Page 19 of Up In Flames
“I think I’ve seen her around.” I tried to keep my voice even to hide how irritated I was. I’d asked Mom to stop trying to set me up with women, and she always listened. For a few months anyway. And then suddenly she’d orchestrate a reason to throw a woman into my path.
“Your mom has told me a lot about you.” Chrissy looked at me with a gaze that I could only describe as hungry. Her eyes traveled down my body, then back up again and her smile widened.
“I wish I could say the same.” I set the dessert box on the counter. “I brought your favorite.” Keeping my annoyance inside for the next couple hours was going to take every bit of strength I had left. When Chrissy was gone, I was going to have another chat with Mom about my love life.
Dinner started off perfectly well, all things considered. Dad was on the quiet side, as was I. But Mom and Chrissy held the conversation up all by themselves.
“Will is an amazing cook. Too bad he doesn’t get it from me.” Mom laughed and looked at me with a hopeful expression, wanting me to join in. I managed a tight smile and then Mom was off on another tangent about me.
My phone buzzed in my pocket. Normally, I was a good son and stayed present during dinner and didn’t check my phone, but I’d had enough of the conversation around the table. I knew it was partly my fault for not telling them the truth about me, but things like this only reinforced my decision not to tell them. Clearly they loved a version of me that didn’t exist.
Oren’s name flashed up on the screen. He’d sent a meme, and I quickly saw the opportunity to get the hell out of there.
Call me.
Oren
??? Now?
Yes
okay…
Two seconds later the phone rang, and I frowned at the screen. “I have to take this.”
I stood up from the table and answered as I stepped away. “Hey, what’s up?”
Oren’s laughter made me feel instantly better about everything. “I don’t know. You tell me.”
“Are you sure?”
“Oh, I get it. I’m the decoy. How bad of an emergency do you need me to have so you can get out of whatever hell you’re stuck in?”
“That bad? Shit, yeah. I’ll be right there.”
“If you need an excuse to leave, tell them my hot water tank busted and flooded my house. Or maybe I was abducted by aliens. If you swing by my place when you’re done, I have a six pack in the fridge with your name on it.”
“Okay, see you soon.” I ended the call, flooded with guilt that I was using Oren to get out of dinner, but I couldn’t sit through another ten minutes of Mom talking up my every accomplishment like it was some kind of miracle I’d performed. I wasn’t worth all the hype and the fuss, especially for someone I’d never be interested in.
“Sorry, a friend of mine has an emergency.” I stuffed my phone away like it could hide the lie I was telling. “I have to run, but the three of you can enjoy dessert for me. Thanks for dinner.”
I went back to the table and clapped Dad on the shoulder. I brushed a kiss against Mom’s cheek and gave a polite nod to Chrissy.
Three minutes later, I was out of the house, in my truck, and on my way to see Oren. Part of me pretended that I was only going over there because Oren mentioned beer, but the bigger, stupider part of me knew I was going there because I still hadn’t been able to shake my crush on him. It didn’t matter that hewas straight; there was something about him that captivated me. Truth be told, I wasn’t trying especially hard to not crush on him. It was harmless, so long as I didn’t get my hopes up.
CHAPTER 9
Oren
Will arrived looking out of sorts. It wasn’t like I knew him well, but something was obviously bothering him. His hair was messy like he’d been running his fingers through it.
I liked the way he came into my space like he’d been there a million times before. Like it was natural for him to make a beeline for my couch and sink down into the cushions. His head tilted back, and he closed his eyes. I let him have a few seconds to breathe before I went to the fridge and grabbed a beer for him.
I’d bought it a couple weeks ago intending to drink it, but I couldn’t stomach the thought of touching the stuff anymore. I was fine to be around alcohol and other people who were drinking, but drinking alcohol myself made my stomach clench.
“Here. You look like you could use this.”
Will cracked an eye open and took the beer from me. “Thanks.”
