Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 78007 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78007 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
My heart stops beating…just dies in my chest, making me wonder how I haven’t keeled over. I don’t love Theo. I’ve known him for, like, five minutes. I like him a lot. He makes me happy, and I like making him happy, but I don’t love him. “We’re not the same as you and Ty.”
Brax laughs. Hard and deep. The asshole. He pushes to his feet. “Whatever you say, man. I gotta go to work.” He looks out the front window and nods. “Your boy just showed up.”
I stand up so fast, I worry I’m going to throw a hip. Jesus, I need to chill the fuck out. “I’m not in love with him,” I say again, and Brax just shrugs in that I-don’t-give-a-fuck way he’s so good at.
We go outside together, and I smile as I head over to Theo’s car and climb into the passenger seat, throwing my bag in the back. “So, like…I’m about to meet your parents,” I say because I always try to be honest with him, and that statement will show him I’m a lot nervous.
“I know. What the fuck. I’m trippin’ out.”
“You and me both.” But it helps that he’s stressed about it too. Misery loves company, I guess.
“You don’t have to go.”
I snap my head up so our eyes meet. “You don’t want me to go?” My lungs tighten, and it’s suddenly hard to breathe. Did he change his mind? He’s already over this? Over me?
“What? No! I want you to go. I just don’t want you to do something you don’t want to do.”
“I wanna go,” I admit, and holy fuck, I want to meet Theo’s family. He’s totally fucking changed me.
Theo grins.
I grin.
“We’re ridiculous.” I shake my head, but the stupid smile is still on my face.
We take the I-15, and it’s about two and a half hours to Victorville. I settle in comfortably while Theo drives, still trying to wrap my head around what in the hell is happening. “What are we telling your parents?”
“I think I want to keep with the same plan…say we’re friends and play it by ear. It’s not that I don’t want them to know, but—”
“Hey.” I reach over and put my hand on his thigh. “You don’t have to explain. Like I said before, telling your truth is always on your terms.”
He groans, a frustrated kind of groan.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“Seriously, what? That was sweet as fuck.”
“I know. You’re annoyingly perfect. I don’t want to talk about it.”
I chuckle because it’s not every day someone tells me I’m perfect. It couldn’t be further from the truth, but it still feels good. “Passenger gets to pick the music.” I figure a change in subject might help us both relax.
Theo doesn’t argue while I plug my phone in and turn on the weird indie stuff I know he likes.
Theo groans again, and damn, for such a grumpy sound, it sure does make me feel good.
“The house isn’t much,” Theo says two hours and twenty-three minutes later when we pull down a residential street. It’s filled with one-story, stucco homes, all different shades of brown, beige, and cream. Most of the yards have a desert theme, with a lot of rock and pavers, the latter probably due to the heat and lack of rain.
“What makes you think I’m the kinda guy who would care about that? I didn’t have much growing up. Montgomery gave my mom money, yeah, but it wasn’t enough to have us living a life of luxury. I feel a million times more comfortable in a small, lived-in house than I ever would in a home like where Ty grew up.”
“I know. I’m just nervous about this…us…and also, we had a fucking pop quiz yesterday, and I know I bombed it. I haven’t braved looking at my grade yet.”
“Puppy…no stressing out this weekend. You’re seeing your family, and that’s what matters. And maybe you’ll find the time to talk to them about the pressure you’re under, and you guys can come up with a plan together. As for the test…we’ll study extra hard when we get home to make up for it. Every orgasm I give you will have to be earned.”
“I don’t know if we should go that far.” He chuckles nervously.
“I do.”
Theo pulls up at one of the cream houses. It has one of those barred screen doors on front, with lots of rock around and a few palm trees.
“You ready to do this? I’m about to be the best friend-visitor guy ever. Your parents are going to love me.”
“I don’t doubt it,” Theo says seriously, making me shift uncomfortably. It was supposed to be a joke, but he didn’t respond like it was one.
“That’s ’cause I’m fucking awesome.” I wink, and then I’m the first to get out of the car.
I open the back door to grab my bag, and Theo does the same.