Page 47 of Not Dating Material

“I told you.”

“I’m serious. Cut it the croc out.”

“But now you can—”

Seven’s hand comes down over Xander’s mouth, and Xander tries to shove him off. They jostle back and forth for a minute, me leaning away from them to avoid being collateral damage, when Xander slaps Seven so hard across the chest the thwack echoes through the yard.

“Ah, mother-turkey-duck!” Seven cries, letting go, and Xander immediately jolts back.

“It wasn’t even that hard.”

Seven’s teeth are gritted, and he’s pinching his shirt, holding it away from his chest.

“Wait.” Xander points, eyes wide. “You got a new tat.”

“Nope.” Seven releases his shirt and straightens. “No tat. Nothing to see here.”

“You did.” Xander pulls at his shirt. “Why are you hiding it?”

“I’m not hiding anything. I just—”

“Then show us.”

The look Seven throws Xander would have made me recoil, but Xander bats his eyelashes and says, “I was very sick today.”

“Z …”

“I almost died! What if you don’t show me and then I don’t wake up tomorrow? How would you feel then, huh? Huh?”

Seven closes his eyes, head tilted back, like he’s begging for strength. Then his eyes snap open, and he throws Xander a glare as he yanks down the neck of his shirt. There’s so much ink there that I don’t know what I’m looking at to begin with, but then my gaze focuses on the slightly red, slightly darker design right in the middle of his chest.

“Oh my god!” I yelp, practically climbing over Xander for a closer look. “Se-sevipus!”

Seven chuckles, but it sounds forced. “Told you I liked it.”

“It’s tattooed on you.”

“Yep.”

“Forever.”

“Basically, yeah.”

“But I was just fucking around.”

“And like I said, that doesn’t mean it’s not incredible.”

I’m sort of in shock that something I created now makes up the art on his fucking body. My design. On another man’s body. “Wow.”

“You drew dicks for me. It was love at first sight.”

I cross my arms over Xander’s thigh, still taking in the sight. It doesn’t hurt that Seven’s body is as eye-catching as the ink on his skin.

“Done yet?” he asks.

“Maybe another minute.”

Xander runs his hands through my hair before starting on a braid. I lean into his touch, kinda blown away by how much I love this, and it makes me realize that, yeah, I do love him as a friend. The both of them. It hasn’t been long, but when you’re around two people like them, who open their hearts without question, who don’t hold back and play games, it’s hard not to feel connected to them.

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