“Sorry. Was in the shower.”
“Didn’t mean to interrupt,” he said in a knowing tone. “A guy’s shower time is sacred.”
Shit. Was he imagining me jerking off in there? He wasn’t wrong, but damn, we didn’t need this kind of innuendo if I was going to maintain boundaries.
“What’s up, kid?” I asked, tone a little gruff.
“Well, I got a call from Axel today.”
Busted. I tried to play it off. “Oh, yeah?”
“I’m homesick, huh?”
“Aren’t you?”
“Flynn, come on. I talked to you because I didn’t want to talk to my brothers. I thought you got that.”
“I’m sorry.” At the beat of silence, I added, “But I didn’t tell him anything you said. Not really. I was just worried about you.”
“Well, I guess I can’t be mad that you care,” Bailey said reluctantly.
Relief swept in—and I realized just how damn much I didn’t want him to be disappointed with me.
“I don’t want you to feel abandoned up there,” I admitted.
“Yeah? Well, maybe you can come see me again. Make sure I’m not too lonely.”
That wasn’t what I had in mind.
“Uh, I— The shop— I mean…”
Bailey laughed. “You’re too easy, Flynn. Seriously. I’m fine. You don’t have to worry about me.”
I frowned. Iwastoo easy, but Bailey’s flirting couldn’t totally divert me from the point.
“If you can’t talk to them,” I said, resigned to my fate, “you can talk to me.”
“Thank you,” Bailey said, voice warm. “You’re a good guy.”
“Not really.”
He chuckled. “You have no idea how other people see you.” He paused. “How I see you.”
“Well, if you see me as a friend when you need one, then that’s all I need.”
“Right,” he said. “Yeah. Well, actually, my roommate just walked in. I should probably try to study for this test on Friday.”
“Of course,” I said. “Don’t let me keep you.”
“I don’t want my brothers to worry about me,” he said pointedly.
“I understand. I’ll keep my mouth shut from now on. It’s not my place to get in the middle.”
“Well, I put you there, so that’s on me,” Bailey said. “But I’d appreciate it if you let me figure out what’s best for me. I’ll talk to them when I’m ready.”
“Okay.”
“Thanks for listening, though. Thanks for…being you.”
