He took his phone out. His lock-screen photo was of him with my sister. A reminder that I should probably stay away from him, especially with the thoughts that kept invading my mind.
“What am I looking at?” I asked as he scrolled through the dozens of tabs open on his browser.
“Patience. This is going to be worth it.”
“Who has that many tabs open? How can you sleep at night?”
He chuckled. “There you go, bringing up my sleep habits again. If you’re so worried, come over to my place and see for yourself.”
My dick took notice of his flirty tone and liked it way too much.
Down boy.
“Found it. There’s a Tamagotchi convention in Chester Falls. That’s only a couple of hours away. We could go there and get back on the same day.”
“A Tamagotchi convention,” I said.
The killer smile returned. “Pleeeease. No one else would get it like you do. It’s what friends do. I’ll owe you one.”
“One what?”
He crossed his arms over his chest, showing me the muscles he’d gained since he was a teen. “Whatever you want.”
“Whatever I want, huh?”
Just friends didn’t lock their gazes for as long as we did. Just friends didn’t notice how the scent of body wash and fresh laundry suited them. Just friends didn’t want to lick powdered sugar from their friend’s chin.
I was starting to think just friends wouldn’t apply to Tanner and me for much longer.
Tanner
Jax stared at me like he was trying to figure me out. It was disconcerting, but at the same time, it gave me a tiny sliver of hope.
I wanted him to figure me out. Hell, I’d tell him everything he wanted to know about me and the missing years. I’d confess all my sins and lay bare for him for the chance to find out if he saw me as more than his sister’s best friend. His sister’s no-longer-straight ex-boyfriend.
“When is it again?” he asked.
“Next month.”
“Let me see it.”
I held out my phone and he copied the information to his.
“I can’t promise anything. The hospital might not give me the day off.”
I smiled. “They will. I know it. I’ve had this link saved for months. This was meant to be.”
Once again, Jax looked at me like he was seeing me for the first time, which, in a way, he was. I’d had years of living my truth. He’d just found out I was gay.
“Okay, let’s get this show on the road.” I stuffed another donut in my mouth, grabbed one of the coffees, and made my way to the pile of boxes.
I hadn’t lied to Jax. I loved assembling furniture. It was fun to figure out where all the pieces fit together and then see the end result as we put them in their new place in the apartment.
“Do I really need three throw blankets?” Jax complained as he sorted the box with all the accessories we’d bought in the bedroom, where I was starting to work on his chest of drawers.
“Yes, you do. One goes on your bed and the other two are for the couch.”
“I’m only one person and don’t really run cold.”
