Page 26 of 12 Gays of Christmas

Why is he always with us?

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The Stafford Museum of Artand Archaeology is located on the ASU campus. I’ve stood in this very spot, staring up at the words engraved in stone and wishing I was brave enough to walk through the doors. I’ve always been afraid of the same thing—being told I wasn’t smart enough to be there. Which doesn’t make sense because it’s a part of campus, and the whole point is to learn. But the voice in my head, the one that sounds like a combination of my mom and my middle school science teacher, is insistent and believable.

I never imagined being here with my roommate.

And his nemesis.

“What’s he doing here?” I ask, directing my question at Colin but glaring at Remi. Just so he gets the point.

“It’s a free country. Well, not exactly free, but they try to sell us that lie, and you’re gullible, so let’s go with that.”

I ignore Remi because screaming at him might get us thrown out. “Colin?”

“Not sure. He invited himself. I think he likes you.”

“Try again.” Remi scowls at us. “I’m not into clueless jocks.”

The jab hits its mark. Is it too late to get an Uber? “I’m uninviting you, Remi. I don’t need any help. I already feel like an idiot.”

He stares at me, his eyebrows raised and his mouth open, before turning to Colin. “Seriously?”

“He’ll be good. Right, Remboni?”

“Sure. Whatever.”

I don’t trust him. But I don’t want to make this harder for Colin. When we make it into the museum proper, I forget about my concerns. “So much history and art.”

“Good job, Gilly. Next, we’ll take you to a science museum, and you can see that they have… science.”

Colin jabs Remi with his elbow. “Cut it out.”

“Fine. I’ll just leave those easy ones right there on the floor.”

Colin huffs and stalks away. Remi watches him with one eyebrow raised. “What’s his problem?”

I put our annoying neighbor out of my mind and hurry to catch up with Colin. My steps echo on the marble floor as I walk past a family with two small boys pointing at a suit of armor statue. I want to hug those parents for encouraging their kids, but that would be weird. Colin is staring at a display of artifacts from ancient Rome.

“This is so cool.”

“Did you know the dome of the Pantheon is still the world’s largest unsupported concrete dome?”

His grin is teasing. “I did, actually.”

“Oh.” I duck my head. Of course he does. Colin is super smart.

He knocks his shoulder into mine and points at the plaque beside the display. “But you explain it better.”

“Thanks.” The grin on my face takes over. “Want to look at the—”

“Gil.” Colin turns me to face him. “Remember why we’re here?”

Right. But I don’t want to find a hunky history geek. I want to share this with Colin. “I remember.”

“He can be cute. Have muscles. But don’t focus solely on his looks.”

“How am I supposed to know?” I grumble.

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