Page 44 of The Grumpy Vet
Ryde takes a bite of his sandwich, chews it thoughtfully, then says, "Dario and I were thinking of coming over for a gym sesh this arvo."
"I know." I lift my phone off the table and wave it at him. "He texted."
"Is that cool?"
"Of course. Why wouldn't it be?"
"No, I mean…" His eyes slide to the doorway again. "Is it cool cool?"
I take a sip of tea and wrap my palms around the warm mug. We haven't had a chance to properly talk during Oakey's visit, but I've been wondering if putting a pause on things has changed anything. Will it sober us all up, make us realise that if we can't tell Oakey about it, maybe that's a clear sign that what we're doing is…well, not wrong exactly, but maybe not a hundred percent right, either?
"What do you guys think?" I ask.
He shrugs. "Dunno. Dario and I haven't had much of a chance to talk with Dad around. He already thinksthings."
"Things about Dario?"
His eyebrows lift in surprise. "He told you?"
I nod then take another sip. "Yeah, yesterday."
"What did you say?"
"Not much. Caught me off guard, to be honest."
"Yeah. Same." He pauses. "Do you think he's right?"
I finish off my tea before answering. "Hard to tell. Only Dario can truly answer that question. Are you going to bring it up with him?"
He sighs. "I don't know. I'm still so surprised. Now I'm replaying all of our interactions, looking for any clues or signs that might indicate something…more." Another sigh. "Should I talk to him?"
"Rumour has it, talking is a good thing," I say with a half grin.
"Talking is hard, though. Look at us."
I take my mug to the sink. "Tell me about it."
A few seconds later, Ryde joins me. "This whole situation is confusing. You and me. Dario and me. Dario, you, and me."
"It is a lot," I agree, giving the mug a quick rinse under some warm water. "But we're all big boys now. This is a part of life."
Ryde sneaks a quick glance towards the doorway then brushes his hand up and down my arm, sending a flare of warmth all the way up to my shoulder. "I'm glad you and I are talking. Sorry it took so long."
"Don't be sorry. I'm equally to blame. More so, if you think about it."
"Because you're old…" When he sees my not-amused expression, he swiftly adds, "…older."
"Exactly." We stare at each other for a moment, and my chest goes all light and fuzzy. I've missed him this past week. HimandDario. More than I thought I would. More than I wanted. It'd be so much easier if I didn't, but I can't help it. "Come over for a workout this afternoon, and the three of us can talk."
He gets a suggestive glint in his eye. "Just talk?"
"Who knows? But if you want to raise what your dad said with Dario and need some support, just know I'm in your corner, okay."
"Thanks, Linus." He lifts those gorgeous ocean-blue eyes to meet mine. "That means a lot."
"Enough for you to go easy on us during our training session? Or me, specifically?"
He bursts out into an evil cackle. "Ha. Not. A. Chance."
