“Bye, monster.”
The call disconnected and Jace slipped his phone back into his pocket, pushing off the wall and pasting a fake smile on his face.
“I didn’t know you were an orphan,” Callahan panted, still out of breath.
“I was adopted,” he reminded. “It’s fine. You didn’t know because I didn’t tell you.”
“You should have.”
“It’s not your business,” he snapped.
“You’re my boyfriend.” Callahan threw his hands up, letting his palms land against his thighs with quiet slaps. “You’re meant to be my boyfriend. You should have told me.”
“That wouldn’t have gone any different if you’d known.”
“What else don’t I know about you?” Callahan approached him.
“Plenty of things.”
“Rhys was out of line.”
“Glad you agree.”
“Sebastian read him the riot act.” Callahan shrugged, looking helpless.
“And you?”
“I came to look for you.”
“You’re meant to be my boyfriend,” Jace threw the statement back at him. “My boyfriend would have defended me.”
“Then it’s a good thing I’m not your boyfriend. Because if I was, my first concern would have been you, not him.” Callahan gestured wildly behind him, and Jace assumed he meant to point toward the restaurant. “He’s not a good person. You are.”
“You don’t even know me.” Jace rolled his eyes and checked the cuffs of his shirt, readying himself to return to the firing line.
“I want to,” Callahan nearly shouted. “I want to, but...”
This was…this was unexpected, and it was too much, and it was against the rules he’d made up in his own head about how the weekend was supposed to go.
“It’s just pretend,” he said quietly, dragging his tongue across the front of his teeth. They were a little jagged on the bottom, and the prickle against his tongue always centered him when he got anxious.
“Jace.” Callahan reached for him, and Jace allowed him to catch him by the wrist.
Jace closed his eyes and focused on the warmth of Callahan’s hand around him.“What?” he asked.
“It doesn’t…it doesn’t need to be pretend.”
Jace’s eyes flew open and he found Callahanrightthere, inches away from him with his wide blue eyes.
“What?”
“I like you,” Callahan said, the lines around his eyes softening and crinkling as he smiled.
“You don’t know me,” he said yet again. “How can you like me if you don’t know me?”
“I could know you.”
“No.” He shook his head. “Not like this.”
