That made Hayden look up at me.Reallylook at me.
My heart squeezed at what I saw there. His dad was right, he needed a friend.
I liked to think I was vaguely friend-shaped. Maybe we wouldn’t get along, but I felt like I had totry.
“So, say no if you’re not interested, but I was gonna grab dinner with some friends tonight. Come with? If you want, if you’re not, y’know, busy?”
I watched what seemed like a million expressions flash over his face before he settled on frowning.
“Did my dad put you up to this?” he asked.
Yes.
Should I tell him?
Yeah, I should. If I lied now, and he found out later, I’d just be one more asshole in his life. He didn’t need that.
“He said we might get along, I told him I could take you out, show you around town, that kind of thing. He bet me a full day of borrowing the Buick if I could get you to set foot in a gay club,” I added. I couldn’t risk him finding out aboutthatlater, either.
Not if I didn’t want to hurt him any more than he’d already been hurt.
Hayden wrinkled his nose, sipping his coffee.
Yeah. Definitely more of a challenge than I’d anticipated.
“I make a great wingman, for what it’s worth,” I added, hoping to sweeten the deal. “And I know where all the prettiest boys hang out.”
He snorted. “I don’t think the prettiest boys are interested,” he said. “But, uh. If I’m not gonna be in the way at dinner…”
My heart lit up.
Okay, maybe I hadn’t cracked him open like a coconut yet, but this was a start. This was agoodstart.
“It’d be great to have a new face around the table,” I said. “Seriously, let me introduce you to some people, show you some of what the place has to offer. You moved out, like…”
“Ten years ago,” Hayden said.
“Right, well, stuff’s changed in that time. Trust me. It’s not the quaint little sleepy town it used to be. I mean, it’s not New York, but…”
“You like it here,” Hayden said, a tiny smile ghosting over his lips.
Prettylips. They were even prettier in person.
“I do,” I admitted. “I grew up a few towns over, Mom still—uh, you don’t wanna hear my life story. Point is, I do like it here. I feel lucky that I get to live here, and my friends are a big part of that. If you hate them, I’ll bring you home the second you tell me to, no questions. Deal?”
“Deal,” Hayden said.
It felt like getting a call to say I’d won the goddamn lottery. Or at least, it felt like how I imagined getting that call would feel like. I’d never actually bought a lottery ticket.
“I’ll drop back in to pick you up at six,” I promised. “You won’t regret this.”
6
Hayden
I already regretted agreeingto go to dinner tonight.
Wes had been so bright and enthusiastic and hopeful that I couldn’t say no to him, but now that I’d had time to consider my mistake, I was dreading it.
