Total pages in book: 91
Estimated words: 87392 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 437(@200wpm)___ 350(@250wpm)___ 291(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87392 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 437(@200wpm)___ 350(@250wpm)___ 291(@300wpm)
“Your form is pretty good, I admit,” I said. I chewed the inside of my cheek, unsure of how much I wanted to say. “Are… have you ever… um…”
“Spit it out, dude,” Evan said.
“Have you ever had sex with Cal?” I blurted, blushing as I said it.
Evan visibly relaxed. “Christ, I thought you were going to ask something so much more sinister. If I’ve ever killed a man, or ran over someone’s pet, or something.”
“Course not,” I said.
“I’ve never had sex with Cal,” Evan said, shaking his head. “He’s hot, but we don’t mesh in that way.”
“You don’t?”
He shook his head. “This is going to sound weird, but I’ve heard him talking about how he doesn’t want kids, and I definitely do. I guess that didn’t used to be a deal breaker for me, but it is now. I don’t want to date anyone who doesn’t at least have the potential to be something serious.”
“Not even as a hookup?”
Evan shrugged. “It would be too awkward to hook up with Cal.”
“I get it,” I said. “Zach’s my whole world. I could never date anyone who didn’t want kids, either.”
Evan nodded. “Zach is incredible. How is he doing with the transition here?”
I looked out at the snowflakes falling onto the street. “Good, I think.”
“It’s hard to tell when they’re that age.”
“Damn right about that.”
“He seems like a sweet kid.”
I paused for a moment, nodding. “I worry he gets too introverted. Doesn’t want to join any sports teams, that’s for damn sure, but he doesn’t join clubs, either.”
“He isn’t like you were,” Evan said.
“Not at all. Shit, I would have joined five sports if I could,” I said. “Anything to get out of the house. Was the only way I felt right in high school. But Zachie just… stays home.”
“I used to be like that, too,” Evan said.
“I wish I knew how to get him out of his shell.”
“You know… every other Saturday I host a student volunteer group at the dog shelter. Midwood-Amberfield Rescue. Might be a hard sell for Zach at first, but you could ask him if he wants to join.”
“You do that?” I asked. “I had no idea.”
Evan shrugged. “Just a small thing. Not like I’m helping build orphanages or anything.”
“But that’s still incredible,” I said. “You’re sure as shit doing more than I ever do. Could I come help sometimes?”
He gave me a confused look. “You’d actually want to do that?”
“I think so,” I said.
“Believe me, it isn’t fun half the time. You think it’s going to be all cute puppies all the time, but it’s a lot of sad, traumatized dogs. And a lot of poop clean-up, to be honest.”
“Well, somebody needs to do it,” I said with a shrug.
He smiled lightly. “That’s very true.”
“Of course I would want to come along. I love dogs, and… I’d do anything if it was with you. Hell, picking up garbage would be fun with you.”
Something clicked in him when I said that. It must have. Because he looked away, out at the snow, and wouldn’t make eye contact with me anymore.
“Ev…” I said lightly. “Don’t do the tunnel thing. Talk to me.”
He shifted. “Believe me, you don’t want to hear what I was thinking.”
“Well, the bad news is that you’re a shitty mind reader,” I said. “Because I really do want to know what you were thinking.”
“And what’s the good news?”
I grinned. “The good news is that you’re still my favorite person in the world,” I said. “Now talk.”
“I was thinking that you don’t even know how sexy half the things you say are,” he said, giving me a cautious, hesitant look. “Now do you see why I shouldn’t be honest about that?”
I was too busy trying to handle the sudden spike in adrenaline in my body to react properly. I was stunned into silence for a moment, which he clearly mistook to be discomfort.
“I knew I shouldn’t have said it,” he continued, pulling away from me and shaking his head. “I’ve told Red that tequila is bad for me, but the man doesn’t listen—”
“Evan,” I said. “I’m glad you said it.”
He lifted an eyebrow.
“I am,” I said. “I told you, dude. Shitty mind reader.”
His eyes went wide and he gave me a big, animated shrug. “You’re over there looking like I just told you your pet died. Why would you be glad I said something awkward as hell?”
“Because I like when you’re awkward as hell. I am, too,” I said, turning to face him again, looking him in the eyes. It didn’t matter that the only light was coming from a nearby lamp post reflecting off the thin coating of snow—I could still see the faint blush that formed on Evan’s cheeks.
And finally, like the first sun after a storm, he began to smile.
“Well then shut up,” he said, reaching out and shoving me.