Page 56 of Switch Pitching

“You want to date me or something?”

I didn’t say that, but hearing it from Ethan makes me all fuzzy and warm. Suddenly, I can’t think of anything more desirable than dating my best friend.

“Hell yes.”

Ethan’s smile grows, and he puts his hand on mine. There’s a comfortable silence and I fill it by leaning in to kiss him softly, our mouths brushing together lazily. I take a deep breath, and his familiar scent fills my lungs. It’s mostly woodsy shower gel and deodorant, but it’s unmistakably Ethan.

We pull apart from the kiss, our faces flushed. Ethan is smiling so widely, I’m scared his mouth is gonna crack at the edges.

“So, does this mean we’re boyfriends now?” he asks.

“Oh yeah,” I reply. “Now you’re stuck with me.”

Rolling his eyes, Ethan pulls me into a side hug. “Ugh, I’m stuck with you? I might as well say goodbye to sleeping under the covers forever.”

I just laugh, not wanting to argue the fact that Ethan and I both steal blankets from each other. We keep cuddling, kissing, and hugging for who knows how long, and the whole time, my mind is filled with only one thought.

I have aboyfriend.

21

ETHAN

JULY

I wake up to something warm and heavy pressing against me. My eyes blink open and I find myself staring at James face down, his perfect, bare ass pointing up at the ceiling. He’s sprawled out and taking up most of the bed, leaving me an insufficient sliver of mattress.

“Hey, you’re hogging the covers,” I protest, nudging him.

James groans and mumbles something unintelligible, so I reach over to give his ass a playful slap. He jumps up, startled.

How’s that for some payback for all the times he’s done that to me?

“What the hell?” he yells, shuffling away.

“You’re taking up the whole bed,” I reply, grinning. “That’s my job, I’m taller than you.”

James shoots me a playful glare. “Yeah, well, you vetoed getting a California King,” he says, “so don’t complain now.”

“We should get up soon,” I say. “Can’t waste our day off.”

James groans again, burying his face in the pillow. “Can we stay in bed for five more minutes?”

I roll my eyes, smiling. “Deal.”

Way more than five minutes pass before we drag ourselves out of bed and get ready. We decide to order breakfast, and while we wait, we start planning our day.

James seems nervous. I shoot him a questioning look, as if to ask “hey, what’s going on, you good?”James closes his eyes and sighs.

“Hey, about the sleeping situation…” he starts, haltingly.

“What about it?” I ask.

“I don’t know how to say this,” he replies.

“Dude, spit it out, I promise not to freak.”

James takes a massive gulp of air before pausing. “I want to sleep together. Like, every night.”

---