Bassnickered.
“So. You wantDrew?”
“Yeah,” Bas whispered. It was rather frightening how badly he wantedDrew.
“You lovehim?”
“I’ve always loved him.” No surprise there. And maybe… Maybe he’d beeninlove with him for nearly as long.Damn.
“Then tell him so,genius.”
“How do I convince him to take a chance on me,though?”
Cort grinned so widely that his eyes crinkled at the corners. “Oh, Seaver.” He shook his head. “I am pretty sure that won’t require muchconvincing.”
“Youthink?”
Cort’s eyes flashed with humor. “Care to make awager?”
Bas snorted and Cortrelented.
“A blind man could see it, Seaver. He wantsyou.”
With a shaking hand, Bas combed through his messy hair. “Fuck, I wish I knew where he was. I kinda wanna camp out on his doorstep. How stupid isthat?”
“Extremely stupid,” Cort agreed. “Since I happen to know that he’s meeting Mark Charbonnier at West Kitchen, a lovely establishment not two blocks fromhere.”
“Are you… are you kidding?” Bas blinked and pushed himself out of his seat before his brain was aware of the movement. “Oh, Kendrick Cortland, I could kissyou!”
“Your brother would take you down if you tried,” Cort declared smugly as Bas reached for hisjacket.
“I wish I’d had the Mark-dude’s name when Sean was still here,” Bas said. “I would’ve given him one more name torun.”
“Yeah, I don’t think that’s legal or even advisable,” Cort began. “It’s kinda borderline-stalker.” Then he stopped himself and shrugged. “Oh, who am I kidding? I’d totally do the same thing.” He grabbed his phone and winked. “I’m texting Cooksy and having him add Mark’s name to the list. Just in case dude’s got a long line of defrauded ex-boyfriends or unpaid parking tickets to hisname.”
“Perfect. I owe you, big-time.”
“Nah. No debts among family.” Cort looked up after sending the text and heaved a long sigh. “But since this advice thing is apparently addictive after the first hit, I’ve got one more piece for you. Talk to him, Bas. Explain everything you explained to me. You guys have that symbiosis thing happening, but don’t assume that he’s actually inside your wacky mind and can read your thoughts,yeah?”
Bas laughed. “Yeah. Okay, Ipromise.”
“Then have fun storming the castle,” Cort said, waving his hand airily as he finished the last of his beer. “Go get your prince. I’ll call an Uber and go getmine.”
