“Mitch doesn’t mind that you’re friends?”
“Not at all. This is how it went down,” he said conversationally. “I joined the Y ’cause I needed an inexpensive place to work out. Day one, I bumped into Rory. I wasn’t happy about it. I was all fired up when I got home. Mitch rolled his eyes and told me to grow up and be nice. My plan was to avoid the guy, but the weight room is pretty damn small and Rory is always here. We ignored each other until I almost dropped a barbell on my foot. He saved the day and I guess that broke the ice. We didn’t have any big heart-to-heart about Mitch, but he told me he knew we were together and that I’m a lucky guy. That was it. I see him practically every day now. I think Mitch was surprised we became friends, but he’s more than cool with it.”
“That’s good.”
“It was Mitch’s idea to invite Rory. He thought it would be a nice gesture. There’s a decent chance he won’t come, but he might if you do.”
Warning bells clanged noisily in my head. “What makes you think so?”
Evan shrugged. “He talks about you all the damn time.”
“Oh?”
“Don’t worry. He doesn’t talk about your test scores. He just seems to like you, that’s all.”
I bit my lip nervously and squinted. I probably looked lost or confused. Both were true. If I didn’t snap out of it fast, Evan might get suspicious. Going to a barbeque hosted by old college friends seemed harmless enough, but I didn’t know if I trusted myself to be with Rory in public with people who knew us. They might notice something different. I tried not to touch him too often or stare too long, but it wasn’t easy.
Everything had changed in the past month. I spent almost all of my free time with Rory. We didn’t dance around our attraction anymore. We knew how we felt about each other, and we acted on it constantly. In private, anyway. We didn’t hide our friendship in public, but no one knew we were lovers. Well, Max might be curious, but we didn’t talk about it. He had his hands full dealing with Sky anyway. They seemed less volatile lately, or maybe that was because I wasn’t home as often. We were all operating in a state of willful ignorance, and it worked for now. Maybe it sounded paranoid, but attending a barbeque together might upset the balance.
“I like him too, but I don’t think he’s going to want to go to a party with me,” I bluffed.
“It’s hotdogs, hamburgers, and beer, man. It’s not a fuckin’ date or a—” Evan paused when his phone buzzed in his hand. He glanced at the screen and sighed. “I gotta run. I’m supposed to show a house in fifteen minutes. Listen, I’ll text you the time and the address. Mitch said two o’clock…I think.”
“Wait! Thanks for the invite, but I’m not sure I can make it,” I said quickly.
Evan narrowed his gaze and tapped my forehead with his finger. “I hate to do this, but I gotta pull the guilt card. ’Member all those times in college when you asked me to…and I quote…‘do you a favor’?”
I scowled. “Yeah, but—”
“Do me a favor and come to the stupid barbeque. And bring a case of beer. See ya, buddy.” He patted my shoulder, then headed for the door.
I swiped my hand over my mouth and gulped. Maybe this wasn’t a big deal, but it felt like a freak collision of my public and private life. Fuck.
I turned toward the action on the mats and laughed aloud at the sight of Rory playing Duck, Duck, Goose with the kids. A skinny boy with wild hair ran around the small circle they’d formed, bopping everyone on the head and calling out “Duck.” I sensed the growing buzz of hysteria as Rory prepared to be named “It.” He went from a sitting position, then crouched low like a tiger ready to pounce. But his goofy expression was the clincher. The combination of faux serious and silly was slapstick comedy at its finest. The anticipation alone fed the frenzy. So when the boy finally tapped Rory’s head, they all hooted merrily and cheered him. He jumped up to chase the kid and pretended to lose his balance to give the boy a chance to make it back to his place in the circle. The kids roared with laughter.
Rory’s playful scowl slipped when he noticed me. He glanced at his watch and held up two fingers indicating he was almost free before skipping like a child around the perimeter. I leaned against the wall and grinned as the kids burst into a new round of giggles. They egged him on as he made a second lap.