Page 64 of Just a Bit Guarded

“I already said I did.”

“No, there’s a big difference between ‘I might as well’ and burning to fucksomeone. You know what I mean, don’t play dumb.” Scott laughed. “Admit it, come on! You want to fuck the guy into the mattress! Screw him on your dick! Put your Willy into him!”

Will pulled a face. “I’m embarrassed by being related to you.”

“Back at ya. Pull that stick out of your ass, man. Since you stole him from me, at least don’t let it go to waste. The guy needs to be fucked 24/7, I can tell these things, trust me. He has ‘slutty bottom’ written all over his pretty face.”

Will hung up.

Scott’s advice had been about as helpful as he’d expected—which was not helpful at all.

His phone went off. Sighing, Will picked it up.

“You hung up on me! I wasn’t done giving you advice.”

Will pinched the bridge of his nose. “Thanks, I think I’m good.”

There was silence on the line before Scott spoke again. This time he sounded unusually serious. “You know what I really think?”

“I have a feeling you’ll tell me anyway,” Will said dryly.

“I think you’re scared.”

Will scoffed. “And what am I scared of?”

“You’re always so... reserved. Guarded. You’ve been like this since you started living with us. And like, I get it, you lost your family in a really shitty way, too young, and I thought you were like that with us because we weren’t really your family, you know? You didn’t want us to replace them, and that’s, like, fine. I get it. ButI noticed years ago that it wasn’t just us. You tend to cut people off if they get too close to you.”

“You got it all wrong,” Will said, wondering how they could have completely different interpretations of their past. That wasn’t how it had been from his perspective. He hadn’t been the one to put distance between him and Scott’s family. Orwashe?

“Did I?You haven’t had a single relationship that lasted more than a few weeks, Will. You make fun of me for my fleeting infatuations, but you’re worse than I am! At least I actually try to fall in love and make it work. You start ghosting your girlfriends if shit gets a little real.”

Will frowned. “I don’t.”

“Maybe not intentionally—you aren’t actually an asshole—but you totally do it, man. Every single time. It’s kind of hilariousthat you’re one of the most dependable people I know—as long as feelings aren’t involved. The closer people get to you, the more distant you get. Laura bitched at me for months about your ‘emotional unavailability.’ Months, Will.” Scott snorted. “You must be amazing in the sack to get them so hung up on you. It’s certainly not your personality.”

“Even if you were right—which you aren’t—what does that have to do with Gadiel? We aren’t in a relationship. He’s a guy.”

“A guy you want to fuck. You, the straightest man I’ve ever met. That has to mean something. And I think that scares you. To be honest, the fact that you’re still sticking around is amazing to me. I would have thought you’d have already pulled your ghosting act.”

“The only thing I’m scared of is hurting the kid’s feelings,” Will said testily. “That’s all.”

“Right,” Scott said, his voice full of skepticism. “If that’s all, pack your things and move out. That’s the surest way not to hurt the ‘kid’s’ feelings. That’s the rational thing to do. The logical thing. Right?”

Will hung up.

This time Scott didn’t call again, probably content to have the last word and feeling smug about it, the dick.

Running a hand over his face tiredly, Will got to his feet and returned to his bedroom. He strained his hearing but there were no sounds coming from Gadiel’s room.

Will looked at his suitcase in the corner of the room. It wasn’t too late to leave.

He checked the time on his phone. 11:32.

He had twenty-eight minutes to make the decision.

Chapter 25

Gadiel sat in his bedroom for hours, listening for any noise coming from Will’s room.

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