Page 13 of 12 Gays of Christmas

“That was your cue, dummy.”

I turn at the voice behind me. The seat rows are back-to-back, and Colin is sitting right there. Watching me.

“Hey,” I say, sounding breathless. The fall must have affected me more than I thought because there is no air left in my lungs.

He shakes his head and smiles. “Hey. That was your cue. He wanted you to compliment him.”

“Who?” His eyes sparkle like jewels. His cheeks are pink from the cold. I itch to grab my pencils and capture the exact way his smile plays around his mouth.

“Stop it, Gil,” he says with a laugh as he pushes my face away. “Your date. Remember him? The glittery twink?”

Right. His words finally assemble themselves into an order I can understand. “He wanted me to compliment him? Really?”

“Fix my face? You’re supposed to say your face doesn’t need fixing or your face is beautiful or anything but ‘good idea.’”

“Oh God. I really suck at this.”

“You really do.”

“Thanks.” I turn and finish changing into my shoes because I can’t stand looking at him anymore. Because when I’m looking at him, I have questions. How warm are his cheeks and can I test it by kissing them? And—stop.Good lord, Gil. Get it together.

“Don’t worry,” Colin continues, thankfully unaware of my thoughts as I study the freckles kissing his skin. “You didn’t mess it up. That guy likes you. If you want me to be gone so you can use the apartment…”

“What?” My mind catches up again. The cold air must be slowing my brain, not me counting all the freckles on Colin’s face. “You’d do that? Leave so I could…do that?”

“Oh my God, Gil. How are you going to do it if you can’t even say it?”

My face warms up. “I’m just not sure.”

“But isn’t that the point? Trying it out to see what you like? You like him. So try him out. He definitely wants to take you for a spin around the rink.”

“That’s not—”

“Here he comes. Text me so I know how long to be gone.”

And then Colin walks away. The urge to go after him is strong. I try to focus on my date, but my thoughts return to my roommate again and again. Georgie continues to flirt with me, seemingly unaware of my internal conflict. We stop for hot chocolate at the little shop next to the rink. It’s perfect.Shouldbe perfect.

Georgie sighs. “I’m usually the most interesting thing in the room. I’m not sure I can compete with tiny marshmallows.”

I glance up from my hot chocolate. “What?”

“You’ve been staring at your drink for the last ten minutes. Is it me?” he asks, but in a way that tells me he knows it’s not him.

The café is warm and inviting, but all I can think about is Colin. “No.” I shrug my shoulders. “I’m not sure what’s going on.”

“Oh, honey. It’s pretty obvious you’re thinking about someone else.”

I start to deny it, but what’s the point? “My roommate.”

“The strawberry-blond staring at us all night?”

My eyes dart to his face. “Was he?”

“Finish your drink. Go home to your roomie. Tell him how you feel.” He puts his hand on my arm. “If it doesn’t work out, give me a call. I’d love to help you forget the pain.”

I text Colin to let him know I’m on my way home…alone. But the door to his room is shut and the lights are out. Which is probably better for everyone. How can I tell Colin how I feel when I don’t even know? I’m not going to ruin our friendship because he’s being nice to me, and my dick is pathetically attached to him. I cross off theTwinkiest Twinkand decide to make more effort with the next guy. At least tomorrow is football. The last game of our regular season. If we win, we go to the playoffs in Texas. I need to focus on the game. Not on my list. And definitely not on my roommate.

DAY FOUR: SATURDAY AND THE JOCK

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