Brad laughed, and yes, it was his sweet laugh, which he seemed to be so generous with this evening. ‘Talk! With ourmouths.’
I made a big show of addressing the imaginary studio audience around us and said, ‘I really have no idea what he’s talking about.’
He rewarded me with another laugh, and I let him lead me out to the lobby through the front doors and around the side of the building. I expected him to pin me up against the wall and start going to town, but instead he shifted on his feet a few steps from me, wringing his hands.
‘You good?’ I asked.
‘Yeah, yeah, sorry, I just.’ He sighed. ‘I thought this would have been the easier part of the night.’
I chuckled. ‘What do you mean?’
‘I mean I …’ He took a quick breath. ‘I … like you, Tommy.’
Okay. That wasn’t what I thought this meeting was supposed to be about.
‘And I know I kind of just pulled you into a dance thing and made you part of my coming out. I’m sorry if it made you uncomfortable.’
There was something cute about his babbling. Before he had always been quiet, so everything he said felt heavy. Like every word counted for something big just because he was too embarrassed to say anything else. And now it was like every word was getting in the way of what he really wanted to say.
‘I wasn’t uncomfortable,’ I said. ‘Seriously, I had fun.’
‘I did, too!’ He smiled broadly. ‘I just – I wanted to know if you wanted to go out with me sometime? Like on a date. A real date. Not just sneaking off to make out.’
My mouth dropped open. A date? With Brad?
‘Uh.’
I didn’t know what to say. After everything that had happened over the last year, I never expectedthis. I’d gotten so used to guys paying attention to me when it was convenient, not because theylikedme.
But was this all too soon? And we were going to new schools in the fall – granted, they were in the same city, but still, we’d be leading different lives. Though we’d be out in those lives, neither of us having to hide who we were from the people we loved. Of course, we’d have to come out to our new friends, Brad to his new teammates. That wasn’t right now, though.
And maybe planning everything out like it was a recipe wasn’t always the easiest way to live your life.
Fuck it.
‘Yes,’ I said. ‘I would love to go out on a date with you.’
I didn’t need to wait around when I had a life to live. And there’s no use carrying a torch if it isn’t going to burn for you, too.
Brad’s face lit up. ‘Really?’
‘Yeah. Make an honest man of me.’
He pumped his fist in the air and shouted in celebration. He looked like a total nerd, and I couldn’t help but laugh.
‘All right, calm down,’ I said. But I was kind of excited, too. I had been on exactly two dates. One with Ava before I came out, which she will never let me live down. And one with Hank Dyer – perpetual drama club lead actor with whom I shared zero chemistry, and we hadn’t even kissed. Everything with Gabe didn’t count.
‘So I’ll call you, then?’ Brad asked.
‘Yeah, call me. Um. But we are going back into the same dance.’
‘Right, and I will probably come find you to dance again tonight.’
My face burned, and my cheeks hurt from my smile. ‘I’d like that a lot.’
What do I doat the guard gate? Make up an old person’s name?The text was from seven minutes ago. I chuckled at my phone and typed back.
DO NOT DO THAT. They will arrest you for attempted old person kidnapping.
