Page 9 of Demon's Heart

Across the living room, the bathroom door swung open. “Hey, I’ll be back out in a minute,” Harper called as he hurried to his room, wrapped in a towel.

Ollie smiled. Harper always seemed excited to join him and Dex, no matter what they were doing.

“How was dinner with his boyfriend last night?” Dex asked after Harper disappeared.

Ollie placed the fruit on a cutting board and grabbed a knife. “It was good.”

Dex paused with a stack of plates in his hand. “But…”

Ollie narrowed his eyes. “I didn’t say there was a but.”

Dex set the plates down, brows raised. “I’ll wait.”

He gave the best—or was it the worst—knowing looks. Dex had these cool gray eyes that made him seem intense even when he didn’t mean to be. Kind of like Dante’s stare, but Dex had never made Ollie’s insides melt.

Ollie might as well give in. Dex could stand there all day. “Ash brought his hot friend, and I may have flirted a little too much right off the bat. I think he likes me.” He grimaced.

“Oh, the horror.” Dex pressed his hand to his chest, his face blank and tone criminally dry.

Ollie pushed him. Dex didn’t budge. “You know I hate turning down guys who want to date me.”

“Did he ask you out?”

“No.” Ollie turned back to the fruit. “But I got a vibe.”

Dex grabbed Ollie’s shoulder and shifted him back around. “You know I love teasing you, but if him liking you makes you uncomfortable, there’s nothing to feel bad about in turning him down.”

“I know.” Ollie puffed out a tired breath. “But I hate the whole…you know, confrontation. Especially when they aren’t dicks about it.”

Turning down kind, considerate guys was harder than turning down guys who got defensive. People who got mad about your rejection weren’t people you wanted to date, but knowing someone was a decent person still wasn’t enough to tempt Ollie into a relationship.

It wasn’t only about fear of finding himself in an abusive or unhealthy situation again. Not dating was about being true to himself and not defaulting to someone else. It was a bad habit Ollie fell into, and it could happen even with the most respectful partner.

He wasn’t living for other people anymore. Not at the expense of himself.

“Maybe you should lay out your boundaries before he asks you out. Be upfront so there’s no confusion,” Dex suggested.

That wasn’t a bad idea. “Maybe. I guess there’s nothing wrong with being clear where I’m at. But I don’t know when I’ll hang out with him again, so I’ll worry about it later.”

Harper reappeared in the living room, wearing cut-off shorts and a crop top.

“Look at you.” Ollie grinned. He’d never seen Harper in a crop top.

Harper’s cheeks turned pink, and he ran a hand over his shirt. “Does it look okay?”

“It looks great.”

Harper smiled, his cheeks fading to their usual color. He’d confided in Ollie that he’d never been allowed to dress the way he wanted growing up. Seeing Harper flourish now that he was free of his family and their cult gave Ollie all sorts of proud, warm tingles.

How cool was it that he got to be part of Harper exploring new things and getting to know himself better?

They all fixed their coffees and plated the cinnamon rolls and fruit, taking everything to the living room. The small apartment didn’t have a dining table, but Ollie never missed it. Other than last night, it wasn’t like he hosted dinner parties.

Ollie turned on the TV and his PlayStation before sitting on the couch between Dex and Harper. “What are we feeling today?” He set his plate on the coffee table and grabbed a controller to scroll through his loaded games.

Harper took a bite of cinnamon roll, shaking his head. “I won’t play.”

“Are you not into gaming?” Dex asked like he couldn’t understand how someone would pass it up.