Page 7 of Stick By Me

“Maybe a half hour?” I jogged to catch up to him. “I don’t think there’s any way we could wear him out. It might take hours.” My stomach grumbled. “And I’m getting hungry.” I was looking forward to having lunch with him, too. And his friend.Don’t forget about his friend, Leo.

“So, you dating anyone?” He flashed his eyes at me, and his cheeks pinked.

My heart warmed. He was so damn cute. He was obviously interested in me. “Naw, not right now. I’ve been finding dates on Tinder, but I think I’ve worn out my welcome there.” I huffed a chuckle.

“Oh, Tinder. So, I guess you date women?” He fell into an easy stride with Goliath and the leash finally went slack.

Strolling beside him, I twisted my lips and took in the sunny day, the cars driving up and down the street, the plazas of fast food and convenience stores lining the other side. How much should I tell him? “Yeah, I usually date women.”

“But you’re not opposed to dating guys?” He stopped and his gaze met mine as Goliath found the base of a palm tree to sniff at.

I scratched my forehead. “I…” Shit, if I told him I wasn’t, I had no chance with him. If I told him I was, would I be leading him on? What did I want? “I’m not opposed to it.” My pulse kicked up. Was I reading him right?

Hanging his head, a shy smile played over his lips. “So, have you uh, dated guys?” His gaze cut to mine.

“No, no I haven’t. Just a few hookups.” I rolled my lips and twisted around, scanning the area. If he asked me on a date, would I say yes? I wanted to, but?—

“Anyways, we should probably get Goliath back now.” He tagged my shoulder and turned the dog around. “Come on, boy. Fun time’s over.”

What did that mean? Had I said something wrong? Maybe the hookup thing bothered him. “Hey, want me to walk him back?”

“Sure.” He handed the leash to me. “He’s calmer now.”

“Yeah, that’s why I asked.” With a short chuckle, I bumped my shoulder on his. “You uh, still want to catch lunch after this?” Maybe he wasn’t interested anymore. My chest tightened. Had I blown it? But fuck, what did I want?

“Yes, of course.” He flashed a smile at me. “Want to head into Tempe Marketplace? It’s close.”

“Sure. Do you like The Thirsty Lion Pub at all?” As my chest relaxed, I strolled next to him with Goliath, his head held high like he was the happiest dog on the planet. It was going to be hard leaving him inside the rescue.

“Yeah, it’s one of my favorite places. Jonah likes it, too.” He strode faster and patted Goliath on the head. “Too bad we can’t take you with us, buddy.”

“I’m sure someone will adopt him soon.” No way could I bring a dog home. Our house wasn’t big enough for a dog this size. He needed a ranch or something. And people who’d be home and not out all the time. I walked on toward the parking lot of the rescue.

After bringingGoliath back and thanking Delores for letting us walk him, I climbed into my white Infiniti G37 and started the engine. The plan was to meet Archer and Jonah over at the pub. Jonah seemed like a funny guy and really knew Archer well.

As I drove out of the parking lot, I called Remy.

“Hey, Leo. What’s up? You done?” Remy asked.

“Yeah.” I turned onto another street with cactus and short trees lining it. “I’m going to be out for a while longer. I’m having lunch with these guys I met at the rescue.”

“Yeah? Okay.” Clinking sounded through the phone. “You found some new friends, huh?”

How much should I tell them? “Yeah, a couple of hockey players for ASU.” I turned another corner. Was Remy just getting to the dishes now? With a chuckle, I shook my head. He and Axel probably decided to leave them for better things. Those two had more sex than anyone I’d ever known. I winced. God, I hated thinking about Axel like that. Gross.

“Uh, hockey players? Didn’t Milo bring a hockey player to the first Gila River Casino show the band did a little while back?” Remy asked, the clanking stopping.

“Uh, I don’t know. I wasn’t at that one.” I pulled the car into the parking lot, surrounded by tall palms and modern restaurant buildings, and spied Archer’s SUV. Why did this even matter? It wouldn’t surprise me if other students from ASU came to see their show.

“Hey, Axel, Milo had a hockey player he was hooking up with, right?” Remy’s voice became muffled. “Hold on, I’m putting you on speaker.”

“Okay.” I parked across from Archer’s SUV and waved at him and Jonah as they stepped out of his car.

“Hey, bro, Milowashooking up with a hockey player from ASU. Can’t remember his name though.” Axel said.

“Does it matter?” I turned off the engine on my car, watching Archer walk toward me. “Give me a minute.” I didn’t need Archer to hear this conversation.

Archer rapped on the glass of my window with his knuckles.

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