Page 23 of One Lovely Lie

I hadn’t planned on doing anything else after this, maybe cuddling for a bit before going back to my room to do some homework, but now I think this requires a change of plans.

“Hey,” I say, slapping his bare thigh as I get up. “Get dressed.”

He shakes his head, arms slung over his face as he tries to control his breathing. “My legs are jelly. You’re going to have to give me a minute.”

I smirk at that. I love seeing him so rumpled and disheveled because of me. I’d let him bask in his post-orgasm glow, but I’ve got an idea.

“No can do, bestie,” I urge, yanking on his arms to get him to sit up. “We’re going somewhere.”

He groans loudly and narrows his eyes at me when I toss a t-shirt at his face. “Where are we going?”

“It’s a surprise.”

“Okay, way to keep me in suspense.”

I grab him by the hips and drag him to me, peppering him with kisses that wipe the confusion off his face. “Come on, it’ll be fun.”

He doesn’t protest anymore as we leave the dorm, and I make sure to snag a blanket on the way out for what I have planned. I know the hallways of Armory Prep pretty well by now, so I’m aware of all the ways to get in and out without getting caught. That doesn’t stop Daniel from gluing himself to the wall and looking anxiously over his shoulder at every turn.

He’s so fucking cute.

I take him up to the highest room of the school, one that I discovered junior year by pure accident. I’m sure he’s never been here before, he’s had no reason to be. I lead him into the large, circular room with big bay windows that cut into the walls, and a skylight that lets you look up at the stars. It’s not really an astronomy tower, but it does have a telescope, and I know my adorkable best friend is going to flip for it.

“Wow, this is so cool,” he mutters with awe, spinning around and smiling every time he looks at me. “I can’t believe I never knew this was up here.”

I shrug, trying to play off how much it means to me that he loves the place. “Yeah, I always find the best places to hook up. I found this junior year. Jacob Wright.”

My comment seems to kill the mood. I glance over to see Daniel immediately tense up, his fingers trembling at his sides, and then his small shoulders sag beneath his shirt. I think for a moment about what I said that’s so wrong and suddenly feel like an asshole.

Maybe I shouldn’t bring up past hookups while I’m doing stuff with Daniel. That’s just tacky. Tasteless. Tacky and tasteless.

“Right…” Daniel says, nodding his head slowly as he heads to one of the windows, fidgeting with the latch. “Can I ask you something?”

“Anything,” I say, coming up behind him and planting my chin on his shoulder, my hands on his hips. “Always.”

He turns toward me slowly and he’s biting his bottom lip nervously, eyes flickering everywhere but at me. “Are you still going to be messing around with other people while we do this?”

I wrinkle my nose because I hadn’t really thought about it. Sure, some may call me a bit of a manslut because I like to sleep around, but there’s no harm in that. I’m an eighteen-year-old man, sue me for always being horny and wanting to have fun.

But since I’m messing around with Daniel now, it doesn’t really sit right with me to be with other people at the same time. There’s no reason for me to seek out anybody else when all my needs are being met by my best friend.

Something dark hits me suddenly. What ifhewants to seek out someone else? Is that why he’s asking? Maybe his inexperience is the whole reason he never got into the dating scene. It’s the only logical reason I can think of because Daniel is incredible. As captain of the lacrosse team, I’ve heard enough locker room talk about him to justify my concerns.

Not everyone at this school is gay—some call themselvesopportunity gayor whatever the fuck that means—but enough of them have taken notice of Daniel. I don’t blame them. He’s precious in a way that makes you want to hold him close. He’s got this unruly nest of blond curls that are always tumbling into his face. His eyes are big and beautiful, and he’s always doing this thing with his lip that makes the guys just want to bite into it.

All thatandhe has an amazing ass.

But that ass is mine. Or, it is for as long as we’re doing this. Not forever, obviously. Maybe just for a few months. Three, tops.

“Not if you don’t want me to,” I tell him truthfully, rubbing circles on his back as I kiss his neck. “Are you going to see other people?”

His eyes widen and he shakes his head. “Of course not. I…” He looks off into the distance and shakes his head again but more purposefully. “We can just do this thing between us. That’s it.”

“That sounds perfect to me. Either way, it’s for the best.” I begin sucking on his neck, my hands wandering to his front and diving under his shirt. Fuck, I love feeling his smooth skin under my fingers. “We can get tested at the local clinic and this way when we fuck, we won’t have to use condoms.”

He chokes on his own saliva and I have to pat his back to get him back to breathing. He raises his eyebrows and drops his jaw. “When we fuck?”

“Well, is that not the point?” I laugh, brushing his curls out of his face. Suddenly, I sober up. “I mean, we don’t have to if you don’t want to. It’s all at your pace, Daniel. I’ll never pressure you into it.”

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