"No," I admit. "I think I'm just crazy about him."
"Then stop overthinking and do something about it."
"Like what?"
"I don't know, talk to him? Take him on an actual date? Stop pretending this is about tutoring when you clearly want to bone?"
"It's not just about… okay, I definitely want to… but it's more than that!"
"I know." Tyler's smiling softer now. "I can tell. You look at him the way I look at Ethan."
"Sappy?"
"Completely whipped."
"Fuck." But I'm smiling too. "Hey, Ty?"
"Yeah?"
"Thanks. For not making this weird."
"Oh, I'm gonna make it weird," he promises. "Gonna tease you forever about your taste in angry twinky geeks. But I'm happy for you, man. Really."
The tension in my chest loosens. "Even if it changes things? With the team? The house?"
"The house won’t care, I promise. The team… Some of the guys might be dicks," Tyler admits. "But the ones who matter won't care. And you'll have me and Ethan and Drew in your corner."
"Drew knows?"
"Probably, Drew knows everything. It's creepy, honestly."
I laugh, feeling lighter than I have all week. Then remember: "Hey, don't tell Ethan I said he was hot."
"Why not?"
"Because that's weird! That's like me telling you I think your boyfriend's hot!"
"You literally just did."
"As an example!"
"Sure, G. We'll go with that." Tyler stands, stretching. "But seriously, hands off. Get your own twink."
"Working on it."
"Work harder. Ask him out properly. And maybe lead with 'sorry I panicked' instead of 'hey, let's practice reading body language with your six roommates.'"
"That's not—" I pause. "Actually, that's exactly what I was planning."
"I know you, bro. You're about as subtle as a brick."
"Fuck you, I can be subtle."
"You once asked a girl if she wanted to 'study anatomy' as a pickup line."
"That was freshman year!"
"Last month you told the barista her eyes were 'the exact color of the ocean at sunset.'"
