William dropped the novel onto his lap and reached for his buzzing phone.
? Oliver:Wow! Big day :) Did you have fun?
? William:Yeah. Don’t miss the noise though
? Oliver:Lol. I bet you don’t. You must be tired.
He was, but it felt different from his usual fatigue. He had no desire to hide in the dark and curse the entire universe. In fact, it almost felt... good.
? Oliver:Is Adathan next to you?
? William:No, we’re at the library. I’m waiting for him to pick out some books
? Oliver:If you need some alone time tomorrow, he could come hang out here for a few hours.
William frowned as a spike of annoyance hit his gut, though he wasn’t sure why. Oliver’s assumption that he might need space wasn’t unfounded—and honestly, Oliver was probably right. With William’s new job starting on Monday, he’d benefit from a bit of time to gather his thoughts.
Then why was he feeling like this?
William reread Oliver’s text, his annoyance softening when he finally understood what had caused it. He couldn’t blame Oliver for infantilizing Adathan—he’d been guilty of it himself.
Now he knew better, though. If he really needed space, he could just let Adathan know directly. Adathan could go for a walk, come here to read, spend the afternoon with Rosanna, or do whatever else he felt like.
They had no business deciding for him.
? William:Do *you* want to hang out with him?
? Oliver:Yes. I know I said I was tired the other day, but I don’t want to isolate myself just because socializing is harder than it used to be. I really enjoyed his company, and I slept better than I had in months. So I guess it was just a stupid wayfor me to say that I’d like to spend more time with him. And now I realize I didn’t even take his opinion into account. Not very proud of myself :(
William’s heart squeezed. The world would be a better place if everyone had just a fraction of Oliver’s humility.
? William:Don’t worry about it. I’m sure he’d love to see you again, but I don’t know if he already has plans for tomorrow. You could send him an email and ask him directly though, I think that’d make him happy
? Oliver:Good idea. I will, thanks :)
William looked up as a beaming Adathan appeared, holding five books against his chest. That was quick.
? William:Gotta go, he’s ready to leave. I’ll tell him to check his email later
He stood up, stifling a groan at his protesting body. With furniture like this, you might think the library wanted to hold its visitors captive.
The clerk zeroed in on Adathan as they headed downstairs to the self-checkout. Predictable. William checked out his own book first, then stayed close to Adathan...
... in case he needed help.
Adathan set his load on the counter. William’s eyes widened as Adathan scanned them, every cover showing men kissing in varying states of undress. One featured a pair who looked a little too much like him and Adathan. Except more muscular.
William tore his gaze away, heat creeping up the back of his neck. He put Adathan’s romance novels into his backpack, crossing an arm over his soft belly as they left.
“You looked surprised, William,” Adathan said a moment later as they walked along the sidewalk.
“Hmm? What do you mean?” William asked, even though he knew Adathan knew he knew.
“By my choice of reading material.”
“Um, well.” William made a dismissive hand gesture. “A little.”
“Oh?” Adathan circled William to face him. “And why is that?” he asked, his smile widening in a slow, cheeky stretch.
