Page 65 of The Long Game

Barnaby, however, looked at Travis like he’d lost his mind. “We are not always naked when you tell me what you’re feeling.”

“I mean we’re naked together as, like, a rule. We’re people who get naked together. As often as possible even,” he added with a half-hearted leer.

“And that means you don’t make a face like you’ve smelt something dreadful when you talk to me about feelings,”Barnaby concluded, more than a hint of question in his statement.

“Exactly,” Travis said.

Barnaby blinked at his boyfriend, then at Grady—who nodded his agreement—then looked toward the ceiling as if asking the heavens to give him strength.

“Okay,” Barnaby said, drawing the word out, “we’ll touch back on that…um…theory later. For now, let’s focus on Grady’s feelings, even if he’s not our naked person.”

Grady grimaced again. Becausefeelings. And because he didn’t want Barnaby to talk about him being their naked person, even in the negative.

“Good idea,” Travis agreed, and Grady could see he was trying not to laugh.Asshole.

Barnaby eyed Grady. “At the risk of overstepping…”

Grady sighed. “Go ahead.”

“This isn’t new, is it? The feelings?”

Grady sighed again, louder. “No, it’s not. But I thought I had it figured out. I thought I knew where I stood, but now…”

“You have more feelings?” Barnaby suggested.

“Yes! Actually,no. I have the same feelings I’ve had for a long time. Like, literalyears. But I was going out on dates, damn it. I was moving on. I was going to get over it—oh, hell, who am I kidding? I wasn’t going to stop feeling the feelings I’m feeling, but I was going to see if I could convince my stupid heart that I could have feelings for someone else at the same time. The feelings I’ve been feeling were never going to mean anything because I was the only one feeling them.”

Travis and Barnaby blinked up at him.

“I’m an idiot,” Grady summarized.

“No, you’re not,” Barnaby said loyally.

“This whole unrequited thing is the worst idea I ever had.”

“Did you have a choice?” Travis asked.

“No,” Grady allowed. “Hell, I never hadanychoice once I met him. Then I got to know him and…” He waved his hand uselessly.

“…there was more pining than an old-growth forest in harvest season?” Travis suggested.

Grady’s laugh sounded suspiciously like a sob. “Fuck me.”

“No, thank you,” Travis answered.

Grady glared at his unhelpful friend.

“Yes, well,” Barnaby said crisply, like his boyfriend wasn’t being a pain in the ass, “I think it’s lovely that you have feelings.”

Grady glared at him, too. “It doesn’t feel lovely from where I’m sitting.”

“Perhaps that’s because you haven’tsharedthese feelings,” Barnaby suggested.

“I’m telling you about them right now.”

Barnaby looked thoroughly unimpressed. “Yes, but since we’re not your naked people, perhaps we aren’t the right people to share them with.”

“I already regret that explanation,” Travis muttered.

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