I wave his comment away with a suppressed grin, leaning my elbows on my knees afterwards. “I mean it, first you date, then you have sex. You’re doing it backwards.”
“I like doing it backwards.”
I stifle a laugh by burying my face in my hands. The guy's incorrigible.
“What's your favorite food?” he suddenly asks, and I lift my head, arching an eyebrow.
“Italian. Why?”
“You mentioned getting to know someone before I fuck them, right? Fancy a pizza tonight?”
I snort. “Pizza is always a yes, but I’ll skip the fuck.”
“Good, I heard from a trustworthy source that you’re not supposed to put out a first date.”
“It's not a date,” I deadpan, though a grin creeps through. “And remember, I have a girlfriend? We just talked about her. Multiple times.”
“Semantics. You just said you were in a slump anyway, I’m willing to take my chances.”
My laughter rings out as I playfully shove his back, which makes him nearly topple over in the sand. “You’re definitely more interesting. But I’m still not into guys. Nice attempt this one, though.”
“I know, I know. But you did say I could keep trying, so here I am. This is me trying.” He grins widely before dusting off his hands, standing up, and struggling back into his shirt. “What about your brother though?”
“Which one and what about him?” I ask as I follow his lead, grabbing my board when I’m done.
“Obviously Jason,” he responds as if it's self-evident, heading back toward the shore. “Is he single?”
“He what now?” I blink at him, obviously missing something here. “Well, you heard their stupid banter, he totally is. Why do you wanna know?”
He gives me a look like I’m a total idiot.
“What? J? No way, he loves girls.”
“Doesn’t mean he doesn’t also love dicks.” He shrugs. “I mean, he was kind of flirting with me.”
“He was?” I stop in my tracks, genuinely perplexed. My brother? Seriously? “Is your gaydar malfunctioning or something?”
When he notices I stopped following him, he turns around–knee-deep in the water–and pushes his hair back in the process, uncertainty flickers in his eyes. “Ah, I don’t know? I just got this vibe from him. But I might be wrong. I’m not usually.”
“Huh.” I gaze at Jace, pondering all the times J brought home girls. He did that a lot. And I'd never have thought he was bi or gay, he never really discussed his sexuality with me. But isn’t that the whole point? Anybody can be anything, and makingassumptions just because it doesn’t fit the picture in your head is plain wrong.
I slant my head and observe how Jace is looking out at the water, a faint frown on his face, tanned from this morning’s sun. It's late August, yet the sun still beams down proudly.
“Forget I mentioned it, sorry,” he eventually says when I remain silent.
“Why apologize?”
He winces. “I didn't want to upset you, I guess?”
“You're not upsetting me. I genuinely don't care if he's into dudes too. I just wonder if he really is?” I rub my neck. “But if he is, it's not strange he hasn't shared it with me. Well, maybe itisbecause my parents wouldn't bat an eye. Christ, they’reCaliforniathrough and through. But he's way closer to Mason than he is to me. He'd probably tell him before me.” I offer Jace a melancholic smile. “It's alright. I'm used to it. They're eight years older, so the gap is there. I actually feel more like Lamar's brother than theirs.”
“Really?” Jace's shoulders relax as I change the topic.
“Yeah. Our moms met at some pregnancy yoga thingy. They instantly clicked. His mom is really cool, though our social circles are quite different. But she's nice nonetheless.” I walk over and slap his shoulder playfully, causing him to fumble his board in the water. “And ease up. I'm not one to get upset fast. Like I said, my upbringing was pure California. My family's accepting and open, and my mom would give me hell if I turned narrow-minded.”
“Well, you never know how people react when it comes to sexuality. Unfortunately.” Jace lifts his head and cracks a smile, his eyes now shimmer with amusement. “I was very scared you would unfriend me and I’ll lose my newly acquired status.”
“And what status would that be?”
