Page 47 of Summer Lessons

“I’m dating you because I want to spend time with you. Honestly, if we hadn’t had sex yet, I would have been finding ways to be near you. So, you know, maybe remember that if someone asks.” He let Terry pull away, popped the pill in his mouth, and washed it down with an angry swirl of milk.

“Never had anyone ask before,” Terry said, looking miserable. “Except girls who wanted to go out.”

“You ever…?” Not that he couldn’t be bi, but Mason was curious.

Terry shook his head. “Not once. I mean, I don’t get that much time to myself, you know? Had to be something I absolutely wanted.”

Oh. Yeah, that was nice to hear. “Well, you absolutely want me. And backatcha.”

He nodded, some strands from the knot of hair at his crown falling forward. Then he bent down and kissed Mason’s cheek. “Your brother’s real nice,” he said softly. “But I think I’m getting in his way.”

“You need to help him anyway,” Mason told him soberly. “Helping the family in the kitchen is sort of a test.”

Terry looked surprised. “Of what?”

“Whether you’re willing to be part of the family,” Mason told him reasonably. Ira had tried to help Janette in the kitchen all the time. She’d repeatedly turned him down because he got bossy and elitist about the food, but at least he had tried.

But the look on Terry’s face was skeptical. “And that gets me…?”

“Free lasagna and cookies?”

Ah—there was the look of something clicking. “Okay, I get it now. I’ll go finish up and bring you a plate.”

He left and Mason went back to pretending to watch the rerun. But all Dane and Terry’s conversation was based on getting dinner set up and plates full, so Mason didn’t learn anything else interesting by eavesdropping, and he reallywasstarving by the time food was served.

He managed to clean his plate before he fell asleep, and both Dane and Terry helped him up the stairs.

“You both may want to shower,” Dane told him as they set him on the bed. “I’ll go get Terry some sweats since he’s more my size.”

He left, and Terry darted an apologetic glance at Mason. “I sleep naked,” he whispered.

“You may want underwear so your balls don’t get twisted,” Mason replied back, because that was whyhealways slept in boxers. Terry nodded like this was new and important information, and maybe it was the pain meds, but Mason finally realized that he’d met someone who saw life in the same terms Mason always had: how best to care for and feed that strange animal that had been born between his legs.

“You’re so clever,” Terry said in admiration.

Dane showed up right then with clothes, which Terry said thank you for before disappearing into the bathroom.

“You going to be able to bathe yourself?” Dane asked, concerned.

“I’ll get his help if I need it,” Mason replied mildly.

Dane sucked air through his teeth and pulled thoughtfully at the scruff on his chin. “Uh, Mace, he means well and he’s better than pretty much any of the losers you’ve dated, but… uh, helping not his strong suit.”

Mason grimaced. The lettuce had been torn up into really big chunks. His jersey still smelled like ranch dressing because it hadn’t been easy to eat.

“We’ll work on it together,” he said with dignity.

“Well, here’s a plastic bag. Let me rubber band it to your ankle so you can work on it together and not have the damned bandage get wet.”

“D’oh!” Yeah, Mason should have thought of that.

“You’re really stoned, Mace. Just don’t sign anything permanent tonight, right?”

“Deed to the house is secure,” Mason said soberly, and Dane rolled his eyes and patted his head.

“No more soccer for you!”

“Not true,” Mason said. “We have to go. We have to cheer on the team!”