Page 47 of Time to Shine

“Are you hiding any more hot men in your basement?” Zach asked.

“Only if Landon brought some home.”

“No,” Landon said quickly. “I came home alone.”

“That’s surprising,” Zach said.

Heat crept up Landon’s neck. He needed to exit this conversation. “I’m going to take a shower,” he announced, and headed immediately to the basement.

He was in a terrible mood. He took a long, grumpy shower, and then grumpily put on clothes before grumpily heading back upstairs because he really was starving.

“Hey,” Casey greeted him from the living room sofa. He was watching soccer. Alone.

“Did Zach leave?”

“Yeah. Do you think maybe later you could help me get my Jeep back from the arena? We can take my other car. The car you keep refusing to borrow.”

“I haven’t needed to borrow it,” Landon said. He went to the kitchen feeling inexplicably lighter than he had a minute ago. There was an omelet on a plate with some apple slices on the side. “This for me?”

“Yup. Zach made it just in case.”

Landon wolfed down the omelet, which was delicious despite being a bit cold. It was rude of Zach to be such a decent guy. It wasn’t even any of Landon’s business who Casey dated. Or hooked up with. Or whatever.

Landon poured himself what was left of the coffee, then went to the living room.

“Did you have fun last night?” Casey asked when Landon sat on the opposite end of the sofa.

“Not as much as you, maybe.”

Casey frowned. “If you needed a wingman, I could have helped you out.”

“No. I’m fine.” He sipped his coffee and pretended to watch soccer.

“You know you’re hot, right?”

Landon set his mug on the end table before his hand started shaking. “Zach seemed to think so.”

“Yeah! He suggested we have a threesome next time.” Casey laughed. Landon didn’t.

“I’m not going to do that,” Landon said.

“I know. I told him.”

“Told him what?”

“That I don’t think you’re into dudes. We’ve never talked about it, so maybe I’m wrong but, I dunno. I figured either way you’re probably not a threesome-with-your-roommate kind of guy.”

Landon swallowed, then swallowed again. “I, um...”

“Oh shit. Did I fuck this up? If you’re into that I could tell him and—”

“No! No. I’m not. Into that.” Except his heart and his dick were telling him that he was into at least part of that. Probably not the Zach part.

“Got it. I shouldn’t assume, though.”

Landon was torn between changing the subject and blurting out his whole awkward deal when it came to sex and relationships. He settled on offering one piece of information. “You’re right, about me not being into, like, threesomes. But you’re wrong about the other thing.”

It took Casey a moment to solve the puzzle. “You’re into men!”

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