Page 24 of I Think They Love You

Denz raises an eyebrow. He hasn’t seen Jordan this excited since inhaling that batch of pot brownies Jamie baked them one summer.

“Congratulations! Love this for you two!”

Then Jordan’s gone.

Denz detangles their fingers. Jamie face-plants into his forearm. He mumbles something about cardiac arrest and calling a coroner, but Denz is too busy grinning. Convincing Jordan was a solid start. By the time they have dinner with his parents, Denz and Jamie will be ready.

The perfect fake boyfriends.

-4-

Today 6:51P.M.

Mom

Hi sweetheart. Car service is running behind. ETA 20 mins.

Denz is fine.

He’s pacing outside the restaurant. His parents are arriving in nineteen minutes. To meet his new boyfriend, who’snot here. Who hasn’t replied to Denz’s sixwhere are you???texts. Who agreed to meet Denz thirty minutes before their reservation for one last run-through of their plan.

But it’s fine.

Early January air bites at his exposed ears. Each time a new rideshare pulls up and it’s not Jamie climbing out of the back seat, his anxiety spikes.

He’s not backing out,Denz mentally chants. The writing on the empty sidewalk in front of him says otherwise. He calls one more time.

“Jamie Noah Peters,” he hisses at the voicemail, “when I see you, I’m gonna personally feed yourpeanut-butter-covered ballson a silver platter to Pompom, Ms. Philips from across the hall’s cursed terrier, and—”

“Denz?”

His spine tenses. He struggles to end the call, his hand shaking.Even with the low, almost unrecognizable accent, Denz knows who’s behind him.

He counts to five before turning.

Fading sunlight falls over Braylon’s short, tight curls like a tangerine crown. Pink kisses the apples of his cheeks. His single-breasted overcoat is open, the two top buttons of his white oxford undone to reveal a distracting flash of honey-brown collarbone.

“’Ello,” Braylon says first, confusion pinching the corners of his eyes.

“What’re you doing here?” Denz manages.

“I work nearby.” Braylon gestures behind him. “And you?”

Ilivehere,Denz almost snaps.In America. Where you left me, remember?

“I’m—”

He looks at his phone, swearing under his breath.The dinner. His mind races for the best way to tell his parents Jamie’s in a coma.

Braylon edges closer. “I’m glad I ran into you.”

“Again?”

Braylon ignores Denz’s sharp tone. “I wanted to talk to you about something.”

Jesus, do they have to do this now? Denz still feels awful for not saying anything about Braylon’s dad. He was caught off guard, which isn’t a real excuse. It’s complicated. He really liked Emmanuel, all the way up until he encouraged Braylon to break up with Denz.

His phone chimes with another update from his mom:

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