“Only after you were an absolute royal cunt, I’m sure.”
“I was…me,” he said with a crooked shrug. “Anyway, we cleared up the identity of his house guest and he told me you weren’t answering your phone, that he was worried something had happened. And I could…”
“Could what?”
My patience with Grayson was wearing dangerously thin. With every minute that passed, my attention was drawn toward my phone, which hadn’t made a single buzz or beep since I’d passed it off. Hendrix was going to put me through it, for sure. But I deserved it, and I would brave it. I would suck it up and tolerate whatever gauntlet he wanted to run me through if it would prove to him I wasn’t the man he was afraid I’d been all along.
“I could tell that he loves you,” Grayson said softly. “We talked a little, and that’s…I like him. He’s a good guy, I feel like. I feel like he’s good for you.”
He looked away, frowning at the table.
“You’re jealous of him.”
“We have a good life,” he said, still not meeting my stare. “The way things are.”
“Gray.”
“Please don’t be mad at me about the twink thing.” He stood quickly, the chair sliding back against the tile and almost crashing to the ground.
“I’m not.”
I might have been before, but it had passed.
“I’ll be fine,” he said. “I didn’t want to make this about me.”
“I can tell you’re having a lot of feelings about my relationship.” I stood more carefully, following him into the living room. Grayson went to the front door and peered out the window, scratching the back of his neck nervously. “I don’t want to just push them aside. I love him, but I love you. You’re my best friend and you matter to me.”
I curled my fingers around his wrist and hauled him backward. Grayson turned, arms coming around me in one swift motion. I wrapped my own around his neck and held him, tighter than I had in a long time. Tight as I had the night we broke up for good, knowing things were better, but still hating to let go of such an important part of our past. This moment felt much the same, a crossroads for us where everything was changing.
“I don’t want you to worry about me,” he muttered, face buried in my shoulder. “I mean, I do, but not right now. You and I will be fine.”
“Always,” I promised. “I can love him and love you. And you can even love someone else too. This isn’t an ending.”
“But everything is changing,” he rasped. “Everything is going to change. I knew it from before his brother got here, and I just latched on to that, and I’m really sorry, Miles. I didn’t mean to make things worse for you.”
Grayson cleared his throat and shook out of my arms, picking a piece of invisible lint from his shoulder. Headlights flashed across our porch, spilling into the living room as Hendrix’s car pulled into his driveway next door.
“I promise you if it hadn’t have been this, it would have been something else.” I grabbed his shoulders and gave him a little shake, forcing him to look at me. “He’s always been right about me. I’m arrogant and I’m smug, and I’m young and stupid.”
“Stupid in love.”
I chuckled, pulling Grayson back into a hug. He returned it with more energy than the last one, and we settled into the feel of each other’s arms in a way we hadn’t done in years. It was important in that moment. A strong reminder that no matter who else we loved or fucked, or whatever we did without the other, our friendship, our bond…that was lasting and it was worth fighting for.
As much as things with Hendrix were worth fighting for.
And that was a whole hell of a lot.
“I think you and I need some us time,” I said, ruffling his hair and shoving him off of me.
Grayson sniffed and righted his shoulders, then pretended to jack off in my direction.
“I didn’t think you were allowed to do that now. What with the boyfriend you love and all that.”
“You know what I mean.”
He kept going with the motion, feigning an orgasm that had him slumping against the wall, clearly sated.
“I know.” He wiped his pretend cum off on the thigh of his pants, startling when the doorbell rang just above his head. “We’ll make plans soon, yeah?”
