Page 102 of I Think They Love You

“FromThe Propo—You know what? Never mind.”

In the distance, something that sounds like an unhinged lawn mower cranks up. Then, out of nowhere, Denz sees them.

Snowflakes.

They twirl in the air. Fall gently on tables. Across the guests’ faces. Gleeful laughter erupts, the Sedwicks cheering drunkenly. As Emily tries to gather white flurries on her palms, Kami stands proudly in the background.

So, this is her surprise. She’s a fucking genius.

Denz looks back to Braylon. Tiny flakes catch on his eyelashes. The dizzying mix of vodka and nostalgia has words leaving Denz’s lips before his brain can parse them.

“Can I ki—”

Braylon’s mouth meets his, cutting him off.

It means nothing,Denz tells himself.

The pressure Braylon applies. His own shaky exhale. The tongue teasing his lips apart. His fingers grazing the short hairs at the base of Braylon’s neck. He adds it all up and it equalsnot a single thing.

He pulls away first, half shouting, “I’m drunk!”

“Me too,” Mr. Sedwick says as he staggers by.

Braylon dusts snowflakes from his curls. “I’m quite out of it myself.” His nose scrunches, like he’s contemplating the last two minutes with extreme regret. “Probably best not to drive home tonight.”

He’s right. Denz could call a rideshare. It’d be expensive and, on a Saturday night with traffic and construction, the gardens are at least a forty-five-minute trip for him. Over an hour for Braylon. In the morning, Denz would have to get a way back to pick up his car, but—

“Maybe we should get a hotel?” Braylon blurts.

“Together?”

“Yes. No. Same hotel. Maybe the same room? But separate beds.”

Braylon’s scrambling somehow takes the weight off Denz’s chest.

“There’s a couple nearby,” he says. “I could get us a company discount.”

Braylon takes a wobbly step back. “So, shall we?”

Why not? Denz can’t imagine things getting any worse than everything else that’s happened tonight.

-15-

“One bed.”

Denz has repeated the same two words for a full minute.

They’re in the lobby of the Mélange, a five-star luxury hotel within walking distance of the botanical garden. It’s almost 10:00P.M.,and Denz regrets not planning this better.

Braylon paces behind him, phone in hand. His shoes clacking across the beige-and-green onyx marble floors doesn’t take Denz’s mind off what the front desk manager just said.

A room with one bed.

It’s not the worst thing. He’s shared a bed with Braylon before. Of course, they weren’t exes then. Back when they treated the queen-sized bed in Denz’s apartment like their own personal Naked Cirque du Soleil performance. But none of that’s happening tonight.

Except… there’s the kiss they shared less than an hour ago.

No. Out of the question.

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