Page 20 of The Virgin
“I didn’t want you to think I was clingy or needy, or that I was only going to come over for… other reasons.” Jonah let out a pained groan. “I’m an idiot.”
“We’re both mixed up, but neither one of us is an idiot. We need more honesty, that’s all. Because I didn’t like thinking that we’d broken something between us.”
Jonah sagged. “I actually was grading, though.”
“Need help?”
“It’s fine. I’m nearly done.” Jonah’s stomach rumbled, and he looked at Spencer sheepishly. “You would think that I never eat. I had breakfast with everyone this morning.”
“It’s past eight now. I can whip something up if you want to finish marking.”
Jonah looked at him with all the skepticism he had a right to, because Jonah was the cook between the two of them. Spencer could still make a stack of grilled cheese sandwiches, though.
Spencer pointed his finger at Jonah. “None of that.”
“I didn’t say a word,” Jonah said with a smirk.
“My food is perfectly fine.”
“I never said it wasn’t.” Jonah smiled and had the decency not to mention the chili incident.
Spencer toed out of his shoes and left them by the door. Jonah had a second bedroom he had set up to be an office, but he never used it. He said he preferred to work at the table and that spending too much time in his office at home was like being in a timeout.
His grading was spread over the kitchen table in neat stacks, a bottle of water sitting off to the side. Jonah sat down and went back to work. Spencer rummaged around Jonah’s kitchen, trying to make as little noise as possible. Not that he had to be quiet. Jonah was an expert in tuning things out.
By the time Spencer had fried up the sandwiches, keeping them warm in the oven to prevent them from getting soggy, Jonah was packing up his work. Spencer scooped some salsa into two small bowls and plated up their dinner. Instead of eating in front of the television like they usually would, Spencer set the food down at the table.
“Salsa?” Jonah asked as he slid into his chair. His work was done and put away, ready to be handed back to his students the next day.
“It’s good. Trust me.” Spencer made a show of dipping the corner of his sandwich into the salsa and taking a bite. “See?”
Jonah did the same thing, though hesitantly. Spencer saw him think about the flavors and the way they worked together before his eyebrows rose and the corners of his mouth tilted upward. Jonah didn’t say a word; he just dug into his food like a starving man.
They were mostly done when Spencer found the willingness to approach the subject he’d come there to discuss. His need to take care of Jonah had temporarily overridden his own desire to set things straight between them.“You’re not allowed to ignore me, Jonah. We don’t have to have sex just because we’re in the same room, so there’s no point in avoiding me. It makes me feel shitty because you’re my closest friend.”
“Aren’t you worried that you’ll get sick of me, though?”
Spencer scoffed. “I wasn’t sick of you before, and I won’t get sick of you now. Regardless of what you might tell yourself, I want to be around my friends. I like my friends and you’re my best friend. There’s never a time that I don’t want you around. There’s never a time I don’t want you to call or text. I like getting the memes you stumble on and your random thoughts. I like going out for drinks with you, and I like staying in and making grilled cheese while you finish your work.” Spencer forced himself to stop talking before he started to sound like he was declaring his undying love. Sure, he loved Jonah—the way someone loved a friend—and now that specific fondness had a new layer to it. That’s all.
“Salsa was a good move, by the way.”
“Taylor’s tomato soup ruined me for anything else, so I switched to salsa. It’s not sweet like the way commercial tomato soup tends to be.”
“Oh, God, don’t tell him that.” Jonah laughed. “He already thinks too much of himself sometimes. Compliments go right to his head.” Jonah dunked the last crust of his sandwich and popped it in his mouth.
“I won’t tell him if you promise to stop avoiding me.”
“Oooh, you drive a hard bargain, but okay. It’s a deal. I, Jonah Bennett, solemnly promise to send you no less than five memes a day and to text you with every random toilet thought that crosses my mind. Okay?”
“Okay,” Spencer agreed and held his hand out for Jonah to shake. But in a move that surprised him, Jonah twisted his wrist and hooked their pinkies together. He wasn’t sure of the significance of it, but Jonah’s face took on a more serious expression and he held Spencer’s gaze with a quiet resolve.
“Just like always,” Jonah pinkie-promised.
CHAPTER 11
JONAH
Spencer lingered in the doorway.After he’d fed them dinner and made Jonah promise to stop dodging him, he said he had to go. They both had school in the morning, and they definitely weren’t men who could easily share a closet.
