Page 87 of Advanced Chemistry

“Dude, I will pay you five bucks to keep your shirt on for an entire day,” Seamus said. He turned to Julian. “How is it, Jules?”

“Heavenly.”

Seamus swiped a finger through the melted ice cream at the bottom of Julian’s dish, then licked his digit clean. “Dang, that’s good.”

“Where are you going?” Hutch asked as Seamus went back into the condo.

“I’m not waiting for dessert. I’m having some now.”

Hutch shook his head at Amos. “Look what you started.”

“Don’t freak out. There’s plenty left for you guys.”

“I’m not having any,” Raleigh said, about to lift his shirt before thinking better of it.

“I’m having his portion,” Everett said. “How amazing was this ice cream maker, though?”

“What a find!” said Hutch.

Raleigh sat on the arm of Everett’s chair. “We were buying an old end table from this guy, and we saw it in the corner. He’d gotten it as an engagement gift, but then his fiance called off the wedding. He sold it to us for ten bucks.”

“Originally, he wanted twenty, but we got him to come down and throw in a set of measuring cups from Crate & Barrel,” Everett said.

“You were incredible, Ev,” Raleigh purred. “The way you negotiated him down. As if we were going to accept fifteen. It was hot.”

“Not as hot as when you casually mentioned that he should include the measuring cups,” Everett purred back.

“No secondhand shopping sex on my balcony,” Amos said.

And I thoughtIwas the oddest friend in our friend group. Raleigh and Everett were gunning for my crown.

Hutch and Seamus came back with a bowl of ice cream. Their moans of delight matched our initial reaction.

“Hutch, I need to talk to you about Pop’s wedding,” I said. “I would like an extra invitation.”

“He has a plus two,” Amos said.

“Oh right. You’ve got a boyfriend,” Hutch said.

I held up two fingers. “Boyfriends.”

“Threesomes galore,” Everett added, something I should’ve been embarrassed by, but no lies were told.

“Is it too late to add another guest to the list?” I asked.

“I’ll have to check. We’re already close to capacity, and it’s a cramped space as it is,” Hutch said. “Do you think SebastianorAnton could go with you?”

“Not both?” I asked for clarification.

Hutch squirmed in his seat. He didn’t like to be the bearer of bad news.

“I would prefer not to. We are a package deal.”

Hutch pressed his lips together as he deliberated. “Would other people start asking for another plus one?”

“Hutch, are you discriminating against a throuple?” Everett asked. “Chase has two boyfriends and thus deserves two plus ones.”

Not only were my friends accepting of this arrangement, they firmly had my back.

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