Page 53 of Totally Geeked

“I don’t care about the car, dickhead. Are you okay? I heard about Harrison. Are you two really…”

“Yeah, we are, and it’s great. Gordon claims to be his best friend, he should know how amazing he is. Why can’t he just be happy for us?”

“No idea, bro, but if you’re happy then I guess I can be happy for you. I’m not exactly one to judge when it comes to who you date.”

“How is college now you’re back?”

“Amazing. Are you sure you are okay to be at the apartment alone? I can come back and stay, really it’s no problem.”

“Look I’m fine, the cast comes off in two days.”

“Okay, but the offer is there. So is it true Gordon walked in on you two in your bedroom getting…you know, busy?”

I laugh. “We were kissing.”

“That’s not how he put it. He said you were up against a wall and—”

“Okay, this portion of the conversation is over.”

“You’re no fun.”

“I never said I was.”

Someone knocks at my door.

“Hold on, that's probably my food,” I say and put the phone down on the table.

It’s not dinner, it’s Harrison, and the sad look on his face makes me want to wrap my arms around him and not let go. But he’s got his arms across his chest, and he’s avoiding eye contact.

“Can we talk?” he asks, and I step aside for him to come in.

“Sure, is everything okay?”

“Not really,” he says, making his way to the couch. I take a seat beside him and try to take his hand, but he stands and starts pacing the room.

“Have you spoken to Gordon since the other night?”

“No, he won’t answer my calls. Has he said anything to you at training? Is he still mad at us about lying?”

“He won’t talk to me. He threw a few close balls to my head today, but that’s about all I got out of him. The coaches sent him home early to cool down. We should have told him sooner.”

“I don’t think it would have made a difference. He still thinks of me as some little kid he has to protect.”

“It’s not you, it’s me. He’s known me for so long. He knows about everything I’ve ever done, and I thought as my best friend, he’d never judge me for it, but I guess I was wrong. But if you start to list it all, it would be a lot to look past. You don’t know what I used to be like, before you. I—”

“It doesn’t matter what you did before me. I don’t care.”

“But you should. The number of guys alone, together, shit.” He rubs his hands through his hair, and I swear the number of grays streaking through the sides had tripled in only a few days.

“I don’t care. I’ve been with other men, too. You could have been with a thousand guys, and I wouldn't care.”

“It’s more than a thousand.”

“Whatever, ten-thousand, twenty, a million, I don’t care as long as you don’t want them and only want me, then that’s all I need.”

“I don’t want anyone else,” he says, finally stopping pacing and looking at me. “I love you.”

I stand and go to him, wrapping my arms around his waist, my fingers lace together at his back, and I pull him close. My head rests against his heart as it thumps at super speed. My chest is warm, and I fight back tears as he holds me tight. Am I dreaming? Did he just tell me he loves me?

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