Page 48 of Be My Endgame

Oliver had clearly drawn the same conclusion. “Quick walk before we head to our rooms?” he asked.

“Sure.”

They directed their steps towards the gravel path that Lee had followed earlier with Alex, although now the light was fading, clouds swallowing the last rays of the evening sun. Time to get ready for bed pretty soon, and Lee hoped that he and Alex would manage to skip the awkward readjustment stage and fall right back into their routine.

Routines were safe—he’d learned that young. They didn’t drag him out of bed at three in the morning to pack for an impromptu trip to France even though he had a maths test the next day.

“What was it you were about to say?” Oliver asked once they’d walked in silence for a minute.

“Just wondering why you’re so enthusiastic about this whole thing.”

“You’re in the closet.”

Lee sent him a sideways glance. “Tell me something I don’t know.”

“The point is” —Oliver’s voice was serious— “how many chances do you get to fall in love?”

Lee stopped dead in his tracks. “Now, hold on a second. I’m not in love.”

“I didn’t say you were.” Oliver shrugged. “Just that it’s a possibility.”

It bloody isn’t.

The words wouldn’t quite come, and that was a problem for another night. Lee resumed walking, gravel crunching under his feet, the path curving towards a stone fountain that had fallen silent for the evening. “Alex isn’t even on the market,” he told Oliver. “Seems like Daddy Duke will pick out a lovely bride for him, and there’s his happily ever after.”

“Okay, fine. So it won’t be forever.” Hands shoved into his pockets, Oliver shrugged again. “But it could be good for now.”

Lee frowned at the hulking silhouette of the mossy stone fountain, not quite sure how to respond. Oliver wasn’t exactly wrong because Alex posed a distraction no matter what, but leaving the friends zone would multiply the potential for disaster by a factor of approximately a lot.

“You deserve to feel good, Lee.” Oliver’s voice had softened. “You deserve something that’s, you know—something that’s just for you. Not for your sisters or your mum. Just you.”

Lee bowed his head, dragging his hand along the back of his neck. “Bloody hell, mate.”

Oliver bumped their elbows together. “You deserve to be happy.”

“Who are you—the motivation fairy?”

Blessedly, the question served its purpose because Oliver’s tone was much lighter when he replied. “Far as I can see, there’s only one fairy here, and it isn’t me.”

“Hilarious,” Lee said flatly even as the corners of his mouth tugged upwards.

“Just think about it, yeah?” The earnestness in Oliver’s eyes was unsettling for reasons Lee couldn’t quite explain. It was as though Oliver worried that Lee’s life was lacking when it really wasn’t—sure, being in a relationship had been nice, but Lee didn’t need a boyfriend to fill some gaping emotional void. And as for sex, well. Right now, his own hand in the shower did the trick. Not quite the same, granted, but easy and consistently available.

Oliver was still watching him with that concerned gaze, so Lee sent him a half-smile. “I’ll think about it.”

“Good.”

They finished their walk in silence because not all spaces needed to be filled with words. Daylight was fading rapidly by the time they separated, off to their respective rooms. Lee fully intended to forget about Oliver’s comments because, just,no. But they proved rather hard to simply ignore, much like the sting of a wasp—and Lee had experienced his fair share of those playing barefoot football at a nearby park when he’d been little.

Nothing had changed, though. Starting anything with Alex still wasn’t a good idea.

Right.

Right.

9

When Lee returned to the room, Alex was already sprawled on the bed, his bare back a lovely curve that ended with the waistband of his boxers. A book was open in front of him, and the familiar sight of it settled something in Lee’s stomach.

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