Page 91 of The Shots You Take

“So,” Jackson said, “I have to ask—you two have been friends for a while?”

“Yeah,” Riley said. “A long time.”

“I think what you’re really asking,” Adam said with a slight smile, “is where the hell have I been before now?”

Everyone laughed. “Right,” Jackson said. “Thank you for seeing through my bullshit.”

Adam wasn’t sure how to answer. What did Riley want himto say? “We didn’t talk much, for a while there. But it’s been really great, seeing Riley again.”

That seemed vague enough to be safe, while also being true.

“They were roommates,” Darren said. And there was definitelysomethingin his tone. Mischief, maybe.

“We were,” Adam confirmed, cautiously.

“Riley was so cute back then,” Darren said. “You’re a total fox now obviously, Riley, but you had such a baby face and all those muscles. Absolutely deadly combination.”

Adam felt a ridiculous pang of jealousy, remembering that Darren had gotten to touch Riley before he had. “He was cute,” Adam said, as mildly as he could manage. “But now he’s gorgeous.” He punctuated his declaration by taking a sip of water. Let them draw whatever conclusions they wanted from that. Adam was done with hiding.

He could practically feel the heat of Riley’s blush beside him, but he didn’t look at him.

Jackson broke the tension by clapping his hands together with delight, then saying, “Well, thank god that mystery has been solved.”

“What mystery?” Riley grumbled.

“You can’t show up here with the World’s Most Beautiful Man and not expect us to have questions.”

Adam sputtered a bit at that. “Um, thank you?”

“We’re friends,” Riley said firmly. Which, yes, was true, but also: ouch.

“But, if what you’re really asking is if I’m gay,” Adam said, then pointed to Jackson’s T-shirt. “Yes. I am.”

Everyone loved that, laughing and cheering. Adam laughed too, feeling relieved. He still wasn’t used to saying those words.

“I’m new at it, though,” he added. “So go easy on me.”

Bea pressed her fingers to her cheeks. “A baby!”

“Welcome aboard, Adam,” Tom said.

Adam did turn to Riley then, and found his friend smiling at him in that unfamiliar relaxed way. A smile that wasn’t tinged with sadness or regret or longing. Just happiness, and maybe pride.

Under the table, Riley put a hand on Adam’s knee and squeezed, once, before taking it away. Adam wanted to grab it back.

The conversation moved on, and Riley said, low enough so only Adam could hear, “Gorgeous?”

“Well,” Adam said, feeling a little lightheaded even without wine, “it’s not like you’re the World’s Most Beautiful Man or anything.”

* * *

Riley had been worried during the dinner that Adam wasn’t comfortable. He’d been uncharacteristically quiet all night, and Riley had been cursing himself for dropping Adam into an awkward situation. But then Adam had surprised him, and then surprised him again. He’d told everyone he was gay, and he’d said that Riley wasgorgeous. Riley’s heart was still fluttering.

After dinner, the group had begun to separate into pairs and trios. Darren had Riley alone in the kitchen and was, of course, losing his mind.

“He’s so hot for you. You know that, right?”

Riley folded his arms across his chest and leaned back against the counter. “I don’t know where you’re getting that from.”

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