Page 24 of Psycho

“I get it, but you gotta rein it in, bro, or Dad will try to take him away from you. So, pull it together, okay? Good talk.”

“Wait! I need Noah,” August said.

Adam sighed heavily. “He’s a little…tied up right now.”

August let out a breath through his nose, his rage still sending shivers along his skin. “It will only take a minute. This can’t wait.”

Adam groaned. “Do you have any idea how long it takes to tie these restraints? He’ll call you later.”

August frowned. “Oh. You meant literally tied up?”

There was a long-suffering sigh. “Yes. Literally. I have him literally tied to our bed right now. Call back later.”

Noah’s muffled voice came from somewhere nearby. “Oh, my God, Adam. You cannot just tell people you have me tied to the bed.”

“Why not? You are. Besides, it’s not people. It’s August.” To August, he said, “He’ll call you later.”

August’s mouth flattened into a hard line. “But I need him now. I have a date.”

“A date?” Adam said, perking up.

“Put him on speakerphone,” Noah demanded.

“You can’t be serious?” Adam asked, clearly not talking to August. Noah gave a muffled response before Adam said, “Ugh, fine. Five minutes. That’s all you get. You hear me? Five.”

“Deal,” August agreed.

He didn’t need long, anyway. He just needed to know what he was supposed to do on a date. They’d had lunch together, and that had led to kissing and petting and rubbing off on each other in a way August found…most agreeable. But was that a date? Like, didn’t dates involve fancy restaurants or movies or walking on the beach? August didn’t know what the hell he was doing.

“Wh—” Noah’s breath hitched. “What’s up, dude?”

His voice was strained, but August knew firsthand that being tied up could be stressful. “I’m supposed to go on a date with Lucas. Like tonight.”

“That’s good,” Noah assured him, voice filled with false cheer.

“I’ve never been on a date before,” August said, his voice now as tense as Noah’s.

Once more, there was a sudden sharp intake of breath. “Okay. Well, where are you going?”

“His place.”

“Oh, yeah. Fuck, keep doing that,” Noah whispered.

August frowned. “Doing what? I’m not doing anything.”

“Not you,” Noah said.

August rolled his eyes. “We’re supposed to have dinner and talk about his killer ex-coworker.”

He heard Adam snicker but paid no attention.

“Most people just make small talk on a first date, but, honestly, this seems right on brand for you,” Noah mused.

“Are you sure it’s a date?” Adam asked, sounding doubtful.

August frowned. “It is. I asked. He said yes.”

Noah still sounded unsure. “Okay, well…good.”