Page 23

Chapter 23

The Trouble with Secrets

Logan had never been particularly good at keeping secrets.

He and Oz aren't dating. Whatever you might call what they were getting up to, it definitely wasn't that. Friends-with-benefits kinda implied they were friends, which… Sure, they got along better now. But it's not like Oz showed up to Logan's games or Logan went to…whatever nerd thing Oz was up to on Saturday nights; coming back to their room late and ordering Logan to strip and sit on the edge of their — on Oz's bed, before going at Logan as if Oz was claiming some sort of — of battle prize.

Look, Kronos the Barbarian had turned out to be pretty good, alright? There were even comic books, too, which... Yeah, okay — Woop, woop: Nerd Alert. But fuck it; Oz had a bunch loaded up on his eReader, and they made for a good break after Logan finished up his homework assignments. Was it Logan's fault they might've also given him a few…ideas?

But even if Logan was borrowing Oz's books and watching his movies and getting his balls drained with a satisfying regularity; even if Oz was letting Logan drag him out to parties, provided Logan promised to play bodyguard against any further attempts at someone pulling a 'Wet Wally'; had stolen half of Logan's team hoodies, or let Logan pull him away from his games after midnight so Logan could fall asleep without the damned glow of a laptop keeping him awake…

They weren't dating. Not that 'hooking up' was quite the right term, either. Not when Oz demanded Logan sleep in his bed every night since they'd made their deal, even when they weren't having sex.

And it… It wasn't that Logan was trying to figure out what to call this because he wanted to tell people about him and Oz. He didn't. Holy shit, he really, really didn't.

But it was hard.

It was hard, because the only person he could tell was the one person he didn't need to tell. Who would no doubt laugh at him for sounding so soppy, grab Logan by the hair and yank until he knelt. Who'd grind his cock against Logan's face for a bit until they both got hard, then order Logan to strip so Oz could glaze some new part of him with cum.

It was especially hard when that volleyball player Logan had hooked up with before found him at a party; asking if he'd like to follow her upstairs for another go, and Logan couldn't tell her there's no way he could get it up so soon after his roommate just sucked Logan's soul out through his cock in the bathroom not five minutes before.

Or when Madeline cornered him after practice saying she wanted to try and work it out between them; offering to blow Logan in the utility closet next to the equipment room if he kept it quiet; knowing that Oz was expecting him laid out on his bunk in ten minutes — with Logan still sweaty from practice, the kinky bastard — for a round of frot that should not feel nearly as good as it did given half the time they still hadn't manged to get their underwear off before one or both was coming in their pants.

Or when your teammates are trying to get you to come out to the bars with them, or an impromptu house party, or a double date with their girlfriend's best friend. And you're stuck telling them you're somewhat tied up tonight, and can't. Or at least…you hope to be.

Last week, Logan had finally gotten a peek at the contents of Oz's mystery box he had stashed away at the bottom of his closet. And as anxiety-inducing as Logan found most of the items, others… Well, what Oz kept locked inside it was better, was what Logan was saying. Sure as hell hadn't turned out to be a bunch of big-breasted catgirl figures, had it?

So… yeah. He and Oz weren't dating. And yet, weirdly, Logan couldn't help but feel like they were, somehow? Sometimes, Logan will wake up in the middle of the night to find Oz rolled over, nearly falling off the other side of the tiny mattress onto the floor, and… And it's Logan who reaches out for him. Logan, who tucks a sleeping Oz against his chest. Logan, who frowns at the sight of Oz's empty pillow in the morning. Logan, who's swallowing back the regret that, once again, he didn't say, "Stay."

He and Oz weren't dating, and… Logan's not sure how to feel about that anymore.