Brant and Billy sat in the corner of the room in front of a potted tree. Billy waved them over. “Jack, Marcus. Grab a seat.”
Jack slowed his step, wishing that the crop of dark hair on the guy sitting with his back to him were Ed’s.
Brant twisted in his seat and smiled. It was wide and welcoming, and his eerie amber eyes took him in appreciatively, but Jack felt cold. A month ago, Brant would have been just his type: tall, whipcord build, with confidence that leaked from him.
It did nothing for him now.
Marcus dragged over a wooden chair from a neighboring table, and Jack did the same, twisting and straddling it, keeping the back like a wall between him and Brant.
Marcus pointed to the guy. “Jack. Brant. Brant. Jack.”
Jack half stood up and reached over. “Hey, how’s it going?”
“Good, man. You?” Brant’s handshake passed muster. No surprise.
“All right, thanks.”
“I was just telling him what a great guy you are,” Billy said.
“Don’t believe everything he says.” Jack forced a smile. “He’s got a great poker face.”
“Good to know.” Brant looked as uncomfortable as Jack felt.
No one spoke for a few seconds. The sound of Marcus pushing his chair nearly startled him. “Billy, let’s go get some coffee.”
“But I have some?” He held up his cup.
“That’s code, man.” Brant flicked his fingers at Billy. “This is awkward enough without you sitting there.”
“Oh, right.” He stood and turned to go, then reached back for his coffee. “No sense actually buying anything if it’s just code.”
Billy and Marcus moved to the counter.
Jack shook his head. “Sometimes I wonder if I brought him up well enough to survive.”
“You raised him?”
“He was my pledge brother last fall. I feel responsible for him.”
Brant’s laugh rolled off his tongue. “Billy thinks a lot of you.”
“He’s loyal, that’s for sure.” Jack wished he’d thought to get something to drink. “So… I’ve never done this.”
“What? Never met someone to take to your formal as a friend?”
“Believe it or not, I did that once.” Jack gave him a rueful laugh. “Someone asked me to go as their friend last fall.”
“Did you?” Brant pulled his gaze away from Jack and shifted it toward the counter.
One of the baristas appeared at his side.
“Your brother said to give this to you.” She put the white mocha on the table and moved away.
“Is Marcus your brother?” Brant asked.
A chill crept over Jack. These questions reminded him of his dates with Ed. “Sorta.” He gave Brant a quick rundown.
“That’s cool.” Brant smiled.
He sipped to collect his thoughts. “So what did Marcus tell you?”
“Not much. Said your boyfriend couldn’t make it to the formal, but you had a bet that you could be the first gay guy to bring a date to the dance. That’s about it.”
Clearly his brother sanitized things. “Here’s the thing. My boyfriend isn’t totally out. His boss’s son is friends with someone in the fraternity. If he comes as my date, it will out him.”
“That’s rough.” He took a drink and leaned back. “What’s this bet?”
“If I don’t bring a date, I have to leave the house.”
“You guys play for keeps.” Brant put the cup to his mouth and watched Jack. “And if you have a date?”
“The guy who bet against me has to leave.”
“There’s no restriction on the date you bring?”
The question took Jack by surprise. Brant was hot and smart. Just like Ed. “It didn’t come up. I think Harper would claim foul, but since it wasn’t ruled out, I can claim I won on a technicality.”
Brant nodded. “It’d end up a push.”
“Pretty much.”
“Am I supposed to pretend to be a date date, or just your friend?” Rocking back, Brant pulled the front legs of his chair off the ground.
Jack saw the irony. Date or friend, Brant was still pretending. “Just a friend. I don’t want to upset my boyfriend. Doubt you want to upset yours, either.”
“What boyfriend?” The wooden legs of the chair thumped down on the tile. “Who said that?”
Jack pointed at his brother. “He said your boyfriend lives in Massachusetts.”
“He must have misunderstood.” Brant shrugged. “My ex and I tried the long-distance thing and it didn’t work. I told Marcus we left open the possibility of dating again if we were both single and living in the same area. But we’ve been broken up for almost two years now.”
This bad idea kept getting worse. “Guess he got it wrong. Sorry.”
“It’s no biggie.” He stared closely at Jack. “Is that a problem?”
Jack twisted his lips. Single, hot, smart. If Ed found out…. He crushed his eyes shut and breathed through the beginnings of a panic attack. “Yeah, I think it is.”
Brant’s head snapped back a bit. “Okay, why?”
Jack dipped a finger in his drink and licked it off. “I don’t think Ed would take it well if I go with you. When I thought you were taken, it already felt weird. But now? I think it will be an issue.”
Brant folded his arms and pressed his back against his chair. “You really like him.”
“Yeah, I really do.”
Neither spoke. Each time Jack looked up, he found a pair of hazel eyes studying him. Finally Brant spoke.
“Good for you.” He smiled widely. “Even as friends it probably is a bad idea to go. I’ll be honest, when Marcus asked, I figured you were a troll or something and you couldn’t find a date. I wasn’t sure I wanted to do that, so I told him I’d meet you and let him know. I didn’t expect you to be so hot.”
Jack laughed softly and studied his barely touched mocha. “Thanks. You are too. That’s part of the problem.” When he realized what he’d said, he looked up. “Even as a friend, I don’t think Ed would be cool if I was going with someone who looked like you.”
“I’m flattered, and I get it.”
Fuck, he hoped Marcus would understand. See at least that he tried. Jack rose from his chair and shook hands with Brant.
Marcus and Billy weaved toward him. The hopeful look on Marcus’s face crushed him.
Jack shrugged tightly and turned away from his brother. “I’m sorry. I can’t.”
He made straight for door and then crossed to the path that cut through campus, hand clutched around his phone.
“Wait!” came a yell behind him, and Jack stiffened. Marcus jogged out of the coffeehouse.
Jack toyed with not stopping, but he couldn’t avoid the conversation forever. He released his grip on his phone and shoved it in his pocket.
Marcus threw his hands up. “You two seemed to hit it off great.”
“We did.” He finally met Marcus’s demanding gaze and shrugged. They started walking toward the house. Was this the first of the last times they be this tight? “Brant’s a good guy. Hot, smart, funny, and single.”