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Alvin raised a hand to his forehead and lifted his chin towards the sky. “Why, look at that… DeeDee’s first real gay experience and the world didn’t end.”

I glanced behind him to see if anyone could hear what he said. He noticed but he didn’t call me out for it. “You don’t have to make everything so goddamn dramatic, you know,” I told him.

“I’m not the one hiding behind a tree because Omar complimented my shirt.”

“He said it looked good.” I moved to walk past Alvin, back towards the trail.

“It does look good.”

“It’s a terrible shirt,” I grumbled, for no other reason than I needed to argue with him about something. That felt normal. Whatever happened back there… didn’t. But it also felt really fucking incredible, and I didn’t have the brain cells to deal with that right now.

“It’s a fabulous shirt,” Alvin insisted.

“It has cuts in it.”

“Those are called design features.”

“It’s called damage.”

“Yeah, well, unfortunately I have an affinity for damaged things, DeeDee.” His mouth twitched.

I stared at him. “You’re enjoying this.”

“Looks like you were the one enjoying this.” His eyes dragged down to where my shirt was doing a shit job of hiding the cum stain on my pants. “But you’re right. I am enjoying you being jealous.”

“I am not jealous,” I repeated it as though it were a mantra I could say enough times and suddenly it would become true. “I just don’t like the guy.”

“Same family. Different outfit.”

I didn’t have a response to that, so I didn’t say anything. I didn’t have to. Because Alvin had enough to say for both of us.

“You’re blushing.” He pointed at my face again.

“I’m not.”

“You’re the color of a stop sign.”

“I’m annoyed.”

“You’re always annoyed. This isn’t that.”

A shout carried through the woods. “Darius! Alvin!”

I stepped away from Alvin too quickly and nearly tripped over the fallen log. I shot him a warning look. “Say one word and I’ll leave you here.”

“You’d miss me.”

“I’d miss the silence more.”

We returned to the clearing side by side. Though I made sure there was enough space between us to suggest he didn’t just have his hand down my shorts while my ass was pressed up against some tree.

Omar looked at us. His glare catching on my flushed face and Alvin’s pleased grin. And I died a little on the inside.

“Darius got lost,” Alvin announced as everyone gathered on the trail.

“I did not.”

“He was hiding in a tree.”