And Gary was now proposing I share living space with the man who owned the dick I’d been fantasising about.
I wasn’t sure if the prospect excited or terrified me.
“Gary, I don’t know if?—”
“Don’t be daft. He’s solid. Of course he’ll let you stay. He’s like family.”
Family.
I pressed my palm flat against the table’s uneven surface. I’d never thought of Theo as family. I’d thought of him as untouchable, as dangerous as a live wire.
If you got too close, you’d burn.
Once again my mind flicked unbidden to that night in the leather bar. The way he looked.
The way he made mefeel.
It was becoming a familiar route.
“Cam?” Gary prompted.
Back to Planet Earth.
“Yeah. Sorry. Just got a lot on my mind.”
Aloadon my mind would be more accurate. Several loads, in fact.
Then I remembered what had sent my mind off on a tangent in the first place. Those words that had turned my insides to liquid.
Of course he’ll let you stay.
Stay. With Theo.
Sleep in his flat. See him every day. Breathe the same air, share the same space.
God.
“I’ll text him now. He’ll say yes, don’t worry. You’ll be sorted.”
Sorted.
Yeah, right.
“One thing… you might have to be a little open-minded while you’re staying there. You know, about the whole gay thing. Theo might have… guests overnight. Except I don’t think you’re that easily shocked, are you?” A pause. “You did know Theo’s gay?”
I struggled to take a breath. “Yeah, I knew.”
“So you might have to put your love life on hold for a while.” Gary chuckled. “As if I know what you do. You never tell me a thing. You could have a different girl every night for all I know.”Another chuckle. “Make the most of it. But be safe. Mum would explode if you get someone pregnant. She isn’t ready to be a grandma yet.”
You may be my brother, but you don’t know me at all.
Except that wasn’t fair. I hadn’t come out to my family, and I’d done my damnedest not to be obvious, not to give too much away.
Apparently, I’d given an Oscar-worthy performance.
I couldn’t take another second. “Sorry, Gary, but I’ve got to go.” I ended the call and set my phone face-down on the table. My pulse wouldn’t slow. My hands were damp again, so I wiped them on my thighs and sat there in the echo of the conversation.
Theo.