Page 98 of Cold as Ice

No, Mal corrected,we’re not just fucking. We’re involved.

How would Toronto react?

And on top of that, he didn’t even know what Elliott wanted. Would he even want a boyfriend? If he could even have him that way, would Elliott be okay with it?

Elliott hadn’t had a boyfriend, not since he’d come to Portland U.

Maybe he didn’t even want one.

Maybe for Ell,likemeant the easy way they kept falling into bed and enjoying each other’s company.

Don’t be ridiculous. That’s a boyfriend.

Well, he didn’t need to convincehimself, Mal supposed. He just needed to convince Elliott.

No big deal,Mal thought sarcastically.

When had anyone—evenhim—been able to convince Elliott to do something he didn’t want to?

“You’re frowning.”

Mal looked up and Elliott was standing there. He was in jeans and an Evergreens hooded sweatshirt that brought out that sharp green of his eyes, and he’d done something with his hair that made Mal want to touch it. Mal’s heart beat a little faster.

“Everything alright?” Elliott walked closer, but didn’t touch him. Even though Mal thought he could see the desire in his expression to reach out.

“Yeah. Just . . .uh . . .thinking.”

Elliott grinned. “Don’t hurt yourself.”

“You’re an ass,” Mal retorted, but he could hear the fondness, the undeniable affection in his own voice. Like heenjoyedthat Elliott was an ass, sometimes.

That was something Mal was still getting used to. That Elliott could drive him crazy and alsodrive him crazy.

“Yeah, but you love it,” Elliott teased, and this time Malcolm couldn’t even deny it.

“Yeah, I kinda do,” Mal admitted.

Mal was rewarded with one of Elliott’s brightest smiles. A smile that he seemed to save just for him—at least in the last month.

“Well, should we go?” Elliott asked, gesturing towards the door.

They left out the front of the athletic complex, and to Mal’s relief, the courtyard around it seemed nearly empty of students and there were no other players to be seen.

As they headed towards the arcade, Mal wondered if he should reach out and take Elliott’s hand. It was right there, swinging at his side. That felt like it might be a date thing to do—but would italsobe a boyfriend thing to do? Mal was suddenly horribly sure that he didn’t understand the difference between the two.

It had been Mal’s idea that they should go out and do something—something that had nothing to do with sexorstatistics, but now that it was happening, he felt incredibly out of his depth.

He didn’t know how to date.

He had no fucking clue how to convince Elliott to be his boyfriend—or if he evenwantedElliott to be his boyfriend?

Mal glanced over at him. And okay,yes, he did. He wanted Elliott for his own. Even if he couldn’t keep him forever.

But how to go about it?

He wished he’d asked Jane some advice about what he should be doing on this date. But she’d been busy and distant, wrapped up in her feelings—and not wanting to feel them—for the guest choreographer, Ben.

The idea had been to not be so insensitive by shoving his burgeoning relationship into her face, but now he realized justhow dumb that was. Especially when he thought about how completely out of his fucking depth he was.

---