Page 10 of Fire Me Up
“I bet you are.” Dylan’s eyes did a quick sweep of my body that felt almost physical. “So you’re actually eating Greek food? I thought you’d be more of a protein shake and chicken breast guy.”
“What, because I’m a firefighter?” I laughed, relaxing slightly. “We’re not all gym bros, you know.”
“Could’ve fooled me with those arms.” Dylan nodded toward my biceps, and I felt heat creep up my neck.
“I, uh My mind went completely blank. Was he flirting? Was this just how he talked to everyone? I had no fucking clue, and my brain refused to supply appropriate words.
“Gael! Food ready!” Lena called, saving me from my own ineptitude. “Extra tzatziki, just like you like.”
I’d never mentioned tzatziki preferences to Lena in my life, but I wasn’t about to correct her. “Thanks! Looks amazing.”
Dylan chuckled. “She’s already adopted you, I see. She only gives extra tzatziki to her favorites.”
“What can I say? I’m charming.” I winced internally at how lame that sounded.
“Yeah, you are,” Dylan said, and my brain short-circuited again.
I mumbled something that might have been “see you tomorrow” and retreated with my gyro and cat to the table where Liv was already seated, unwrapping an enormous egg sandwich.
“Why are you all red?” she asked immediately.
“I’m not.” I focused intently on unwrapping my gyro, which looked and smelled incredible.
“Mmhmm.” Liv took a huge bite of her sandwich, talking around it. “Does it have anything to do with the fact that Dylan is staring at your ass right now?”
I resisted the urge to turn around. “He is not.”
“He absolutely is.” She grinned wickedly. “And you’re into it.”
“I’m not I stopped myself, staring at my food. “Okay, fine. Maybe I am.”
Liv’s eyes widened. “Seriously? You’re actually admitting it?”
I took a bite of my gyro to buy time, the flavors exploding in my mouth. Lena wasn’t kidding about her cooking skills.
“I think...” I set the gyro down, wiping my hands on a napkin. “I think I might be bisexual.”
Liv’s expression softened. “Is this news to you, or just to me?”
“Just you” I sighed, keeping my voice low. “I’ve always kind of known I was attracted to guys too, but I never did anything about it. It was easier to just date women.”
“And now?”
“Now I’ve got a ridiculous crush on your coworker, and I don’t know what the fuck to do about it.” I rubbed my face. “Guys are just... intimidating. Especially guys like Dylan, who are so confident and seem to know exactly who they are.”
Liv studied me for a moment, then broke into a huge smile. “My big brother has a crush on Dylan Kim. This is the best day of my life.”
“Please don’t make this weird.”
“Oh, I’m absolutely making this weird.” She leaned forward, eyes gleaming. “You know what this means, right? I’m going to help you get your first boy kiss.”
I groaned and dropped my head onto the table, narrowly missing my gyro. “Why did I tell you anything?”
“Because you love me, and you need my expertise in queer dating.” She patted my head. “Don’t worry, I’ve got this all under control.”
“That’s exactly what I’m afraid of,” I mumbled into the table.
Chapter 4
