Page 19 of Burn It Down

“Well, it happens. I’ve burned spaghetti before.”

That makes Elijah giggle, and then his eyes move to Levi. “Is this your boyfriend?”

I stiffen at first. Levi for sure goes tense. But it’s Kade’s reaction—disgust or horror, I can’t tell—that pisses me off.

“Oh no. No,” Levi says. “We’re friends. Just friends,” he says, clearly trying to cover for me, but I give him a small smile and reach out to place my hand on his, squeezing it slightly to help him relax a little.

I appreciate him trying to help, but I don’t want to lie to Elijah or anyone, for that matter—no matter what his prick of a father thinks about it. “It’s our first date,” I say only to Elijah, and I swear I hear Kade gasp.

That’s right, fucker. Everything your asshole friends said about me in school was true.

I’m sure he’ll have a blast calling them up and rehashing their glory days making my life hell, but I don’t care. I remove my hand from Levi’s and focus on Elijah, who seems totally unbothered.

For that, I’m glad. Kids are kind of incredible. Things that bother adults—things that shouldn’t bother them at all—don’t faze children. If I was on a date with a woman, he probably would have reacted the same way. “Dad, I’m hungry,” he complains to his father, and Kade seems a little dazed before he gives a clipped goodbye to Levi and me and lets Elijah pull him away.

I follow them with my eyes for a moment before I remember myself and look over at poor Levi, who looks a little shell-shocked. “Hey, it’s okay,” I say, hoping to reassure him. “I’m not in the closet or anything.”

He releases a relieved breath, and some of his color comes back to his face. “I’m sorry. I should have asked about that. I know it’s not really the same here as it was in Kansas City.”

He mentioned that’s where he grew up. I shake my head. “It’s not, but it’s getting a little better. Even if it wasn’t, I don’t think I could live my life closeted. I did enough of that.”

He nods his head knowingly. “So, they know you’re?—”

“Gay,” I supply my identity to him—smiling because he really is sweet and didn’t want to just assume.

“They know?”

I shrug and take a drink of my water. “Well, it wasn’t on my job application. I don’t bring it up, and neither do they. Except for Janelle. She knows and, as you can tell, is a little too supportive.”

He grins. “I’m glad. You deserve to live your life, no matter what.”

“Everyone does,” I agree.

He looks almost sheepish, though, and a little shy. “But this isn’t a love match, huh?”

I wince a little but smile at him. “I think we’d make great friends.”

He clutches his heart playfully. “Not theFword!” I laugh, and he drops his hand. “Kidding. I think we’d make great friends too.”

I pay, and then we walk outside. And the whole time, I feel like I have eyes on me—but I try to push away that feeling as I walk Levi to his car. He kisses me on the cheek, and we make a plan for anotherfrienddate very soon.

But when I go to my own car, I realize I left my keys somewhere inside the restaurant.

Honestly, fuck my life. I really don’t want to go back in there.

CHAPTER NINE

He was on a date. With a guy. Not that the guy part really matters much. It doesn’t. I didn’t have any gay friends growing up. Not that I knew of anyway—it wasn’t exactly heard of around here, but I did meet plenty of gay people when I lived in Kansas City.

Honestly, it opened up my eyes a hell of a lot when I moved there. Meeting so many different types of people and seeing the world through new eyes.

I didn’t know Spencer was gay—or maybe bisexual—but that’s not why my entire body is on high alert when he walks back into the small restaurant. Elijah is still finishing up his dinner, playing with his mashed potatoes. But I’m highly aware Spencer is back, and he’s alone this time.

I don’t know what’s wrong with me, but I can’t stop thinking about his hand on the pretty guy’s hand—who he was on a date with. My jaw clenches, and I have to take a drink of my water to distract myself.

If Elijah notices anything weird, he doesn’t say it, and I’m grateful for that. But it doesn’t stop me from telling him I’ll beright back and to stay put before I walk over to the table Spencer is looking around—where he was sitting with his date.

“Forget something?”

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