Total pages in book: 62
Estimated words: 60198 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 301(@200wpm)___ 241(@250wpm)___ 201(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 60198 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 301(@200wpm)___ 241(@250wpm)___ 201(@300wpm)
Reed laughs. “If we weren’t meeting up with Brody, I’d let you. But he’ll be here any minute.”
Ugh. That guy still doesn’t like me, but just like I don’t want anyone coming in between Anders and me, it’s not right for me to get between Reed and Brody. So I try to stay out of it. They’re the closest thing each other has to a brother, even though they used to date. I try to keep my jealousy over that fact quiet, but sometimes it slips out. Like right now.
“Are you sure he’s not just waiting around for me to fuck up so he can swoop in to get you back?”
“Hell no. Brody and I aren’t like that anymore. Never will be. You know that.”
I’m not convinced, but I believe Reed when he says he doesn’t see Brody that way. I also don’t think Brody would go after Reed when he’s with me. He’s more the type of guy to hang back and wait for the most opportune time to strike.
“Besides,” Reed says, “he’s been chasing someone else.”
My ears perk up. “Really? Who?”
“Won’t tell me much, but all he says is he keeps rebuffing him. When he told me that, I immediately liked the guy.”
“Then I hope he gets here soon, because I’m starving.”
Reed checks the time on his phone. “He should’ve been here by now. Maybe he got held up at work.” Just as he says the words, a text comes through. “Ah, yup. He did. He’s not coming. Let’s get our food to go.”
I lean in and whisper, “Or we could forget dinner completely.” The night we met, that sentence was all it took for Reed to proposition me.
Reed’s eyes fill with heat as I’m sure he relives the same memory. “There’s only one problem with that.”
“What’s that?” I ask, my voice thick.
“We’re at the part of the relationship where food is more important than sex, and you just said you were starving.”
As if on cue, my stomach rumbles. “God, we’re like an old married couple already.”
“I’m totally okay with that.”
“Me too.”
For the first time in my life, everything is falling into place. Reed’s teaching is going better now the students know he’s a permanent fixture in the school. His union is gaining more kids every day thanks to Chantel and Davis pointing out it should be open to allies as well. Reed’s doing a great job at turning it into so much more than support for the LGBTQ students. It’s doing what I hoped to achieve with my martial arts classes. Reduce bullying and promote self-confidence. My dojo’s classes are steady, and while Reed and I will never be rich, we love what we do, and we have each other.
That’s all we need.
I’ve found the person who I can not only tolerate for long periods of time, but if he went for it, I’d have no qualms spouting shit about our future and forever, because Reed turned me into a believer.
He’s the one.