Page 66 of Just Bromantically Invested

“Hey. I’m not going anywhere.” But even as I say that, a little voice erodes my brain. Getting into a relationship usually means the natural progression is to move in with them at some point. My roommates are ahead of me when it comes to relationships, but I’m ahead of all of them when it comes to the guy I’m … seeing? I hope I’m seeing.

At some point, we’ll cross from kinda boyfriends to more, and when it happens, will Penn want me to move in with him? Given he scrapes together all the money he earns to own his apartment, there’s no way he’d choose to move into Bertha with me instead.

My mouth has gone dry by the time we reach the taco truck, and my roommates and I put in our orders. I pay for everyone, darkly musing money might not matter if I’m saving a shitload on rent soon, and then we all claim a picnic table set up in the park.

To make sure I don’t have to continue my downer conversation with Xander, I turn to Seven instead. “Busy day today?”

“Nah, I only have two bookings,” he says around the bite of food he’s taken. “Should be some walk-ins later tonight, but hopefully, the afternoon is cruisey.”

“Maybe I could come in,” Xander pipes up.

Seven takes a moment to answer. “For what?”

“I want you to tattoo around my eyes. So it looks like I have liner on all the time.”

Molly’s face falls. “That’s permanent, sweetie.”

“Good. That’s what I want. Last week when I had an episode, I didn’t have time to doanyof my makeup, and I … I …” He screws his whole face up. “I looked ugly.”

“No you didn’t,” Molly snaps.

He’s probably the only one who can talk to Xander that way.

“You weren’t there,” Xander throws back. “And I’m a grown man, and as a grown man, I want my eyes tattooed, okay? Maybe you could do my lips too. Something deep pink.”

Even though Seven doesn’t answer right away, we all know it’s going to be a yes. With Z, it’s always a yes. Seven’s the one who tattooed Xander’s freckles a few years ago, and I know he regrets it because he worries that he’s confirming Xander’s fears about himself. We all do, but Xander can be really fucking temperamental at times, and saying no makes it hard on all of us. It hurts how fragile he is, and none of it is his fault, but it’s obvious he needs therapy.

Unfortunately, the thing about therapists is that they don’t always tell you what you want to hear, and Xander doesn’t do well with that.

“Have you sold anything recently?” I ask Xander, trying to distract him, but he’s got that determined flair in his eyes, challenging Seven to tell him no.

“I did. A bust. The client paid a lot for it, and it was an ugly piece of crap that I wanted gone. So I have spare money, and I want some tattoos. Today. Maybe you can even do eyelashes as well.”

Seven’s teeth burrow into his lip.

“Unless you don’t want to,” Xander pushes. “That’s okay too. There are plenty of tattoo artists in Seattle who’ll take my money.”

Then Seven says something that shocks everyone into silence.

“Maybe you should go to one of them, then.”

Xander’s eyes narrow. “Maybe I will.”

“Good.” Seven turns back to his taco, and the second he’s not looking at Xander, Xander turns to Molly with wet eyes.

“Sorry, baby. I’m with Seven on this one.”

“You’re both going to gang up on me?”

“No one’s ganging up on you,” Seven says. “I don’t want to mark up your pretty face when we both know full well that you don’t actually want to do that.”

“Don’t tell me what I want to do.”

“Then stoppushingme.”

My eyes are wide, staring at the grass and hoping if I stay really fucking still, no one will notice me. This is … I’ve heard them bicker before,a lot, but Seven’s actually upset with him, and it must take Xander by surprise as well because he also adopts theif I freeze, he can’t see mepose.

I glance up to find he has tears running over his cheeks.

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