Robbie narrowed his eyes. Sawyer had spent the last several weekends at his house. He couldn’t remember the last time hehadn’t.
I’ll check his plans but pretty sure he was going to.
K thanks
Robbie stared at the answer, then typed out,You know you could make our lives easier if you just signed the damn paperwork.He reread his words. He deleted them.
He tapped the thumbs-up and dropped his phone in the console just as the final bell rang at 3:15. Sawyer would be here soon.
“Hey, Robbie!”
How Sawyer could bring so much movement and sound into getting into a passenger seat, Robbie wasn’t sure.
“Hey, kiddo.” Robbie turned on the car and headed east. “Ready for the orthodontist?”
“So ready,” Sawyer griped.
“You’re the one who complained about having embarrassing buck teeth,” Robbie singsonged.
Sawyer groaned, all teen melodrama.
“So I heard fromDance Your Ice Offtoday.”
Sawyer jerked. “What? Why? Did something happen?”
“You could say that.” Robbie caught him up on developments, grateful they’d stopped at a light so he could see Sawyer’s reaction.
“What?” Sawyer stared blankly at Robbie for a long moment.
Okay, this wasn’t the reaction Robbie had expected. “I figured, uh, it wasn’t exactly a good look if I backed out because I suddenly had a male partner, given the charity.” He flicked his eyes back to the light. Still red. Suddenly he was hoping for it to change. “So I said I’d still do it with this guy.”
Sawyer squinted at him. “Really?”
“It’s not a big deal.” Itwasn’t. Robbie had once described a fellow hockey player’s ass using a peach emoji for the whole internet to see. He’d done several Halloweens in drag. He’d fucked men! He could ice dance with one on TV.
“It’s kind of a big deal if you’re not out,” Sawyer said. “Like, it wouldn’t be a big deal if you weren’t bi, because who cares if people assume you’re gay when you’re straight. But you are, so you’re allowed to freak out about it.”
Jesus God, was this kid gentle parentinghim? “I’m not freaking out about it!” Robbie said. “I’m just… letting you know. In case this interfered with your Plan.”
“Bruh. Dancing with a guy is like… way less toxic masculinity.”
Finally the light turned and Robbie hit the gas. “Even though there’s two guys?” How did that work?
There was a telling pause. “What do you think toxic masculinity is?”
Robbie wasn’t answering that. “So you’re not upset I’m gonna be dancing with this uh—this Finn guy?”
Sawyer absolutely squawked. “Wait,what?Finn? No.”
“What do you mean,no?”
“This isterrible.” Sawyer pawed at his face, slouching in the passenger seat. “Imogen is going to kill me.”
What did any of this have to do with his best friend? And what did he have against guys named Finn? “Bud, you’re going to have to fill in some blanks for me here. Preferably before we go into the orthodontist. I am flying blind.” He pulled into the parking lot.
“Uh, it’s just, uh. Okay, you know how I told you Imogen has a stepbrother who’s like, super old?”
“No?” Robbie tried. He listened when Sawyer talked—he did. But God, he could talk the ear off an elephant.
