Page 15 of Burning Up

“Matt will get it.”

Bryce shook his head. “No.”

“You can pay the next time.”

Toby laid a hand on the small of Bryce’s back, his touch warm and firm. Bryce lost the desire to protest. Toby pressed against Bryce’s back, encouraging him to move toward Toby’s pickup. Fuck, they’d all have to squeeze onto the single bench seat.

They waited by the truck and Matt joined them quickly. Bryce didn’t even want to contemplate what Mason would say about Matt paying his tab, but he’d deal with that later. His heart hammered as he climbed in after Matt. Their thighs pressed together, and he practically had to feel up Matt’s ass to get his seat belt buckled. Rollo jumped into Matt’s lap and licked his face, demanding attention.

“Sorry.” Bryce tried to pull him back.

“No, I’ve always wanted a dog.” Matt scratched just behind the ears, instinctively knowing what Rollo liked best.

Bryce let his dog revel in the attention and didn’t say anything for most of the short drive to Matt and Toby’s apartment. He should be embarrassed to be there. They weren’t his personal confessors, and he wasn’t sure he’d be able to talk now anyway. He was about to ask them to take him home instead, when Matt patted his thigh. “You okay?”

“Yeah.” And he was. Something about that touch, friendly, not sexual, but incredibly reassuring, relaxed him.

Toby pulled into the parking lot of their small apartment complex, and Bryce followed them up the steps to their second-floor loft apartment. The units in the complex were each painted a different cheerful color. Theirs was Carolina blue, which didn’t seem right a few blocks down the street from Duke’s campus, but who was he to judge. He still thought red meant Bulldogs, not the NC State Wolf Pack.

He’d not put a lot of thought into what Matt and Toby’s apartment would look like. Matt was always excessively neat at work, and Bryce didn’t think he’d let Toby be a total slob, but he certainly would’ve assumed their place would be more college-boy casual than the pristine, stylish apartment he stepped into. They had a tiny foyer, and on the left, steps led to the loft, which appeared to be a single room with a railing looking down on the floor below. On the right, a hallway led to an open-plan living room, dining room, and kitchen. The walls were painted a color that was neither coral nor brown and managed to feel soothing and beachy. There was art on the walls, actual art, not just cheap posters. The only exception was memorabilia from the Durham Bulls and the Braves, Matt’s touches obviously. Their place was small, but they’d made it a real home.

“My sister,” Toby said, obviously realizing how disconcerted Bryce was. “The one who’s majoring in interior design. She insisted on helping us.”

Bryce was seriously impressed. Toby’s sister—Jenna?—had talent. “She did a great job.”

“Yeah, she did.” Toby beamed, obviously proud of her.

“What can I get you to drink?” Matt asked.

“Whiskey if you’ve got it. Straight up,” Bryce replied.

“Perfect. Toby?”

“Just a beer for me.”

“Okay.”

Bryce sat on one of the two sofas that faced each other, and Toby settled across from him. Matt returned with beers for Toby and himself. Bryce’s drink was in an actual highball glass. “Wow. Real grown-up glasses too.”

“Yeah, Jenna said we had to get real dishes too.”

Bryce laughed. “I’ll have to meet her sometime. She sounds impressive.” Suddenly he realized the intimacy his comment suggested and hoped he hadn’t overstepped.

“I’d love that,” Toby said. “She’d like you.”

Silence descended. Bryce knew he had to talk or it was only going to get more awkward. He tossed back his drink and set the glass down.

“Another one?” Matt asked.

“Not yet. But when I’m done, you should probably just bring the bottle.”

“Whatever you need,” Toby said. Matt nodded and settled beside Toby.

Bryce ran his hands through his hair and took a deep breath. If he was going to do this, he had to plunge right in. “We couldn’t have saved them, the family in that house. I know that, but I still replay it every fucking day.”

“There were bars on the windows?” Matt asked.

Bryce guessed he’d read about what had happened, maybe when he was still at the Academy and maybe after he found out Bryce was going to be the officer for his unit.

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