Page 33 of The Locker Room

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choked and surly. They were walking to school, after Xander ate a stack

of pancakes that might stay with him all day. He was hoping so—the

warmth of his reception in Christian"s parents" home would stay with

him a lot longer.

“Your family"s great,” Xander murmured. Absurdly, he wished he

could take Chris"s hand as they walked down the residential road, but

there were too many kids on their own wanders to school.

“So why hesitate?” Chris backed up and looked at him, all of his

unhappiness written clear as day across his face. That was Christian,

open and transparent as a bay window over the ocean.

Xander looked away, then back into that open face. He knew his

own expression was closed and guarded, but he couldn"t help it. These

were difficult, complex thoughts, and he had a simple mouth.

“I want to kiss you,” he whispered, and Christian"s eyes widened.

“Here?”

Xander shook his head, frustrated with himself. When he was an

adult, he"d be better at this. He knew he would be.

“In general, genius! I just—” He grimaced. “It would be wrong. It

would be… like taking advantage of them. Your folks. They"re the nicest

people, you know? I don"t want to… you know. Betray their trust or

anything. That would be—” He pulled in a big gust of air.

“Wrong,” Chris conceded, and Xander smiled at him with such

terrible relief.

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“Yeah.”

“Maybe,” Chris said, looking fitfully at the concrete at his feet.

“Maybe you could still live with us. The kissing—we could do that not at

home. We wouldn"t have a lot of time to do it, right? But, well, we"d be

together. My folks would get you a dresser.” His voice sank to a whisper,

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