Page 73 of Besties
I couldn’t tell if he was hoping it would be more, or if it already was and he didn’t know how to handle that fact.
“He’s a good guy,” Josh whispered, his cheeks nearly as red as his hair.
“It seems like it,” Richie told him. “I love when he comes in behind you and gives you wiggly rabbit ears.”
Josh’s eyes widened, almost comically. “Hewhat?” Josh snarled. “Dixon!”
A door clicked open, and a moment later, Dixon came strolling in, with jeans on but not wearing a shirt. His wide pecs and hairy chest, dotted with water, were on full display. The man was a side of beef, all right. I wouldn’t admit to drooling, just a bit, as he was also toweling off his hair as he grinned at Josh like a loon.
“What the hell, Doc? Is someone killing you or something?”
“Are you really giving me rabbit ears when I’m talking to Richie and Max?”
Dixon smirked. “Of course. Took you long enough to notice. I figured a smart guy like you would expect that from a dummy like me. And so you know, it tickles Gary and Michael when they’re talking to you too.”
Josh’s mouth opened, then closed. There was anguish written all over his face. “Ineversaid you were a dummy.” Josh turned back to the camera. “I have to go. When did I—?”
And the screen went dark.
“He’s got it bad, doesn’t he?” Richie asked.
“Hell, yes. I get the feeling he has no idea what to do about it, though.”
“I feel for Dixon. He’s got his work cut out for him. If Josh has been insular his whole life, he’s probably experiencing feelings he doesn’t understand. And, to me at least, it seems Josh isn’t used to tackling those kind of emotions.”
We sat for a few moments, before I turned to Richie. “Ask you a question?”
“Anything, anytime.”
“Do you wish I was smarter? More like Josh?”
Yeah, fine. I still harbored a bit of insecurity, wondering if I was enough to keep Richie engaged. Or would he, like everyone else I’d ever been with, eventually tire of me because I didn’t belong with his flashy friends.
He frowned at me. “Please tell me you’re not serious.”
Was I? I didn’t want to be. I wanted him to be proud of me, to be able to take me places and say, “This is Max, my best friend and partner,” and not worry that people would laugh at him when they asked my opinion on something that was way over my head.
“Max, look at me.”
I lifted my chin and focused on the screen.
“Where’s this coming from?”
I sucked in a deep breath. “You were so open and free with Josh. I…. I can never give you that kind of conversation. I don’t know binary or hexadecimal or how to program my stereo. You and Josh are brilliant and I… I worry that you’re going to see eventually I can’t keep up with you.”
“Oh, honey, no. Josh called me a contemporary, but guess what? Compared to him, I’m a nobody. The patents we have for Teaching Time is a group effort. I could never have done all this by myself. Josh has patents for hundreds of things. He’s absolutely fucking brilliant. To hear him call me a contemporary was incredible, but I’ll be honest, I know he and I are on totally different levels. As for you, my sweet thing, you challenge me in ways no genius could. Let me ask you a question, okay?”
I nodded, because I couldn’t open my mouth to speak since I knew something stupid would come out.
“If Jesse came back, or any other ex, or if Ryan Reynolds came to you and said, ‘Hey, ditch the chump and run off with me,’ would you?”
“What? What kind of fucking dumbass question is that?”
He gave me a soft smile. “The same kind you’re asking me. The type that’s going through your head right now. Neither of us is perfect. You know my weaknesses and strengths, just like I know yours. The fact that I can stand beside you and hold your hand? It makes me believe love exists for me.”
And it clicked then. How stupid I was being. “I’m sorry.”
“No, don’t be. I’ve harbored my own doubts for a while too. You’re… You are so goddamn beautiful, Max. You could have any man you wanted, and out of all the men in the world, you chose me. Do you know how much of a king that makes me feel like?” He gazed into the camera. “I wish I was there, you know. I think it’s easier for both of us to believe in each other when we’re both nearby. I suspect that’ll lessen eventually. That we’ll accept our places in each other’s lives and learn to trust our words and push out the hurt that we’ve both experienced.” He winked. “Whatcha say? Wanna give it a go? Will you be my boyfriend? My partner?”
