Page 69 of We Are the Stars

Bryan’s smirk grows. “We’re good if you two don’t kiss on the clock again—and no going into the storeroom together anymore. I don’t want it to get all sexed up in there.”

“Yes, sir.”

“And no calling me sir either. It’s weird, Carsen. Don’t be weird.”

“Roger that.”

Bryan nods, and with a grin still firmly in place, heads toward his office.

“So, that happened,” Carsen says once Bryan closes his door. “Guess he knows now.”

“Which means my dad willknowknow soon.”

“Is that a problem?”

“I stick by what I said before: I’m not embarrassed of you, and I don’t care who knows we’re…well, whatever it is we’re doing. That includes my father and my family.”

Carsen nods. “Thank you.”

“For?”

He smiles and it’s sad. “Just…thank you.”

This time it’s me who steps into him. I push myself onto the tops of my toes and go to press a kiss to his lips before he jerks back, causing me to fall into him. He catches me and stands me upright, moving me back at least a foot.

“Bryan said no kissing.”

“Are you serious?”

“Dead.” He starts shaking his head back and forth fervently. “No, no.” He backs up, his arms outstretched in front of him. “You’re giving me sex eyes and I can’t ignore your sex eyes.”

“We’ve never even had sex, Carsen.”

“Yes, but if you keep giving me those fucking sex eyes, we will. Right here, right now.”

“You’d bang me in a bowling alley?”

He growls in frustration as I take another step toward him. “Yes! Now back away, but do it slowly so I can watch your hips sway.”

“You perv.”

“Says the one giving me sex eyes in our place of employment.”

I take another step and he bolts, screaming, “SEX EYES!” before slamming and locking the storeroom door.

I’m hunched over with bellyaching laughter when Cal walks in and gives me a quizzical look. I simply shrug and say, “Sex eyes.”

He nods like he understands completely. “That’ll do it. Can I get three games and a pair of shoes?”

And we go on like nothing strange just happened.

***

“Do you want to go get dinner with me tonight?”

I press the phone harder against my ear. Surely I heard him wrong.

Carsen invited me to dinner. In public. And only a day after our “talk”.

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