Page 48 of Burning Up

Yes, Mason answered a few seconds later.

Dinner? Need to talk.

7:00 at Undertow?

Perfect.

Bryce spent most of the day sleeping with Rollo curled next to him. At five thirty, he finally got out of bed, went for a long run with the dog, and then headed to Undertow, a gastropub not far from Nathan’s. Several nights of the week they had guest chefs offering a variety of cuisines like Ethiopian and Cuban. Tonight was Thai. Undertow wasn’t specifically a gay bar, but it was gay friendly. The sign for the below-street-level establishment said, “Undertow, we’ll suck you right down”.

He found a parking spot in the lot across the street a few cars down from Gray’s Expedition. His heart beat much too fast as he crossed the street and started down the steps to the entrance. Why was he so fucking nervous?

Because you’re about to announce that you’re in love, and you want to rearrange your life for a relationship, a three-way relationship.

But these guys have all done the same thing, at least to some extent.

They’re going to rag on you after all the protesting you did.

Yeah but they care; I know they do.

Mason was probably the best friend he had in Durham, and for all the ways they might irritate him, Jack and Gray were good men too. Bryce hadn’t spent as much time as he should getting to know them. For a long while, he hadn’t been sure Gray would permit it. Mason assured him Gray was much softer than he seemed, just overprotective. That might be true, but Bryce was sure that if he hurt someone Gray cared for, the man would be anything but soft on him.

The guys were already there when he arrived, seated in a corner booth toward the back of the room where it was typically quieter. There was a good crowd, but it wasn’t oppressively busy like it often was on weekend nights.

“I got you a beer,” Mason said as Bryce slid in beside him. “A Twisted River Wit.”

“Great. Thanks.” Mason knew that was one of Bryce’s favorites, and simply remembering that Mason was the kind of friend who knew things like that about him put him at ease.

“I heard what happened at the Wraston warehouse. Is everyone okay?” Gray asked.

Bryce nodded. “Matt’s going to be in a walking cast for a few weeks, but he’ll be fine.”

“You went in together?” Jack asked.

“Yeah, he was just ahead of me when the ceiling came down. We got separated, but I found him and got him out.”

“It was close, though, from what I read in the paper,” Mason said. He never liked it when Bryce downplayed how serious a situation was, be it firefighting or a relationship.

Jack shuddered, as if imagining the situation. “You didn’t get hit?”

“Just on the shoulder, but I’m fine.”

Mason raised a brow, and Bryce sighed. “I’m bruised and sore, but that’s all. It should have been me, though, in front.”

Gray shook his head. “No good can come of replaying your decisions. Everyone is fine, that’s all that matters.”

“Yeah, I guess.” Once again, Gray shocked him with his calm understanding.

“No guessing. That’s the truth. I’ve been there enough.”

He looked from Jack to Gray. Jack had been shot several months ago when he tried to save Gray from a drug lord who was about to kill him. He’d nearly died. Gray was right. Matt was fine, and Bryce needed to let go of his guilt.

“I…” How the hell did he start this? “Y’all were right. I was an idiot to end things with Matt and Toby.”

“Finally!” Jack beamed.

“Have you talked to them since the accident?”

“No, well, not really. I called to make sure Matt was okay and that Toby wasn’t freaking out. He panicked and almost ran into the building while I was trying to get to Matt. He’s still a mess, but he sounded steadier on the phone than he did when he headed to the hospital. Hopefully, he’s better now.”

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