Page 84 of Best Friends, Tennessee

He hummed. “I want to. I really do,” he told me, pausing for a moment. “It’s not just with the riding lessons, though. It’s… everything, in my life.”

I put on my therapist hat for a moment. “Like what?”

“Like my shitty love life.”

I chucked. “Tell me about it.”

“I met that dick pic guy in a bar last weekend when I took a day trip to Nashville. Both of us were drunker than a damn fish. I’m sure he has plenty of other guys on his roster.”

“I’m just wondering what kind of fish you’re finding that are drunk, Mason.”

“It’s an expression,” he protested. “They’re swimming in water, I was swimming in alcohol. How have you never heard anyone say that before?”

“Maybe I’m the naive one,” I said.

“Oh, fuck, that hurts,” Mason said as I hit a bad spot above his hip.

“I know. That’s a really tight spot,” I said, easing up just slightly but continuing to slowly release the muscle. “You’regoing to hate this, but you know what would help with your muscles?”

“Yeah, yeah, not partying as much,” he said.

“And doing the mobility exercises I recommended,” I added. “And eating real meals instead of just cinnamon rolls and liquor.”

He pulled in a long breath. “I wish I could be more like you sometimes,” he said.

I puffed out a laugh. “It’s not all roses for me.”

“Seems like you’re doing pretty well to me. You’re glowing, or whatever the celebrities call it.”

“I’m just happy Ori is back in town, honestly.”

Mason groaned. “That’s another thing. I’m jealous of you for what you have with Ori.”

I was glad he was lying down right now, because I was definitely blushing again.

“It wasn’t always easy with him, either,” I said. “Trust me.”

“I’ve never had a best friend like that before, though,” Mason said. “You’re lucky. Don’t forget it.”

I found myself driving toward Red Fox Diner before I even knew my car was taking me there. Inside, they were in a rare quiet lull in between the lunch rush and the evening rush. I found Ori talking to Thomas behind the bar, the two of them in a heated discussion about the menu. They faced toward the back, organizing clean mugs.

“If you say it in the right way, I know they’ll listen,” Thomas was saying. “Your parents seem attached to their old ways, but theyeventuallylisten to reason.”

“Do they, though?” Ori asked.

Both of them hadn’t noticed me yet. I sat down at the counter behind them and noticed that Ori’s black T-shirt was riding up just a little bit, revealing a strip of skin above the waistband of his pants.

So fucking hot. I wanted to run my fingers over that exposed bit of skin. The same way I’d been able to touch him last night—in any way I wanted. And the way his ass looked in his pants…

“I had to convince them to even let me do cinnamon rolls, and now they’re a customer favorite,” Thomas said, turning slightly and noticing me. “Oh! Hey, Finn.”

Ori’s eyes widened when he saw me.

Fuck, I wanted to pounce on him. If it were socially acceptable, I’d have jumped over the counter right now and pinned him up against it.

When Ori made eye contact with me, I felt even more like we were sharing a secret. The memory of his low, possessive voice last night flashed through my mind.

Mine.

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