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“Do you want tea or coffee or water?” he says.
“No, I’m alright. Can I sit?”
“Yeah, sorry that it’s messy.”
“It’s not messy,” I say as I make my way to the couch and sink down among the blankets. His scent puffs out of them. “I like it. You have a lot of art and stuff.”
He chuckles. “I have a problem with collecting too much art. A lot of it is by my sister. She drew the stuff that’s in the kitchen.”
“She’s an artist?”
“Yeah,” he says, beaming with pride. “She works overseas, so I don’t get to see her a lot anymore, but she’s incredible.”
“That’s … that’s really cool.” I hope I sound enthusiastic. I’m not great at that kind of thing, but I do genuinely think his sister sounds like an incredible person.
“So,” Sebastian says.
He sits at the other end of the couch. It’s not a large piece of furniture. I face forward, hands clasped between my knees, and Sebastian curls up against the opposite armrest, his whole body perched on the furniture like a cat. He looks so loose and natural, another piece of artwork in this colorful, cozy apartment, and all the words I had ready in my head dry up.
“What did you come here for, Luke?”
I don’t need to look over to feel Sebastian’s eyes on me. I can’t drag my head up to meet his gaze. The edge in his voice says he already knows what this is about.
“I wanted to make sure we’re … cool,” I say. “I know we talked after … the other night, but that was, um, a little unusual. I wasn’t sure if… I wasn’t sure how you were feeling.”
“Uh huh. Came here to make sure I won’t out you,” Sebastian says. The way he cuts directly to the point makes me flinch. “Relax. I’m not the kind of person who outs somebody, no matter what I think of their decision. It’s not my life, and outing someone is a pretty shitty thing to do.”
“Good. I mean, thank you.”
“Chloe called me the other day,” he continues. “About the field trip. She offered me the shift. I mean, we both knew she would. Henry can’t work the whole café alone during something like that, but I wanted to let you know it’s official. I’ll definitely be there.”
“I figured,” I say, staring at my hands.
I hear the couch creak, feel Sebastian moving closer. He touches my shoulder briefly and barely.
“It’s going to be okay, Luke,” he says. “I would never out you. The café isn’t big, but I’m sure I’ll be busy the whole time. You’ll be busy the whole time. We can be strangers for an afternoon. It’s not a big deal. You didn’t have to come over here and beg me to keep your secret. You don’t need to be scared of me.”
I drag my eyes up at last, and sure enough, he’s closer than he was before, close enough to touch. I don’t, but my hands tingle with the awareness of his body.
“Are you sure?” I say.
Surprise opens his face. I get to watch his eyes flutter through a few swift blinks before he catches himself. His plush lips twitch on the verge of laughter.
“I promise,” he says. “You have nothing to worry about. But … why all this secrecy, Luke? What are you actually scared of? Because it can’t be me.”
For half a second, I actually consider telling him, spilling the whole tale. It’s a ridiculous notion, however. Idon’t actually know this guy. We had a couple beers together. That’s not enough for me to go telling him something like that.
“It’s just my job and stuff,” I say instead. “It would be complicated.”
“Even now? Is your boss weird or something?”
“No,” I say. “She’s great. Just… Look, I can’t right now.”
I jerk to my feet, suddenly eager to get out of here.
“Thank you for your discretion,” I say. “I appreciate it. I’m sorry I came over here and wasted your time. I just wanted to be certain we were on the same page before the field trip.”
Sebastian rises as well, but neither of us are actually moving toward the door. His shrewd eyes pick over me, narrowing slightly at whatever he finds.
