Page 6

I race inside. Who the fuck was that person on the patio? Any game I had with Wade a few seconds ago is gone, replaced by a burning feeling from head to toe. A pleasurable burning feeling, but still.

I don't do stuff like that. I don't make flirty small talk. I don't play handsies. I don't kiss my best friend! I've never been that guy. Until about two minutes ago, that is.

I turn the tap to run some cold water over my hands, but nothing comes out. Oh, that's right. Wade hasn't had a chance to turn the water back on. Okay, okay. I fan my face with one hand as I prepare the kibble with the other.

Rufus starts munching away as soon as the bowl hits the ground. I straighten and look out the window, watching as Wade makes his way back from the well. He's in the same clothes he was in before, jeans and a red flannel shirt unbuttoned over a black T-shirt, but he looks different somehow. He looks up and catches me staring at him. He smiles, and even that seems different.

I spin around. "Okay, I need to get a grip. It was just a kiss. It doesn't change anything," I mutter under my breath, finishing my mini pep talk just before Wade steps into the house.

"I'll, uh…" He points toward the hall. "Go check if the tap is good."

"Okay. Um…"

He stops in place. "Yes?"

I scratch my arm awkwardly, caught in a weird space between losing my nerve while desperately trying to recapture some of the courage I had only a few short minutes ago. A surge of adrenaline shoots through me as I push off the counter. "Do you need a hand with that? I mean, I can't in good conscience allow you to risk your life alone."

The corner of his mouth tips up. "No. Only a terrible person would do that."

"Exactly. And I'm not terrible."

"No." He licks his lips and shoots me a look across the kitchen that sends my already thudding heart racing even more. "You most definitely are not."

I grab his hand and lead him down the hall, remembering in the nick of time he can't run or move quickly, so I suppress my impulse to just drag him into my bedroom. We get there in decent time, though.

He smirks. "This isn't the bathroom."

"That's right. Consider this your safety orientation." I lead him to the bed and wave a hand in front of my body. "This is your safety… Now orient yourself."

He lets out a loud, unguarded laugh. "You're…" He inhales, his eyes sparkling. "Incredible."

I give his belt buckle a rough yank. "If I were you, I'd reserve judgment on that until…"

Our eyes meet. I lift a brow. Seductively. I hope. He's not running away, so I think I might be pulling it off, but then his lips straighten into a thin line, and he says flatly, "No."

"No?"

"First, we should talk."

I tap his belt buckle a couple of times in a last-ditch effort to keep the train to Blowjobsville on track before I lose my remaining nerve completely, possibly forever. He gently lifts my hand off him and steers me toward the bed.

"Okay, fine. Let's talk," I say, sitting down, trying not to sound too dejected.

It takes him a little longer to ease down and get settled. He folds one leg on the bed, keeps the other straight, and turns to me, staring into my eyes for a few long beats.

"What is it?" I ask self-consciously.

Don't tell me I've totally misread everything and completely messed things up. My heart is in my throat when he finally answers. "Nothing. I'm just getting used to the fact that I've kissed you."

"Was it…okay?"

"I wouldn't say okay."

"You wouldn't?"

He leans in, smiling. "I'd say more like the kiss I've been waiting my whole life for."

"Oh, thank fuck." A wave of relief washes over me. "I was worried there for a moment."

"You have nothing to worry about." He plays with a loose thread on my bedspread. "I've never seen this side of you."

"Neither have I."

He cocks his head. "What do you mean?"

"I mean I'm not usually like this. Or, ever, really." I look into his eyes. "It's you, Wade. You've always made me feel seen. You're the only person who chose to be friends with me and not my brothers when we were younger. You've always accepted me and all my idiosyncrasies. You make me feel it's okay to be, well, me."

He breathes in sharply, and a muscle in his jaw pulses. "If all that's true, then why did you knock me back at graduation?"

"I didn't mean to. It came out wrong."

"Saying 'we shouldn't' is pretty clear, Logan."

"I got cut off," I explain. "I meant to say we shouldn't kiss there, in front of everyone. I did want to kiss you, but I wanted the moment to be…special."

"Seriously?"

I nod, biting into my lip. "Seriously."

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"Why didn't you?"

"Clearly because I'm a grade-A idiot."

"I whole-heartedly agree with that assessment."

That breaks some of the tension that's built up in the room. He throws his head back and says, "Fuuuuuuck. All this time."

"All this time, what?"

He tilts his head forward and shrugs. "I don't know. Haven't you ever wondered if there could be something more between us?"

"Of course I have. I just…"

"What?" he presses.

I push to my feet and start pacing. "I just didn't think it was possible that a guy like you would be interested in a guy like me."

Wade tries to get up too quickly and grimaces, cursing as he rubs his leg and straightens. I move toward him to save him coming to me. He cups my cheek. "Don't ever say that again." His voice is deep, commanding. "You are the best person I know, Logan Parker-Gillis."

"Thank you. I think you're pretty—" I get interrupted by a sharp, hacking cough. My eyes shift to the doorway. "Shit. Rufus."

I run over to him, watching, horrified, as he coughs and gags, finally arching his back and dislodging a small, furry mass onto the floor. It's not the first furball he's had, and the receptionist at the vet clinic said if it happens again, I should take him in.

Patting Rufus, I turn to Logan. "I need to get him checked out. This has happened before."

"Of course. I'll come with you."

"You don't have to."

"Maybe not." He smiles, and even though it's similar to the smile I've seen a million times before, there's something about it that sends a warm current through my bones. "But I want to."

I scoop Rufus up in my arms, and Wade and I take him to the vet together.