Page 120 of I Think They Love You

Denz cuts himself off, howling.

Bray, who hates parties, who never wants attention, who moves like a superhero movie actor trying to be a dancer, is rolling his hips in the middle of the dance floor. Rotating spotlights catch on his grin. He’s off beat and doesn’t care. He spins Kami until they’re both dizzy.

He hasfun.

“Wow,” Nic says, “when’s the wedding?”

Denz’s head jerks in her direction. Bad move. The alcohol’s starting to settle in his system. “Excuse me?”

“Uh, your face whenever you look at him?” Nic’s eyes slide to where Bray is. “Bro, you’re gone. Down bad. Crazy in love like Bey.”

He squints. “What do you know about love? You’refourteen.”

“Clearly I know more than you.”

“Hush.” He snatches her glass, sniffs to make sure the bartender didn’t accidentally slip her any gin. “I’m not—we’re not. We haven’t… fuck. We’re stillyoung.”

“So? Dad proposed to Mom at your age.”

He knows. And as much as Denz wants to be like his dad, he doesn’t want tobehim. He wants slow. Time to figure his shit out. Bray does too.

What’s the rush?

Without thinking, his eyes find Bray again. Animated and laughing. Sobeautifulwhile dancing with Kami. His smile pushing into his cheeks, eyes crinkled. And Denz wants to wake up to that.

Tomorrow. And the day after. For the next few months while they finish their degrees. Years from now, too. For a limitless number of mornings until he forgets what life was like before this silly boy smiled at him from across a party.

He loses himself in the thought. Loses track of time until his dad’s on the stage, giving a speech. Until Kami shoves a flute of champagne into his hand.

Until Bray’s warm against his side again.

Until Nic squishes the four of them together, Bray using his ridiculously long arms to snap a Polaroid.

And Denz was so wrong. Braydoesfit in. Right between the Denz from Athens and the Denz who lives here, with his sisters, two worlds finally connected.

The countdown starts. He hears the chorus of screams from below. The shouting from Kami and Nic. It’s all white noise. Never quite as loud as Bray’s question from earlier:

Is this what you’re going to be like? After we graduate?

What? Happy? So in love, it might kill him?

Fuck, he hopes so. He really does.

“This is theTitanic,” Eric says, glasses crooked, hair wrecked. His sharp cheeks are as pink as the linen button-down he’s wearing. The lack of a belt is clearly from running late this morning rather than a casual style choice. “It’s theTitanicand we’re the band who decided playing music to keep everyone calm was smarter than abandoning ship.”

Denz grins from his desk. “It’s not that serious.”

“We’redrowning.”

“We’re looking for a new DJ,” Denz corrects.

The one they hired for the retirement party pulled out. Turns out performing a live set in Palm Springs for an up-and-coming teen actress’s spring bash is a bigger priority.

“And the florist?” Eric says through clenched teeth.

Denz scans his computer monitor. Despite his and Kami’s extensive efforts to organize the flower arrangements, Kenneth still found a way to request peonies.Classic. He’s already drafting a compromise his dad will probably reject.

“On it.”

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