Benji howled.
Every customer laughed and whispered, though their drunken versions of whispering may as well have been loudspeaker announcements. In seconds, every gay man in Tampa knew I’d been fucked into oblivion.
I wanted to die. Right there in my own damn bar. Just keel over and never rise again.
Jacks clapped me on the shoulder, his meaty paw nearly driving me into the cement floor. “You look happy, like stupid happy. It’s kinda nice. Did you and Chase have a good afternoon?”
The way he said it—so earnest and genuine—made it impossible to be annoyed.
“Yeah,” I admitted. “We had a great day.”
“And by ‘good afternoon,’ he means, ‘DidChase rail you hard enough for Amtrak to use you next?’” Benji said, waggling his eyebrows. A pair of older guys who’d become regulars nearly tossed full beer steins all over each other.
“Oh my God.” I darted around the bar and pretended to work, despite having no idea what needed doing.
“What?” Benji was enjoying this way too much. “I’m just saying, you left Chase’s place at what, seven? And you’re only showing up now? That’s like—” He counted on his fingers. “Four hours. Four hours alone at Chase’s place. What could youpossiblydo for four whole hours without leaving time to change clothes or bathe or anything?”
“We were talking,” I said weakly.
Everyone burst out laughing.
Everyone except me. I was back to dying a slow death. Death sounded like such a lovely idea right then.
“Sure,” Mark said, returning from the back with a case of beer in his arms. “Is that what the kids are calling it these days? Chase gives good conversation?”
“No!” Benji said. “He gives good mind!”
The old guys hooted.
“We did talk! We talked a lot!” I snatched up a towel and tossed it over my shoulder.
“And we ate leftover burgers.”
“Leftover burgers,” Jacks repeated. “That’s romantic.”
Benji’s head whipped around, utter confusion scrunching his face at our beautiful, innocent boy.
“It was. Thank you, Jacks.” I started wiping down the bar just to have something to do with my hands. “We had a nice day, okay? Can we please drop this?”
“No way,” Benji said. “This is juicy.”
Mark leaned in and whispered, “Like I bet your ass is right now.”
“Mark!” I nearly knocked the case out of his hands.
He just laughed and moved around me.
But as he passed, he dropped his next bombshell, “Now spill. Did he say it? Did you say it? Are you officially in love?”
I felt my face heat again, and that was answer enough.
“OH MY GOD!” Benji squealed. “You did! You’re in love! Finn’s in love with the hot lawyer!”
The customers around the bar applauded and cheered. The old couple hoisted their steins and drank deeply.
“Benji, please—”
“This is amazing! When did it happen? Who said it first? Was it during or after? Give me details! Oh,God, should we call Priya? Should she hear this firsthand?”
