"Your friends are..." I search for words.
"A lot?"
"I was going to say nice."
"That too." He glances over. "Rex comes on strong, but he means well. And Jaren's genuinely one of the best humans I know."
"They seem to think you have a crush on me."
The truck swerves slightly. "They're idiots."
"Right." My chest feels hollow. "Of course."
"I mean, not that you're not, fuck." He pulls up outside my building and puts the truck in park. "Can we finish the list?"
"Now?"
"Yeah. Unless you're tired?"
I should be. Should go inside and put a safe distance between us. Instead… "Okay."
He grabs the crumpled paper. "'Reading.' What's that mean?"
"Calling someone out. Like..." I think. "Rex was reading you about your 'crush.'"
"Little shit," Gavin mutters. "Okay, 'kiki'?"
"Gossip session with friends."
"Like when you and your roommates talk about guys?"
"How do you know we talk about guys?"
"Lucky guess." He's staring at the steering wheel. "Do you? Talk about guys?"
"Sometimes."
"Anyone specific?"
The truck feels too small. "Sometimes."
"Yeah?" His voice is rough. "What do you say?"
"Gavin..."
"Sorry. Fuck. That's inappropriate." He scrubs his face. "Your house is right there. You should go."
I should. I really should.
"Usually I complain," I hear myself say. "About guys who text for weeks but never want to meet. Or meet once and ghost. Or treat me like their gay experiment before going back to girlfriends."
He flinches. "Doc?—"
Tonight's been perfect. He's been perfect. If I don't say it now, I never will. So fuck it.
"But lately it's different." I'm staring at my hands. "Lately it's this one guy who's genuinely kind and smarter than he lets on and has really good hands."
"Good hands?"
