“Of course not. It’s just . . .”
“Relax, Mason. Zeb’s got a boyfriend now, so nothing for you to worry about.”
“What?” Mason shouted. “Since when?”
Ryder burst out laughing.
“You fucker!”
“At least you know how you feel now. You should ask him out, or just offer him your dick wrapped in a bow as his Christmas present.”
“You need to shut up, or I won’t be coming.”
“So Zeb will be there on his own? Maybe I should invite someone else over, like Rex.”
“Rex Taylor? That fucking creep is going nowhere near my... Zeb. He’s going nowhere near Zeb.”
“Can you two stop winding each other up?” said Ethan. “Zeb will be there, making his sad puppy dog eyes at Mason, who’ll ignore him. Then, when he isn’t looking, Mason will watch him closely, growling if any other man goes anywhere near him. That’s how it’s been for the last eighteen months, and nothing’s going to change. You don’t need to poke the bear, Ryder. Instead, we need to talk about what you’re going to do on this date, so you don’t fuck it up like you usually do.”
“When did you get all bossy? Is that what he likes?”
Ethan flushed, then scowled at Ryder. Oops. He shouldn’t have said that.
“Who’s he talking about? Are you seeing someone, Ethan?”
“No. Just a casual thing, and it’s private. Can we move on?”
“I’ve just heard you do a monologue of bullshit about me and Zeb, and I can’t ask you questions about whatever or whoever you’re doing?”
“Bullshit? Really?”
“Fine. Yes, I like him, but it’s never going to happen, so you both need to stop with the comments, especially in front of him.”
“Likehim?” asked Ethan, his voice softening.
“Let’s not go there. Back to Ryder!”
“Ugh. Fine. What do I do with him?”
“Show him Christmas in New York,” said Ethan.
“He doesn’t want me spending loads of money.”
“Walk down Fifth Avenue and look at the shops with all their Christmas decorations. Go to Rockefeller Center. It can be a walking tour of the city, stopping for hot drinks and getting to know one another better.”
“That’s . . . That’s actually a pretty good idea. I can’t even remember the last time I did something like that myself. Look at you, Mr. Romance. Where have you been hiding?”
“I had a life before you lot, you know,” said Ethan with a smirk.
“Do you think something so public is a good idea?” asked Mason.
“Why not?” asked Ryder. “Do you think I’m ashamed of him or something?”
“Of course not, but you go anywhere and you get lots of attention. Do you want to put him through all that before you know if it’s going anywhere? You know how the social media trolls can be.”
Mason had a point, but he loved Ethan’s idea. It was simple and romantic. How romance had come into it, he wasn’t sure, but he wanted to woo Felix without being extra, as he’d put it.
“Why don’t you bring him here?” suggested Mason.
