Page 72 of A Stealthy Situation

He flicks me a wave and goes back to his laptop.

I glance back, but Emmett has his laptop out as well now and is concentrating hard on the screen, so I try to do the same. The whole time I’m waiting for Professor Brooks to start, I keep picturing what would happen if I went back there. If I confronted him. Benny says he trusts his brother, but I don’t know him. I’m not so sure I know Benny either, and the thought that the guy I really fucking like isn’t who I thought is too much for me to handle.

But his brother … his brother I could corner. Could make talk.

“Everything okay?” the guy beside me asks.

“What?”

He chuckles awkwardly, like he’s not sure I am okay. “You keep looking around.”

“Oh. That. Yeah … nothing. Just, umm, avoiding someone.”

His smile lights up his sweet face. “That sounds like a fun story.”

Urg. Fun. I wish. “Just your standard straight boy falls for his first-ever guy crush and then finds out guy crush is actually a twin, and straight boy doesn’t know who the fuck he’s been seeing.”

The guy laughs and holds out his hand. “Jordan.”

Judging by his FU Kings baseball hat, I’m guessing he’s on the team. “Harrison.”

He adjusts the cap, still smiling, still cute, and a very evil side of me hopes that Emmett is watching. That maybe he goes home and tells Benny I was talking to a cute guy. Two can play at that game. “Now I’ve heard all that, my girlfriend issues don’t feel so bad. A twin?”

I rub my face. “The whole thing is stupid.”

“Sounds like a melodrama to me, man. I mean, does it matter that he’s a twin? That’s not something he can help.”

There’s a whole lot more context I’d need to give him for him to understand, but as much as I’m annoyed, I’m not going to rat them out for cheating. “Let’s just say I know both of them, but I didn’t realize they were two different people. I feel like a fucking idiot.”

“Wow. Low move that they didn’t tell you.”

If Benny’s to be believed, I can understand why they didn’t. Doesn’t make me happy about it, but it definitely makes me less mad. “Maybe I should have stuck to women …” I mutter.

“Trust me, they’re no easier.”

I shoot a quick look his way. “You’ve dated both?”

“Uh, no. I have two dads, and they’ve told me enough stories to know that whether you’re straight or queer, dating is a pain in the ass.”

“This is why I never date.”

“You weren’t dating the twin?”

Him saying it like that makes my head throb. “Who fucking knows? I’d been planning to take things slow and see where it ended up, but we fell in with each other fast, and now we’ve had some distance … I don’t like it.”

“You said he’s the first guy you’ve …”

“Yeah.” It’s weird saying the next part out loud. “My roommate thinks I’m pansexual. Makes sense since I don’t really care what’s between someone’s legs. I’ve never been that interested in dating so I’ve never pushed myself for a label much, but with him, it’s different. Which doesn’t make any sense when we’re nothing alike.”

“My dads are nothing alike either. Sorry, I don’t have any advice for you. My sexuality is sort of up in the air, too, so I’m not exactly bursting with advice.” He tears a strip of paper from his small notepad and scribbles something down. “Happy to talk about it though. Or you can use that to give me updates.”

“Updates?” I take the scrap of paper with his number on it. “Such a nosy bugger.”

Jordan’s laugh is half-embarrassed and very cute. Look at that. I do find other guys attractive. He’s not Benny though.

We’re quiet during class and even though I’ve just spilled my guts to him, I don’t ask for his help. It’s not until we’re packing up that a presence catches my notice. I look up into the familiar face, thrown at it being Benny-not-Benny.

“Yeah?”

---