him. I had texted him this morning before I went to work— we were both in the advertising industry and that was how we had met— and he hadn’t responded to my offer of lunch. His office was in the tower right across from mine in an upscale part of London; I’d even stopped in to visit him as I was going to eat but the receptionist had informed me that no one had seen him.

  I wasn’t exactly worried. There was no reason to be. Anthony was one of my closest friends and if I knew anything about him, it was that he was usually good at taking care of himself. My guess was that he had gone out last night and instead of spending the night with me, he’d met some chick and taken her home. Typical Anthony.

  Well, maybe it did annoy me. I mean, I was all for my boys getting laid but I couldn’t shake this growing feeling I’d had lately, that maybe Anthony should stop hooking up with randoms. I’d been wrestling with whether I would talk to him about it or not. I was pretty much decided on not.

  When it got to be almost three and I still hadn’t heard from him or even seen an update on his social media, I did start to wonder what was going on with him. After work, I skipped the gym and went over to his condo to see if there were any signs of life there. It was leg day, after all, so it wasn’t that big of a sacrifice. (Who am I kidding? I was obsessed with getting the wheels to where they needed to be. Not that I was getting any complaints…) It also worked out that I was taking this day off because I needed to pop into the stores and grab something to wear to Jaclyn’s party later that night. I had agreed to attend back when we were all together in Bali.

  Me, her and Anthony had ended up at the same resort over winter break. Those two had stopped talking since then but I still needed to go to her party. Anthony and I were so close that I knew that he would understand. Jaclyn was connected in a way that few people were and I was bound to network with someone who could get me more fashion shows to walk in order to build up my modeling portfolio.

  Anthony and I both were going all in on the Influencer lifestyle. It worked with our myriad interests. Plus, it was a good way to make easy cash and get free stuff.

  I had a key card to get into his building; I went over there so much that he had given me one. I used that to get in the front door. Once I got up to his floor, the hall was completely empty, so I felt okay going under his welcome mat and getting his back up key. I had one of those, too, but I’d left it at home.

  Inside, it was dark. The curtains were drawn. The TV which he usually kept on, tuned to ESPN, was off. Even the streaming box lacked it’s shining red dot. It looked like no one had been home for weeks. The flowers were kind of sagging by the window.There was usually some kind of wrapper or something left over on his coffee table because of his ridiculous sweet tooth. Instead, the coffee table was as clean as a whistle.

  Okay. Now, I was worried. “Anthony?” I called out.

  There was no reply. I walked toward the kitchen and dining room. “Anthony?” I called again but no one replied. As I passed the kitchen, I saw what I imagined was the handle of a soaking pot sticking up out of the sink. But, no Anthony.

  When I got to his bedroom, I was certain that there was no one in the home, so I walked right in. The room was dark. It smelled warm, lived in. Honestly, it smelled like Anthony. Familiar.

  When I saw him in the bed, I knew something had happened.

  I flew over to the bed and shook him. “Anthony!” I screamed.

  “What?” he said, sitting up. His hair was tousled and sticking up all over his head.

  “God!” I pressed a fist to my forehead and sat down on the edge of the mattress, my chest pounding. I took a few deep breaths to get myself back together. “You motherfucker. You scared the shit out of me.”

  He turned over, looking kind of lazy. Like he was seeing me but he couldn’t make sense of things. He reached for his phone and tapped the screen on. I could see my messages there along with a ton of other messages. I wanted to be mad at him for being such a spaz but I couldn’t.

  “You okay, bro?” I said.

  “Yeah. Just drank too much last night.”

  I punched him in the shoulder. “You ass. We were supposed to go ball last night and have boys night.”

  “Stop.” He gave me a sheepish smile. “I just needed to blow off some steam.”

  “I bet you did. Who was she?”

  “Nah, there wasn’t anyone. I wish. I went out by myself. It was chill.”

  He sounded okay with it but I knew that I wasn’t okay with whatever was going on. Anthony hated being alone. He didn’t even like eating dinner by himself. Much less, a whole evening. And, also, I didn’t like the idea of him being upset and all on his own. I didn’t want to be in his business if he didn’t feel like he wanted to talk about whatever was on his mind…but he was in the house sleeping at three in the afternoon.

  “Well, it’s time to get up, now.” I told him, throwing the covers off of him. Then, I immediately threw them back on him.

  He didn’t have on anything underneath the sheets! And my boy was sporting a bit of wood. I’d seen him naked before, of course, but I had never seen him erect. My boy was packing. It was p
robably one of the longest, thickest cocks I’d ever seen. And I’d only glimpsed it.

  “Put some clothes on, you perv,” I said while leaving his room.

  “I’m in my fucking house!” he yelled back.

  Admittedly, he had a point.

  * * *

  A few minutes later, he emerged from his room and joined me in the living room where I was knocking back a couple shots of vodka to wipe that image of his thick hard cock out of my mind. He looked super cozy in his gray sweatshirt and pants. I had a sudden urge to go and hug him and I didn’t know why. I didn’t, though. I stayed where I was across the room next to his bar tray.

  “What’s up?” he said, leaning against the wall, crossing his arms.

  “Uh, Jaclyn’s party? Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten?”

  He turned as if to leave the room. “Hell no.”

  “Dude. Weren’t you the one who told me you always get like fifty or a hundred new followers every time you go to one of her parties?”

  We’d kind of become Instagram famous. It was purely by mistake. We’d gone Live a few times while we were on a trip to Thailand last year. People had screenshot the lives and we’d basically gone viral.

  “I’m not going,” he said before exiting. “Lock the front door, please.”

  “Hey,” I said, crossing the room, “What’s going on?” I’d pushed him up against the wall. I didn’t mean to but once I’d done it, I didn’t care. If he was going to be upset and not talk to me about whatever it was, I was going to make him talk. “Dude, you’re seriously starting to freak me out. What’s up?”

  He grimaced but he didn’t try to move away. Progress?

  Then, because it seemed like the perfect thing to do, I pulled him into my arms. For a second, he resisted it but then he relaxed into the embrace. I don’t know why I did it. I was acutely aware of the thudding of his heart which matched the rhythm of my own. There was his scent again which I was realizing I knew pretty well. He smelled good. In addition to that, I felt myself starting to get slightly hard and that’s when I knew that we had probably held each other for too long. Him, clutching the back of my shirt and shit. We weren’t behaving like ourselves, two straight guys that were basically brothers.

  I let him go. He leaned back against the wall and sighed. “I’m just having a bad day. Go to the party. Tell Jaclyn I said hi.” He started picking at some lint on the arm of my jacket, avoiding looking me in the eyes. “Maybe we can kick it tomorrow?”

  Things suddenly felt so strangely intimate. We were whispering as we talked.

  I nodded. “Okay, yeah. That sounds good. We can see what’s up with that festival Brandon was talking about. Think you’d be up that?”

  Anthony winced but recovered quickly. Didn’t matter, I still felt my heart break.

  Whatever was bothering him, I needed to get to the bottom of it ASAP. Brandon was another friend of ours that had branched out from being an Instagram model into throwing his own fashion and luxury party events. According to Brandon, it was the best. He didn’t have to go into any office. Could work from any part of the world. It was really cool. When he was his normal self, Anthony loved hanging out with him Brandon. I did, too. Lots of drink, fit babes, we never had to pay for shit.

  “Yeah,” Anthony said. “Let’s maybe go to Brandon’s thing. That sounds like it would be fun.”

  I didn’t believe him but I said goodbye anyway. I let myself out.

  Devon

  I found a sharp suit to wear to the party that night on the Last Season rack at one of my favorite designer stores. Normally I wouldn’t have wanted something last season or something so expensive but I was into it. It fit me perfectly and I felt like a boss in it.

  Shopping was quick and easy, even if the only thing that was running through my head was Anthony. And that whole hugging him and getting hard thing…That was weird. But, it had been a while since I’d gotten laid, what with focusing on work and stuff. It made sense that my little guy might get confused about a hug. Even more reason for me to go to Jaclyn’s party and make sure that I pull a hot chick for the night.

  I got to the party a little late. Even though the suit was perfect, I’d found myself torn between a couple of shirt options. I finally settled on a cream-colored silk one that felt like butter once it was on my body. I took a GoThere car to the restaurant where Jaclyn was hosting her event.

  “I’m here for Jaclyn’s party,” I told the hostess so she could point me to the event space.

  The hostess asked my name and I told her. She then told me I could go through. Jaclyn had apparently bought out the whole restaurant for the night. Damn. I wondered who she’d gotten to sponsor the event. She was definitely rising as a star and there was gossip that she was almost confirmed for Love Island next season, and of course she was going to go to Big Brother afterward. She was on a meteoric rise as an Influencer.

  She looked stunning when I saw her. Her long black hair draping down her back. Her eyes were a dazzling shade of gray. It contrasted perfectly with the bright blue of her dress. A dress that was hugging every curve of her five foot three body. I hadn’t gone there. And of course, since I followed bro code, I never would go there since Anthony had hit that. But, there was no denying that Jaclyn was dynamite.

  “How are you, love?” she said, pushing a shoulder toward me as we half-hugged.

  “Good, babe,” I said. “You got a smashing event going on here.”

  “Yeah,” she said, looking around the room. “Make sure you circle. I told a few of my girlfriends that you would be here and they want to meet you.”

  I told her I would make sure to do that. Then, I grabbed a cocktail from the waiter as he went by. I drank the drink as I mingled, talking to people here and there. Even met one of those girls she’d mentioned, a blonde babe named Caroline. By the time I was done with my drink, I was done with the party, too.

  As I was sneaking out the side door without saying goodbye to anyone, I couldn’t help but wonder why. I didn’t know what had switched my mood. I’d been looking forward to this party for weeks. It wasn’t until I was walking past a bakery and saw a piece of chocolate cake in the window that I realized what it was.

  I went in and got that cake. After all, I deserved a cheat day. Even if I had skipped out on leg day. I wasn’t like the other guys. I rarely did cheat days. It was easy for me to eat clean. But every once in a while, I indulged. Usually with Anthony by my side.

  That was why I made the next stop Tesco, where picked up his favorite cheat dessert: cookie dough ice cream.

  I’d been feeling off all night and finally, I knew why: Anthony wasn’t with me. We did everything together. Jaclyn’s party hadn’t felt right without him. Especially if he was at home upset.

  I got to his building not too long after the store. Even though something told me to call, I let myself in again. Why should I call? He was probably still in bed.

  Except that he wasn’t.

  He was standing in the kitchen, cooking something that smelled really good. Anthony had always been a good cook and I was almost bummed that I hadn’t come earlier so he could make some for me.

  He smiled when he saw me locking the door behind me. “Just make yourself at home, then.”

  “Sorry, I thought you were still in bed being a hermit.”

  He’d lost his sweatshirt at some point and I could see that he’d gotten a tiny bit chubby. Honestly, it didn’t look bad on him. Some people didn’t look their best with five percent body fat.

  I came in and plopped my bounty on a table before joining him in the kitchen. I grabbed a beer from his fridge.

  “Party was that good, huh?” He was finishing up cooking and he grabbed down an extra plate. It was clear that the chicken, veggies and rice he’d made was a meal for one but he pushed a plate piled with half of the steaming entree over to me anyway.

  I told him what went down. How it was a big event and there were a ton of people there. “I wish you’d gone.”


  “And missed out on this meal? You’re mad.” He grinned. It was nice to see him smiling. I didn’t have to worry.

  “Did she ask about me?” he said.

  That question was a bit confusing to me. As far as he’d told me, he was over Jaclyn and wanted nothing to do with her. A question like this made me think that he still wanted her. I was about to ask him about it but he sat down with his plate and said, “Let’s eat!”

  Digging into the food was heavenly. The chicken was tasty and the veggies were cooked just right. I was so hungry without even realizing it. I was happy that I had his cookie dough ice cream so I wasn’t exactly empty handed in this situation.

  “This is what you should be doing,” I said between mouthfuls. “You should open a restaurant. Anthony’s Eats or something.”

  He smirked. “Nah. What I need to be doing is singing but that’s not going to happen.” He shook his head. “Especially now.”

  “What?”

  “It’s nothing.”

  I sat back. “Anthony, you just said ‘especially now’ like something happened. Now, tell me what happened. ”

  He looked at me and sighed. Then, he put his fork down. “So, you know how I said I went out and got drunk last night?”

  “Yes. Without me. But we won’t talk about that.”

  “Well,” he looked up like he was weighing his options. “I did go and get drunk last night. But there was a reason.”

  “Jaclyn?”

  “No. I mean, well, yes, but not exactly.”

  “I don’t understand.” I took a sip of my water. He’d put a ton of jalapenos in the dish.

  “I had an audition yesterday.”

  “What?” I said, jumping up. “Dude!”

  He shook his head. “No. No, I didn’t get it. That’s the thing. They were supposed to call me last night and they didn’t call me. I went to the bar thinking I was maybe going to be celebrating but then they didn’t call so I just stayed and got wasted so I didn’t have to think about it.”