Page 173 of Game Night: Truth or Dare

What’s got me so wound up isn’t the usual desire to hang out, it’s the thought of kissing him—kissing my friend. Fuck! I haven’t been able to get the idea out of my head and have played out the fantasy more times than I care to admit.

In my mind, it’s always sunset on the beach, his beautiful blue eyes locked on mine, his lips parted just enough, inviting me to lean in—

“Earth to Henry.” Archie’s voice snaps me back to the present, and I realise I’ve been polishing the same glass for God knows how long.

“Oh, hey.” I set the glass down and start wiping the bar top, trying to look casual. “What’s up?”

“Just checking in to see if you’re okay. You’ve been spacey today. Is everything all right?”

“Sorry,” I say with a shrug. “Just got a lot on my mind.”

“About Austin?”

My hand stills, and I look up to him. “Is it that obvious?”

“Only to someone who knows you as well as I do,” he replies, leaning against the bar, his voice lower now, serious. “You’re thinking about what he said the other night, aren’t you? About wanting to kiss you?”

“I can’t stop thinking about it,” I admit, feeling the flush creep up my neck. “But I don’t know if he was serious. No, scrap that. I’m sure he was just messing around.”

“From what I’ve seen, Austin doesn’t seem like the type to joke about something like that,” Archie says. “It’s not really his style.”

“Maybe…” I trail off, biting my lip.

“Not really whose style?” Violet says as she appears at Archie’s side.

Archie looks at me, brow raised. I give a nod. Violet’s become one of my closest friends since I came to town and, to be honest, it feels good to have someone to talk to, to get it off my chest.

“We were just talking about the other night,” Archie says.

“Ah.” Violet pulls a up a stool and perches gracefully on it. “Tell me more. What’s going on?”

I lean in, lowering my voice. “It’s about Austin.”

“Why doesn’t that surprise me?” Violet teases with a smile.

“I can’t shake him from my head. It’s like he’s under my skin, and ever since he blurted that stuff about kissing me…” My words trail off as I try to make sense of my own confused thoughts. Was he mucking around, or does he actually want to kiss me?

“Look at you, all hung up on Austin.” Violet reaches across and takes my hand. “It’s about time you admitted you have feelings for him.”

“Admitting I have feelings is only worthwhile if I knew there was some kind of chance,” I say. I’ve been pushing down my feelings for Austin for over a year now, putting him firmly in the friend zone.

“To be honest, I had no idea he was into men,” Violet says. “I guess because he was with Rachel so long, and before that Megan, I assumed—”

“You know what they say about making assumptions,” Archie says.

“Yeah, yeah, I know. Makes an ass out of you and me. Anyway, it all makes sense now.”

“What do you mean?” I ask.

She gets a dreamy look in her eyes as she puts her elbow on the bar and rests her chin on her hand. “Have you seen the way he looks at you when you’re not watching? Like you hung the moon in the sky.”

I ponder a moment. “Sometimes. I think… maybe. Are you sure that’s not just wishful thinking?” I’m not sure what it is about Austin and my feelings. Usually I’m a confident guy so these doubts are unexpected.

“Oh, Henry,” Violet says, “he’s definitely got eyes for you.”

“Absolutely,” Archie agrees with a nod, and he’s got a pretty accurate gaydar. “The way he looks at you is much more than how you’d look at a good mate.”

My heart lightens at their words. There’s a sense of relief, of hope, like all my dreams come true at once, but it also seems too good to be real.

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