Page 58 of Switch Pitching

Right as we (James) finish cooking, there’s a knock at the door. It’s Will. A faint smile plays on his lips beneath the short, reddish-brown beard that lines his sharp jaw, and he’s holding a bottle of wine. “Damn, it smells delicious in here. You guys went all out.”

James laughs, clapping him on the back. “Only the best for you, bro.”

We invite him in and he heads for the kitchen. “Can I help with anything?” he asks.

“Nah, you’re good. Make yourself at home,” I tell him. “We’re almost ready to eat.”

I bring the pasta that James prepared to the table, and we take seats across from Will. The conversation flows easily, but James’s knee brushes against mine under the table. I try to ignore it and focus on my plate instead.

At one point, James reaches over to grab the bread and his hand grazes mine for a little too long. It’s still a brief touch, but I pull my hand back out of instinct. If James doesn’t want to let the cat out of the bag, he isn’t being very subtle. Even so, Will doesn’t seem to notice.

But as dinner progresses and James gets a few glasses of wine deep, he gets a little touchier with me, and not in a platonic way. His hand lingers on my back, he squeezes my shoulder and runs his fingers over mine. Repeatedly.

He’s going to give us away if he keeps it up.

I catch Will glancing between James and me, his eyes slightly squinted. It’s subtle, but it’s there.

“So, Ethan,” Will says, turning his attention to me. “How’s the new apartment treating you?”

“It’s been decent,” I reply, keeping my voice level. “Still getting used to the area, but it’s cool.”

James jumps in, his tone a bit too eager. “Yeah, and the bedroom has the best view in the building.”

I shoot James a quick glance, but he just grins at me, seemingly oblivious to the slip-up.Thebedroom, as in, one, singular bedroom between the two of us? That we just agreed to share this morning?

Will raises an eyebrow, a small smirk forming on his lips.

“Oh, I’ve heard. I almost moved into this building myself,” he says, a hint of amusement in his voice. “You guys seem settled in together. As roommates, of course.”

There’s an awkward silence, and my face heats up. James, always quick on his feet, tries to play it off. “Yeah, well, you know how it is. Gotta make the most of the space.”

Will nods, taking a sip of his drink. “Right, right. Must be nice having company all the time.”

James laughs, but it sounds a bit forced. “Yeah, keeps things interesting.”

“So,” Will says, “how are things going with the team?”

We both speak up at once, our voices colliding into one awkward “awesome”.

Raising his other eyebrow, Will fixes us with a smirk. “You guys finish each other’s sentences now? Maybe those magazines are onto something about you two.”

We both freeze, our eyes meeting, and I can feel my face turning red, as usual.

Everyone in the room stares at each other, not knowing what exactly to say.

22

JAMES

Will definitely knows something’s up. I glance over at Ethan and of course, his cheeks are pink. My heart jumps at how cute it is, but I snap back to reality. This is not the time for those thoughts.

“So, uh, yeah, about that,” I start, trying to find the words.

Ethan elbows me in the ribs. I’m not downplaying this as well as I think I am.

Fuck it, let’s get it over with. I look at Ethan, grab his hand, intertwine our fingers, and then look back at Will. “Yeah, we’re together.”

Will stares at us for a moment, then bursts out laughing. “Well, that was unexpected,” he says, wiping tears from his eyes. “I thought you two would try and deny it.”

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