Page 31 of Necessary Time

“Him, for one. Your brother for two.”

“Or Miles,” I added, snapping my mouth closed before I could stop myself from talking.

“I won’t tell Miles that his boyfriend’s colleague wants you, don’t worry.”

I tilted my chin down, collapsing onto the edge of my bed with a groan. I’d clicked with Grayson from the first time we met and even if I was frustrated by his line of questioning about Colin, I knew he meant well. He wasn’t trying to judge me or be mean. He was doing exactly what I needed. He was being a friend.

“You think he does?” I asked quietly.

“Relatively sure of it.”

“Shit.”

“Yeah.” Grayson nodded, stretching out his legs and falling back onto my bed. “I have to admit, though, I didn’t really ping you as gay.”

“I’m not.”

“Bi, then. Pan. Whatever label you want. I figured you were into women.”

I scrubbed a hand down my face and lay down beside him. We both stared up at the modern ceiling fan above my bed, and I listened to the blades whir above us.

“I’ve never been with a man before,” I said. “I’ve kissed. Or I’ve been kissed by a guy, but that’s all.”

“How did that go for you?”

“Horrible. He was my best friend. David. I’d known him for most of my life and he was drinking one night, we both were, even though we’re underage.”

“I remember well,” Grayson agreed.

“He kissed me and it scared me.”

“Because you liked it?” he asked.

“Because it was him and he was my best friend. I wasn’t…I’m still not interested in him like that.”

“But it got things turning for you?” Grayson sat up and rolled his neck around, cracking it in at least three places.

“Eventually. I was in denial about it for a bit, but then I realized there was something to it, and then I met Colin.”

“I never pinned you as the daddy issues type,” he teased.

I stretched over and grabbed one of my pillows, throwing it at his face. “It’s not like that.”

“Oh, I know.” He flung the pillow back at me. “I’m just giving you a hard time. So, what happened with David?”

“I don’t know. I moved to California.”

Grayson’s jaw went slack, mouth falling open. “Wait, that’s why you decided to move?”

“That’s why I came to visit.” I tossed my pillow back at the head of my bed and stood up, smoothing out my shirt and shaking out the legs of my pants. “I moved because things were weird. David and I lived together.”

“And your brother has no idea?”

“I don’t know how to tell him. He tries so hard to parent me and I just don’t want that from him about it. I asked Miles to talk to him, so he could cool down or something before I told him.”

“You know…” Grayson took a step backward toward the door. “This is an unpopular opinion, but you don’t have to tell him at all.”

“What?”