Page 32 of Hot Set

“Yes,” she replied, deadpan.

I kissed her cheek and pulled on my shoes. “I’ll see you later,” I said.

“All right, dear.”

I headed out the door. I’d only gotten a few steps before I pulled out my phone. I flipped through the contacts. My finger hovered briefly over Brandon’s name. I sucked in a deep breath, as warm butterflies flitted through my belly. Again my face blushed. At this point, I should really stop denying it.

I couldn’t even talk to Brandon without getting distracted by how blue his eyes were. Or how enthusiastic he looked about everything. Maybe it was time to admit that I was attracted to him; very attracted to him.

So, now what?

I stared at Brandon’s name and number, weighing my options. Part of me wanted to just blurt out this grand revelation that Ilikedhim,reallyliked him.

I was gay like him. Or bi. Something other than straight, and I’d just figured that out. And now that I had, the label seemed natural. Fine. But then…what? Confessing to Brandonalso felt a lot like opening Pandora’s box. If I admitted I liked him, we’d have to talk about the time we had sex. And what if Brandon didn’t really like me? It was pointless to even consider a relationship or romance anyway because if I got this FBI job, it wouldn’t pan out.

And did I really want my long, probably meandering love confession to come over the phone? Admittedly, the rejection wouldn’t be as bad, then. I wouldn’t have to see that awkward face Brandon made when he felt like he’d messed something up really badly.

I growled in frustration and kept flipping through my contacts. Surely, there would be someone who I could talk to about this. I paused on Seth’s name. Seth was fun and friendly. He was also the absolute last person that I would ever consider going to for advice, but the last person was better than no person, right? And Seth wasn’t a brainless fool. He’d take me seriously if I called him about something likethis.

I took in another gulp of air, as if afraid that all oxygen on the planet might dissolve within the next few seconds and dialed his number. After three rings, I began to doubt he’d answer. Then,click.

“Hello, Alex!”

“Hey, Seth,” I said.

It was probably best to ease him into this.

“So do you need me to help bury a body?” Seth asked. “There’s some room in the creek near my house.”

My laughter was edged with anxiety. “Maybe you could bury me?” I asked, only half-joking.

Seth whistled. “Seems like a waste.”

“I’m thinking I might die of humiliation soon.”

“That’s not so bad,” Seth said. “Been there, done that.”

“Youdied?”

“Well, not literally; metaphorically. (My ‘big word’ of the day). Several times. But what’s up with you? Is the FBI making you give a speech or something? One of those job talk things?”

“No,” I replied. “It’s just I… need some advice.”

“Okay,” Seth said, immediately all business. “What’s going on?”

“It’s love advice,” I said slowly.

“Love, huh? I might know a thing or two about that,” Seth replied. “I’ve dated quite a few people. Broken a few hearts, just like Lord Byron before me.”

I snorted. “I don’t think you should be taking up dead poets as your heroes.”

“Well, if you’re not taking up a dead poet, what’s the point?” Seth asked.

“Anyway,” I said. “I’m on my way to the set. Can you talk?”

I headed to my car and climbed into the driver’s seat, hitting the speaker button on my phone. This car hadBluetooth, but I’d never bothered to figure out how to use it. Instead, I’d accepted that I was a failure as a millennial and moved on.

“Okay,” Seth said, his voice a bit staticky but definitely there. “I’m here. Tell me about your love problem.”

---