Page 18 of Perfect Blend

“Not to brag, but there are three Indian restaurants within two blocks of my place.”

“Not to brag, but theonegrocery store in town carriestwobrands of frozen biryani.” I lifted the wine and grinned at his loud laugh. “At least Dahlia Springs makes up for it by proximity to a ton of incredible wineries. You like red?”

“Love it.” He moved over to the nerd central in my home. “You’re into LEGO?” He lit up.

My cheeks burned as I watched him examine the completed sets in the glass case. “Since high school. I get some for Christmas each year.” I didn’t mention the boxes of LEGO sets still in storage and at my parents’ house.

He shook his head absently as he looked his fill, then turned and strode over to me. “We should’ve been better friends in high school.”

I blinked at him but managed to hold back the “in my fantasies, we were very close.” Instead, I poured him a glass.

He waited until I met his eyes before he began speaking again. “I collect them too. Not so much since I moved into my studio.” He deflated.

Travis hadn’t “gotten” the LEGO hobby and had asked me to keep the displays away from our “entertaining areas.” The first thing I’d done in my new place was put together my LEGO display case. I felt terrible that Mikey had needed to do the opposite after his divorce.

He raised his glass of wine. “To adult fans of LEGO. And to rekindling friendships.”

“To GayFOLs and friendships.” I held his stare as I happily drank to that.

CHAPTER6

MIKEY

An eveningof drinking wine at Dave’s relaxed me more than the massage I’d splurged on last month. If I wasn’t careful, I could get used to it. I sank into his cozy couch while losing myself to Dave’s low, smooth voice as he shared stories about his drag show mishaps.

Dave was witty, charming, and capable as fuck. While loitering in his coffee shop, I couldn’t stop watching him deftly making complicated coffee orders that sounded as understandable as Latin as he held conversations with people in line. It was 4D competency porn.

In school, Dave had been far from the most outgoing person in a room, but he had always been well-liked and had fit in with any group. He’d never lacked presence, though he’d certainly developed it in spades since.

“I thought it would be funny to finish with a jig, but I miscalculated how tall my high heels were, and the heel on my right foot snagged the tights on my left leg when I went to kick my right foot in front of my left shin. Fell right on my ass.”

I nearly spilled my third glass of wine as I laughed. “Did you break your tailbone?”

Dave’s dimples deepened. “No, but I started wearing pads the next year.”

“Gotta get those curves.”

“You know it.” He tipped back his glass and finished it off. “Ready to get to work?”

“Boozing me up before making me dance seems unwise,” I said after finishing my own. I glanced at the time on his microwave. I’d been there for over an hour already.It felt like minutes.

Dave stood and stretched his arms, rolling his back. His snug T-shirt lifted from his jeans, teasing me with a peek at the curve of his back. A perfect sliver of skin that would be so easy to lean forward and kiss.Don’t be a creep.

I was there for work and needed to stay focused. Fooling around with Dave would be a great time, but I still wasn’t convinced it was worth the risk of fucking up the friendship we’d been building. The temptation sure had quadrupled the more time we’d spent together. Dave was the kind of guy I could easily imagine myself dating, but I had to believe I would get the promotion and likely have to move to Chicago. Letting myself toy with the idea of dating him would only end in heartache and career failure. Friendship was better than a quick fuck. Even though I hadn’t been so attracted to someone in ages.

As I followed Dave into a room down his short hallway, I realized I hadn’t once been tempted to check Discord for a message from Jack. Usually, he hung out around the edges of my mind throughout the day.

Sometimes it weirded me out that I didn’t know the name of such a close friend. He could win the lottery and move to an island without internet, and I would never know. It was weird. But despite not knowing some of the basics about him, he’d become important to me. I didn’t need to know someone’s name or what they looked like for them to become a confidant and friend.

“You sure you only do this once a year?” I took in the dresses laid across the full-sized bed, shoes lined at the foot, and wigs in a row across the waist-high dresser.

“I’ve done it about five times now with a new outfit each year, plus some donations from others in the community.” He smoothed errant hairs on a poofy bright-red wig.

The guest bedroom was compact but comfortable. Dark-blue bedding, light-gray walls, and framed photos of Haystack Rock at the coast. The bed looked comfy. I couldn’t help but wonder how comfortable Dave’s bed was. I should’ve accepted his offer to crash here instead of staying at the town’s only B&B on the magazine’s dime. I could’ve pocketed the per diem and treated Dave to a fancy dinner—and spent even more time with him—while saving me from the rainbow doilies and stuffed animal army.

“What are you planning to wear?”

Dave walked over to the closet and pulled out a plastic garment bag. “Found this on sale after Christmas.” He removed a copper sequined dress from the bag. It looked like it would hit him just above the knee and the sleeves would reach his elbows. The color would look great on him. So would the slim fit with his lean body.

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