Page 45 of Level Up

Maddy leaned forward. The sun shone bright onto her hair, reflecting off the pink. “Ryan isn’t like his family, at least from the few interactions I’ve had with him. I don’t think you should worry about that.”

“I know, it’s… hard, you know?”

“Oh, I’m sure it is,” Maddy said with a wink.

I laughed. I loved a good round of dirty jokes. We clicked so damn well. Like two rainbow-bright gay peas in a Pride flag–wrapped pod.

“I get it. I just don’t like how I feel like I still need to keep things under wraps.”

“That feeling will start going away,” Maddy assured me. “I think the connection between you two is way too strong to hide away. That shit’s as obvious as day.”

“Is it?”

“Mhmmm,” she said, grabbing the bottle of wine and pouring me a splash before she finished it off.

My phone buzzed in my lap, drawing my attention. Ryan’s name appeared on the screen. I unlocked my phone and read the message, a smile spreading across my face with every word.

Hey there boyfriend. I want to see you. Can I come hang out?

“He wants to come meet us. Is that alright?”

“Duhhhh,” Maddy said. “Ask Daddy if he can bring more wine, please.”

“You’re ridic.” I rolled my eyes and did just that, typing away an enthusiastic response to his question.

To my boyfriend’s question.

The title made me all kind of giddy inside. I dropped a pin in the text chat so he could find us easier and sat back, chatting with Maddy about finding her a man while we waited. It only took Ryan about half an hour to get to us, his cheerful “Hey, guys!” making me turn and sit up.

Ryan walked into our bamboo-encased hangout spot. He wore a pair of light-washed jeans cuffed at the ankles and a tight black shirt, a thin gold chain shining around his neck. He had two bottles of wine in his hand, lifting them like he held the first-place trophy to one of his games.

“My savior!” Maddy said. She jumped to her feet and grabbed the bottles before hugging him. He came and sat next to me. We were completely shielded by the bamboo, and Maddy already knew, so I didn’t stop myself from leaning in to kiss him hello.

Damn did that feel good. My chest filled with a flurry of butterflies, their tiny wings smacking up against my heart and lungs. He smiled at me. I nearly toppled over.

“You look good today,” he said, kissing me again and earning a “woo” from a beaming Maddy. “Like you do every day,” he added.

He always knew what to say, even if he may not have been one hundred percent accurate.

“You sure about that?” I looked down at my “Save the Whales” T-shirt. It looked like something I got out of the prop department in the theater, stark white with a stock image of a whale on the front, the font chosen for the text likely done at random.

“A hundred percent.”

“Thanks.” I rested my head on his shoulder and reached for his hand. Having his fingers lock through mine felt new but familiar all at the same time. He had a rough, calloused palm that eclipsed my tinier hand. It was nice. So fucking nice.

“I was out yelling about the impact oil drilling and fracking has on the whale population. Oh—” I looked to Maddy. “I saw Everly from bio walk past. He smiled at me. He definitely supports the cause.”

“Yeah, I like him a lot.”

“Same, same. Also saw Dex. He’s showing up, too.”

Maddy smiled. “Awesome, we’ve got at least two people showing up.”

Ryan leaned forward. “What have you two been up to?” he asked, looking around at our private picnic.

Maddy unscrewed the cap to the new bottle of wine and started to pour herself a new glass. “Just figuring out how we can take over the world. Spread the gay agenda. You know, that kind of stuff.”

“Sounds like a good time,” Ryan said. He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes the way his smiles usually did. Now that the initial rush of his arrival started to dim, I saw something else in his expression. His mouth was tight, his bushy brown brows slightly furrowed.

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