Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 88207 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88207 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
After I’d caught up with his dad, and his mom stuffed us with the cookies she’d baked—just like old times—we headed downstairs and started going through boxes essentially filled with outdated appliances and junk. The good thing about my smaller house was that I didn’t acquire many things, but what the hell did I know; this was a whole lifetime of stuff. I might be in a similar position someday.
When my cell buzzed in my pocket, I pulled it out to read a text from Seth. I hadn’t seen him since Friday night when he’d slept over, which had been… I didn’t even know how to describe it. Fucking incredible? Deeply satisfying in a way hookups over the years had never been? Yeah, that. Not that I was ever looking to spend time with someone like that; it simply happened. My skin heated just thinking about it. I was trying to take it slow for both our sakes, but damn, I couldn’t wait to see him again.
BTW, I have a surprise to show you.
What is it?
If I told you, it wouldn’t be a surprise.
I grinned at my phone and typed, Suppose it wouldn’t.
I’ll show you the surprise next time I see you.
I’m at Tucker’s parents’ place, helping with a project. Let’s make a plan soon?
It’s a deal.
When I slid my cell back in my pocket, I found Tucker staring at me the same way he’d done at the shop the other day. “Something amusing?”
“Oh, uh…yeah, no.” I opened a box containing a broken printer and outdated office supplies. “That was, um, Seth, and he said something funny.”
“Seth,” he repeated. “The guy you met through your mother.”
And through Mark and Dane too, last year. But Tucker didn’t need all those details.
“Yup.”
He arched an eyebrow. “And you guys have become friends.”
I looked him in the eye because that much was absolutely true—and obvious, based on stuff I already told him—and I wasn’t ashamed of it. Of any of it. Just sorting through it all. “Yes.”
We stared each other down as Tucker seemed to be working through something in his brain. When it didn’t seem like he was going to say whatever was on his mind, I slid a medium-sized box across to him so he could search the contents for the keep and trash piles.
“Are you and Seth…” he began in a hesitant voice. “Is there something going on with you two?”
My throat clogged as I struggled to speak. “What do you… Why would you ask that?”
He crossed his arms, now looking determined. “How long have I known you, Jake?”
“Practically our whole lives?” I straightened and glared at him. “Your point?”
“My point is, I know you.”
“Sure, and I know you too.” Flustered, I pushed a hand through my hair. “But you don’t know everything. Not this time. I—”
He made a frustrated noise. “Let me finish.”
“Okay.” My pulse was battering in my ears. I didn’t know why I was feeling so on edge. This was Tucker, and we didn’t bullshit each other. Whatever happened here, it was probably better to get it out. There had definitely been tension swirling between us for far too long.
He placed his hand on my shoulder. “You know you can tell me anything, right?”
I shrugged, my skin feeling stretched thin and my stomach like it had rocks in it. “Yeah, sure.”
“If you’re into this guy—any guy”—he took a deep breath—“I’m cool with it. I’d rather you tell me than to have to guess why you’re grinning like a dumbass at your phone.”
“No, I…” My mouth opened and closed, but no words would come out. Panic seized my chest as I briefly shut my eyes to get my pulse under control. “I’ve never…”
He squeezed my shoulder. “I know.”
That’s all he said. Just two words as he waited for me to take the reins. Explain. Confess was more like it. So fuck that. Except, what the hell was I waiting for? Things didn’t always happen on the timeline you wanted them to. This was my oldest friend, and he’d seen me through some hell.
“I’m most likely bisexual,” I admitted as I rummaged through the box in front of me, afraid to see his expression. “I’ve been attracted to guys here and there over the years, but I’ve never done anything about it.”
There. I fucking said it out loud. Holy shit! The room spun, and I felt momentarily faint, like I was going to pass out. I breathed in and out, like I used to do as a kid when I heard my parents arguing a floor below, hoping like hell it didn’t lead to more.
When I finally got the courage to look at Tucker, he didn’t even seem that surprised.
“Honestly? I had an inkling a time or two,” he said in a soothing tone, and when I opened my mouth to speak or deny or who the hell knew what, his eyes softened. “I doubt anyone else did.”