Page 26 of Hold Me Down

Interest piqued, Dave sat up. He'd stopped pretending he wasn't a big gossip a long time ago, so he didn't even try to fool Ian.

"Jeremy's thinking of proposing."

That brought Dave short, and for a long moment he did nothing but stare at Ian.

"Wow," he finally muttered.

"Right?! I swear, I want to see the two of them at the altar so badly."

Dave cleared his throat.Get it together.

"You want to see everyone at the altar."

Ian chuckled. "Fair enough. But admit it, Jeremy and Pascal are at the top of everyone's list."

As Dave tilted his head, he went over the available options. Some people were too early into their relationships to get hitched—although he wouldn't count James and Eddie out, they might end up eloping any day now—but some…

"I'm still hoping the Judge pops the question," Dave admitted. "There's no way Martinez would say no."

"If that ever happens,we'repopping the champagne, but you know that's unlikely."

Dave nodded. The scuttlebutt was that the Judge had sworn off marriage after his divorce, which was why the chances weren't high. And yet, there was something in there that kept Dave's hopes alive.

"Have you noticed that our top picks are the guys with the most famous partners?" Ian asked. "I haven't, before now."

"Ryan's boyfriend may actually be the most famous, since more people follow sports than politics."

"They're too new right now, despite their history, but if they slide into our top three within the year, we know we have a problem."

"Nah, we're more into the longest of long-term couples."

"There's that." Ian smiled. "You're right, I like that interpretation better."

"But Jeremy!" Dave shook his head, still in disbelief. "I assumed it would be Pascal who asked."

"Most of us did, which is why Martinez will end up with quite a payout once that bet is called."

"Do we know when or how?"

"Nope. We don't even know this much, officially. Someone who shall not be named overheard Jeremy and Martinez this morning, and the news spread like fire."

"Damn."

As Dave imagined that, the excitement of the news and the rush to share it with others, he felt a pang in his chest. The work itself was one thing, but he missed the office, and his friends, and how invested—orover-invested, depending on the interpretation—they got in each other's lives.

"I can't wait to tell Travis," he said. "He's going to love that."

"I bet. How's he handling this, by the way?"

Dave frowned. "He doesn't know yet."

"I meant this," Ian waved at Dave. "You with a broken leg, him working from home, the whole thing."

"He's been a great help, honestly. I'm a terrible patient—"

"Noo," came Ian's exaggerated protest, which made Dave laugh.

"Shocking, I know. But he's great, and careful, and he seems to know what I need before I tell him."

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