“Just pretty good? I need to step up my game.”
He glances down at the wine again. “Maybe a fancier bottle?”
“You can pick out whatever one you want, Valentine.”
“If you insist,” he says with a smirk before he picks up one of the more expensive ones.
Whatever keeps him smiling.
When we’re back home, I pour us glasses and make a toast. “To my valentine.” Adrian laughs, completely unaware of how much I want this night to be for real. But we’re also celebrating moving onto the next step in the adoption process, and I know I need to focus on that and stick to my plan. I’m so close to moving out, and I still think that it’s for the best to wait until we’re no longer living together to ask him out. There are too many ways it could go wrong otherwise.
I can wait a few more weeks to offer him what he deserves.
I think.
24
ADRIAN
“Am I completely insane to think he might actually be into me?” I ask my friends after spending the entire break between the first and second period telling them all about our Valentine’s moment.
It’s a Tuesday game, one of the first back after the break, and we’ve pretty much secured our playoff spot, so the Caldwell box we’re watching the game from is fairly empty. Beck and Cody aren’t even here. They’ve been meeting closely with a company they’re hoping to help take over the old Kyla headquarters, so they’re back in Montana. Before this season, Beck almost never missed a game, but after everything that happened last summer, he’s only made it to about half of the home games this year.
He acts like he’s doing it all to make Cody happy, but I know him better than that. He found out firsthand how easy it was to fall into Kyla’s trap, and he cares about helping the other cult victims. The people there are lucky to have him fighting for them.
Jordan, Oakley, and Parker are all here, though, staring at me with varying levels of amusement.
“Well?” I prompt again “Give me something! Am I being delusional? What completely straight man would ask me to be hisvalentine with champagne and a chocolate heart, and then spend the night watching romcoms with me?”
“Hudson?” Jordan deadpans.
I playfully smack his arm. “That isn’t helpful! I have no idea if I’m reading into things that aren’t there or if there’s a chance he’s slowly working up the courage to tell me that he’s madly in love with me,” I say, only half joking.
“Madly in love might be kind of a strong thing to start with,” Oakley cautiously points out.
“Yeah, well, you’re not exactly the best person to be giving advice on this,” I remind him. “How long were you into your best friend before you guys did anything about it?”
He smirks. “Well, wedid something about itway before we ever talked about it.”
“Are you saying I should make a move? There is absolutely zero chance of that happening. I’m not throwing myself at a straight man, no matter how many times I trick myself into thinking I’ve caught him checking me out.”
“That’s a good point,” Parker says, putting his hand on Oakley’s knee. “Don’t be like us. You should talk about it instead of potentially wasting months that you could be together.”
I take a deep breath as I imagine all the waysthatcould play out. “See, that sounds great and all, but what about the very real possibility this is all in my head and I ruin an amazing friendship? He could move out early because he’s so uncomfortable. He could ask me to stop helping with his house! I’m not risking that. His future children deserve the perfect home.”
Jordan nods along as I’m talking, so I assume he agrees. But then he opens his mouth. “And does any part of you also want them to be your future children, too? Because correct me if I’m wrong, but haven’t you gone to every meeting and class with him? Didn’t they even inspectyourhouse?”
I sink back all the way in my chair, letting out a big sigh. “Yes, they did. And I have.”
“Are you sure you aren’t applying with him?”
I roll my eyes. “Yes, I’m sure. They always inspect all the residences of the applicant, and those classes are open to public enrollment. I was there for moral support.”
“Uh-huh.” Jordan sarcastically agrees. “I still think you two are acting way too much like a couple for him to not be into you. Even if he’s never claimed a rainbow label.”
“Maybe it’s new for him, and he’s still processing his attraction for you,” Parker suggests.
“Ugh, if that’s the case, I’d like him to process things a lot faster.”
