No mind games.
He just grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and wandered back toward the living room, leaving me to stew in my weird emotions.
14
Dorian
“Do you need me to make you tell me what’s going on?”
It was the next morning, and I was already tired of Josh doing a terrible job of hiding whatever it was from me.
Josh startled, almost launching a spoonful of protein cereal into the air. “I…”
“Listen, you’re cute when you’re nervous, but at this point, I’m becoming worried about your heart. Obviously, it’s something you’re having trouble confessing, so why don’t we take a little trip to the playroom?”
“To m-make me tell you?” he stammered, a worried frown on his face.
“Yes, Josh.”
His eyes got big. “That’s not necessary,” he said quickly. “I can just—”
“You can just what?” I asked mildly. “I’m done waiting for you to tell me on your own.”
Josh looked down at the bowl in his hands, muttered something under his breath, and shoved a spoonful of cereal into his mouth.
I leaned back in my chair, watching him with quiet amusement while I finished my coffee.
The kitchen was bright with sunlight pouring through the windows and catching in Josh’s hair. He was wearing a gray T-shirt and athletic shorts, and radiating big, sweet, nervous jock energy.
Josh chewed slowly, clearly trying to think his way out of this.
“So,” I said, tapping my fingers against my mug. “Are you going to tell me what you did?”
“I didn’t do anything.”
“That’s not what I asked. I already know you did something. I want to know what it was.”
He finished the last of his cereal with a cute furrow between his brows, then said carefully, “I just don’t think the playroom is necessary.”
“Oh, I think it might be.”
Josh rubbed the back of his neck nervously. “That sounds ominous when you say it like that.”
“Does it?”
“Yes.”
“Good.”
“You’re not going to drop this, are you?”
“No.”
Josh sighed, then stood and carried his bowl to the sink, rinsing it out while I slowly finished my coffee.
I could practically see the gears turning in his head.
He was debating whether to confess voluntarily.
