I let out a half laugh as I smoothed my beard. “Invaluable lesson indeed.”
Johnny’s black hair fell across his eyes when he nodded. “You never gave me a chance to thank you.”
I scoffed. “Thank me?”
“Yeah. Like you said, we escaped disaster that night. But I hated that I had to forfeit my friend too. Didn’t seem fair.”
“I know,” I said in a low voice. “I really am sorry.”
“Me too. So, do you think you can stop beating yourself up now? I kind of miss you, asshole.”
I pushed my guitar behind my back and held my arms open. “Come on, Johnny boy. Bring it in.”
Johnny rolled his eyes, but he didn’t pull away when I hugged him. When he stepped aside again, he punched my bicep playfully. “Cody’s a good influence on you.”
I gave him a wary look. “You know about us?”
“Yeah, it’s kinda easy to tell. You guys share dopey looks when you don’t think anyone is around. It’s cute.”
“Cute?”
“Yeah. I hope he keeps your ugly ass around,” he teased.
I grinned. “Me too, buddy. Me too.”
6
Cody
The apartment door shut with a bang. I zipped my khakis, then craned my neck from my bedroom to call a greeting to Topher.
“Hi, there. I—oh, you’re half-dressed and you smell fancy. Where are you going?” he asked, setting his backpack on the floor.
“On a date,” I said.
Topher appeared in the doorway a moment later. “With your boyfriend?”
“He’s not my boyfriend. He’s my…” I shrugged before turning to my closet to sift through my impressive collared-shirt collection.
“Lover?” When I didn’t reply, he tried another tactic. “Your friend with benefits?”
“I don’t like the sound of that,” I groused. “Let’s just leave it at friends.”
“Sure. A friend who wants your body.”
I spun around with my arms open wide. “This body?”
Topher gave my semi-toned bare chest a thorough once-over. “Yes. Some men are attracted to guys they can tell need a meal. Order a steak with a baked potato.”
“I’m actually not sure if we’re going to dinner. He said it was a surprise. I think we’re finally going to the Griffith Observatory.”
“Oh! Fun!”
“What do you think of this shirt?” I held up a retro Hawaiian print.
“It’s fine. Are the buttons snugly sewn or easily undone?” he asked, adjusting his glasses.
I furrowed my brow as I slipped the shirt on and tested the integrity of the buttons. “Why?”
Topher sat on the end of my bed. “Because it takes effort to undo the secure ones. That tells you something about your love quest. Is he going to methodically undo each one or rip your shirt into pieces?”
“I can take off my own shirt, you know,” I huffed.
“That’s boring.”
“Hmph. What are you doing tonight?”
“After I meet your rock star booty call, I’ll probably call the guys. They may come over…unless you’re using our apartment as a love den. Are you?”
“Love den for my love quest?” I snickered when he waggled his brows. “Maybe.”
Topher widened his eyes and opened his mouth comically. “OMG. So…sex is happening in here, in this apartment tonight?”
“I don’t know.”
“Listen, I’m glad one of us is having luck in the romance department. I love that you’re really throwing yourself into this,” he said in awe.
I finished buttoning my shirt, then tucked it into my khakis. “What do you mean?”
“You’re embracing everything we talked about for the editorials. You’re trying new things and meeting new people. I’m proud of you. You’re an inspiration to all of us.”
“It’s not like that. I really like Bobby J. I know I’m in over my head, but he’s kind of amazing. He’s sweet and funny and smart and—why are you looking at me like that?”
Topher squinted like an owl. “On a scale of one to ten, how in love are you?”
“Love? I am not in love. I might be highly infatuated, but that’s different,” I insisted, peering at the mirror hanging on the backside of my door.
“Hmm. I was highly infatuated with that football player I was assigned to tutor our freshman year. Remember?”
I winced. “Yeah, that didn’t go well.”
“Not at all. I had a good run as his official knob rubber before he stood me up for a coffee date and ghosted me. Ugh. I wish I wasn’t attracted to sporty people,” he sighed.
“What’s a knob rubber?”
Topher made a lewd hand gesture. “Giver of hand jobs.”
I grabbed a pair of socks from my dresser, then sat beside him on my bed to put them on. “You were eighteen, Toph. You’re older and wiser now. So am I. I’m not planning on forever, but Bobby J is a good guy and—”
“I’m sure he is. Just be careful, Cody. He’s an experiment. Not your husband-to-be,” he said kindly, snapping his head toward the door when someone knocked. “Oh! I’ll get that. Take your time while I grill him.”
“Do not grill…” I let the words die when he jumped up and ran out of the room.