Page 25 of One Night to Fall
“Don’t worry, we’re all gonna suffer through this together.”
“I heard that!” Reid yells from the other side of the table and I wink.
“I meant for you to. Just because you’re smart as hell and have good ideas doesn’t mean I won’t age during the next hour listening to your plans for world domination.”
My cousin sticks his tongue out at me, and like the mature adult I amnot,I do it back.
“I can think of better uses for that tongue of yours,” Adrian whispers so only I can hear, and a little shiver runs down my spine.
“Promises, promises, Nate.”
“Yeah, but I have one hell of a follow-through.”
Don’t I know it.
18
ADRIAN
JESSE: If I bring some pumpkins over will you help me carve them?
ADRIAN: Umm—what?
JESSE: Pumpkins.
ADRIAN: Yeah I got that part—why do you need to carve them?
JESSE: Because Reid is advertising a spooky walk through the trees so we’re all supposed to carve pumpkins for this weekend
ADRIAN: Pretty sure friends don’t carve pumpkins together
JESSE: Why not?
Squeezing my eyelids shut, I take a deep breath that does nothing to ease the headache I feel coming on.
JESSE: Oh and there’s this cool hiking spot like an hour from here. We should go one day this week while the leaves are peak colors
JESSE: You’re off Wednesday, right? I could probably swing that if I stay late the rest of the week
Canhe really be that oblivious?
Jesse Sterling, with the playboy reputation and self-proclaimed commitment issues, knows my work schedule, wants to carve pumpkins, go hiking to seepeak-colored leavesand what? Drink fall-flavored lattes in matching sweaters?
Seriously, what in the absolute fuck am I supposed to say to this?
Looking around my apartment with my half-eaten container of chicken and rice, I say the only thing I can.
ADRIAN: Yes.
“I toldyou this view is insane, right?” Jesse says as we pause, looking out over the expanse of brightly colored trees after hiking the last several hours.
He looks so proud, his arms spread wide and a huge smile on his face, like he’s a kid showing me a project from school.
In the last two weeks, we’ve spent more time together than I ever have with someone I’mnotdating. We carved pumpkins and then attended the event, binged a television series, atetakeout, and grabbed beers with his cousin and Harlan thatdefinitelyfelt like a double date.
All the while, Jesse maintained how happy he was hanging out asfriends.
And like an idiot, I took my frustration out on him in bed, solidifying that my heart would be broken when he got tired of me.
