“Nah. I didn’t want to butt in on their date-night stuff. Besides, I’ve barely seen you all week. Figured I’d come home and see you.”
“You’re a good son, Tom.”
“Thanks, Mom.” He almost told her that he was thinking about moving out, but he wasn’t ready to have that discussion with her yet. He’d brave those choppy waters when he felt better prepared for the backlash. Instead, he asked her about her job at Standish Construction Company, where she worked as a personal assistant to the owner.
CHAPTER FIVE
Will
Things were going well,both at school and at work. He and Tom had managed to meet up a few more times—twice at school and once at Cuppa Joe’s—and Will was finally getting the hang of the calculus stuff. Tom seemed to be picking up on most of it as well. Will was so thankful that Tom had approached him about studying together. It was definitely the right thing to do.
But every time they met, Will felt a stirring in his loins. And his belly. Yes, he was definitely developing feelings for Tom. And why not? Tom was great looking, with a terrific sense of humor and a killer smile. He was a bright guy and could talk on most topics with ease although sometimes Will had to work at getting him to actually talk. There was a quiet, almost timid quality about him that Will found adorable. They shared some similar interests, like movies and reading, but even when Tom talked about things that Will normally wasn’t interested in, he found the subject fascinating when the words flowed from Tom’s mouth. Yep, he had it bad.
At first glance, Tom didn’t seem to share Will’s feeling. But the more time they spent together—they had started hanging out together for lunch after Calculus class—Will realized that Tom was actually quite shy, especially when there were other people around. There was something else; Will couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but it was some kind of hesitancy that exuded from Tom. More than just the shyness. It was almost like Tom was trying to avoid getting to know Will too well.
All Will knew was that he absolutely wanted to get to know Tom better; he just wasn’t exactly sure what to do next. Maybe he needed some advice. And he knew the perfect person to ask.
“Hey, Clay,” Will greeted his boss when he walked through the door at the B&B. “How are things going?”
“Not too bad. How were classes today?” Clay asked.
“Okay. Now that Tom and I are meeting up to study, I’m actually starting to understand things.”
“That’s great!” Clay effused. “I’m happy that’s working out for you.”
“Um, yeah, about that …” Will began.
“Oh, is it not working out so well?” Concern painted Clay’s words.
“No, the studying part is working out great. It’s just that, um, well, can I ask you something?”
“Of course.”
“When you and Finn started seeing each other, how did you know that he liked you? How did you actually start dating?”
“I see. Am I correct that you’re starting to have feelings for Tom?” Clay asked.
“Yeah, I am. But he isn’t showing any interest that I can see,” Will lamented. “I mean, he’s friendly enough, but he’s also pretty shy, and I’m wondering if that might be the problem.”
“So Tommaybe interested, but he’s just too shy to say or do anything?”
“I think so,” Will said slowly. “So … what do I do?”
“Well, to answer your question, the first time Finn and I went out to dinner, it wasn’t really a date. It was just two friends getting together for a meal and catching up a bit,” Clay told him. “I hadn’t been back in town very long, and frankly, I was getting the cold shoulder from a lot of people because of my time in prison while I was in Chicago. But Finn never held that against me. He said that Emma trusted me, so he did too.” Clay was referring to his grandmother, who had supported him through all the bad times he’d gone through. “And honestly, by the end of the night, it did kinda feel like a date.”
“Hmm, just friends getting together. We’ve kind of done that already. What’s next?” Will asked.
“Oh, you’ve spent time together besides just studying and in class?”
“Yeah, we’ve had lunch after Calculus several times now,” Will said.
“Since you’ve already done the ‘just friends eating together’ thing, I think it’s time you asked him out on a proper date.”
“Shit. What if he says no?” Will felt himself hyperventilating.
“Relax. If he says no, then you’ll know that he’s not interested in you like that. No harm, no foul. You can still be friends and continue to study together.”
“Okay, yeah.” Will’s eyes grew wide. “Fuck, what if he says yes?”
