Weirdly, I don’t find it annoying.
“Thanks.”
So, I’m here. With this strange, attractive boy.
Because really, oh my God. This boy. He’s bananas hot. He’s got this sort of military vibe about him, with his strong jawline and short haircut, and well-built body. Also, his eyes are fascinating. At a distance, they look light brown, but up close, they’re almost green. Plus, he’s clean-shaven, and his skin is blemish-free. He’s a perfect, all-American boy.
He probably even gets along with his dad.
Anyway.
I can totally see him as one of those West Point guys whose whole life is about perfection and military service. Maybe that’s why he’s so buff.
But we met in a criminal bar, so I know if he is a soldier, he’s not a lawful one.
I wonder if he’s killed any Donovans.
I hope not. He’s way too pretty to be a killer.
“So, man,” he says. He stretches out, putting one arm on the back of the booth. “What’s your deal?”
“What do you mean?”
“Like, what do you like? What are your hobbies?”
Why would he ask me to do this? What does he want from me?
“Listen,” I say. “Before you ask about my hobbies, I’m going to need a better idea of what’s going on here.”
He tilts his head to the side, and his lips twitch up a little. Oh great, I’m amusing him.
“We’re getting food,” he says.
“Yeah, but … why?”
“Why what?”
“Why’d you ask me to come here?”
“Because I thought you’d say yes.”
I feel my eyebrows narrow. It was an impulse. “That’s not an answer.”
“Sure it is,” he says. He leans forward and rests his hands on the table. “You’re here, aren’t you? Don’t overthink it. Let’s just have a good time, get to know each other a little. So … your hobbies. What do you like?”
I guess he has a point. I do tend to overthink things a lot, and it’s never worked out so great for me.
“Um.” I rack my brain. “I like movies.”
He nods. “Oh yeah, what kinds?”
“Any, really. I like superhero ones, but I’m kind of sick of them being the only ones out there.”
“Aw, man, I love superhero movies! I see them day one, every time.”
Shit, that’s cool.
“I didn’t say they were bad; I like them as much as the next guy. I just … I wish there was other stuff, too. Like, the only things with big budgets these days are those. I miss movies like Alien and Terminator or whatever.”
“So big-budget, but new?”
“Exactly!”
“That’s fair, I miss those, too. Or the thought of them. All right, you like movies, what else?”
I shrug. “I dunno, I like normal stuff. How about you?”
“Movies, TV. I read a bit, play baseball on Fridays. Oh, and I like games a lot.”
“Oh, wait, me too,” I say. “On the gaming, not the baseball, obviously.”
I gesture at my thin arms.
“Really?” he says. He looks at my body for a second. “What games do you like?”
The server returns and places the food down in front of us. It looks great. I squirt out some ketchup and try one of the waffle fries. Way good. I lift the burger and take a bite, and oh, damn.
It’s amazing.
“I like fantasy RPGs the best,” I say, still chewing. And, oh my God, this burger is officially too good for this place.
His eyes light up. “Dude, me too! Fantasy RPGs take over my life whenever I get one. This might be embarrassing to admit, but I put four hundred hours into the Skyrim remaster.”
It’s kind of alarming how cool I find that. I’m not sure everyone would think it’s cool, but I seriously think it’s amazing.
“That’s not embarrassing at all. What class do you play as?”
“I have two characters. One is a rogue; the other is a wizard. How about you?”
“I swear I’m not copying you, but I always play as one of those two.”
“Yeah, because they’re the best. Who wants to be a knight?”
“Not me, that’s for sure.”
I feel a little fluttering in my stomach. I’m sitting across from a hot guy who plays video games. Eating a great burger. This so isn’t how I was expecting the night to go.
And I wouldn’t change a single thing.
* * *
The bell chimes as the door to the diner closes behind us, and I get a waft of gasoline from the gas station. Glorious. Jason stretches, cracking his back into place. I find myself kind of marveling at the way his muscles move under his shirt.
Seriously, damn, boy.
“So where to?” he asks.
“Huh?”
“Where do you wanna go now?”
I frown. “Back to Jimmy’s?”
This was fun, but I feel a creeping dread about it. If Dad noticed I was missing, I don’t know what I’d tell him. I can’t say the truth, which is that I met a random guy in the bathroom and decided to leave with him because I thought he was gorgeous.
There are the rumors about me. I don’t know what Jason’s deal is, and what he likes, but I feel hanging out one-on-one with a boy like him might add some fuel to that particular fire. I don’t feel bad about being gay, I don’t even really care about it. It’s just what I am; boys have always done it for me. I like deep voices and short haircuts and big arms.
I especially like how boys look when they take off their shirts.
I just don’t want anyone to know yet. I suspect they’ll make a big deal out of it, which I don’t want. It’s none of their business. Me liking guys is my thing. It’s not like anyone’s trying super hard to date me, so for now, it doesn’t even matter.
“You don’t want to hit the beach or something?” he asks. “The water’s nice this time of night.”
“I can’t,” I say. “Dad will freak.”
He nods. “Fair.”
“Won’t your parents? Who are they, by the way?”
“We had a deal. No family talk tonight. Just us, being our own men, remember?”
“Oh, right.”
I get kind of a kick out of him calling me a man.
Still. I want to poke further about who this boy is, but a deal is a deal. We walk in silence, until we reach the back door of the bar.
“That was fun,” says Jason. “I get told I’m hard to read a lot, so I figured I’d just say it. I had fun.”
I nod. “I had fun, too.”
He tucks his hands into his pockets. “Maybe we could do it again sometime, then? Would you like that?”
I would. Very much. I’m not ready for this to be over. But maybe this should be a one-time thing. A welcome one, but I have a feeling hanging around Jason is a bad idea for me.
Am I being presumptuous? I don’t think this is a gay thing. It’s probably just a friend thing.
Or maybe not?
“Well, maybe next time you see me in the bathroom, you could ask,” I say.
So now I know flirting isn’t a gift of mine. Great.