Page 26 of Tangled With You

“She did?” He shook his head, amused. “Always good to be thelast one to your own party.”

“But it feels good to finally be there, right?”

“Yeah. Yeah, it really does. I was keeping a secret frommyself, and I don’t even know why. How absurd is that?” He glanced from Jamieto Nikki. “And you two? You’re okay with it?”

“Why wouldn’t we be?”

Nikki raised an eyebrow. “Are you seriously asking that?Ollie, it’s us. And what’s the big deal? I’m happy for you. What about Trevor?”

“What do you mean? We’ve always known he’s gay.”

“Yeah. But I meant how does he feel about you—I’m guessingit’s mutual?”

“It sure feels that way. And he says it is.”

“That’s perfect then.” Nikki’s smile was wide. “That’s howit should be.”

“It feels right. You two get that, don’t you. With Damienand Ryan? It was the same, wasn’t it?”

“Very much so,” Nikki said as Jamie nodded and silentlymouthed oh, yeah.

Nikki reached out for his hands, then tugged him over to thechaise. She tucked her head onto his shoulder. “I’m so happy for you.”

“So Trevor’s the first guy you’ve actually been with,” Jamiebegan, “but what about that cute roomie you had when you were doing FBItraining. Dustin, right? You mentioned him like three times when you weretelling us your How Ollie became James Bond story a while back.”

“You’re a hoot,” Ollie said, but he seriously thought aboutthe question. “Nope, not really. I liked him as a friend, but nary a zing.But,” he added, “I think it was during that time that I realized I was bi. Ijust didn’t tell myself until after I met Trevor. But now I’m...”

He trailed off with a shake of his head.

“What?”

He waved a hand in dismissal. “It’s nothing.”

Nikki shifted to face him. “We need a little more to go on.”

He looked out toward the ocean. For a moment, he justwatched the waves crash in, feeling a bit like a piece of flotsam tossed aboutin the roiling surf.

“I don’t know,” he finally said. “What if that was it andwe’re done? What if he regrets it? I mean, we didn’t even—you know—doanything. What with Horowitz pounding on the door. But, I don’t know. What ifhe regrets it?”

Jamie’s eyes widened. “Why would he?”

Ollie shrugged. He’d felt a distance since they’d beenpulled to Stark’s Malibu fortress. Maybe it was his imagination, but what if itwasn’t?

“You’re a dufus,” Jamie said, after he managed to—poorly—articulatehis thoughts.

“Um, hello? I thought this talk was all about supportingyour best friend.”

“Yeah, not so much,” Jamie said. “This is the reality checkconversation, not the support convo. In this chat, you tell us the truth, andwe sling truth right back at you.”

She leaned toward him. “So, here’s the deal. You told usthat you had the best time of your life with the guy, and that’s without doingall the things. And, by the way, I’m not taking that whole best thingpersonally. But maybe that’s the problem.”

He furrowed his brow, trying desperately to translate JamieLogic. But it was Nikki who voiced the question. “What the fuck, James? Ihaven’t got a clue what you’re trying to say.”

Jamie rolled her eyes, then locked them on Ollie. “You twocame straight here from being all hot and sweaty and fast on your way to Happyland, right?”

He shifted on the chaise, a little uncomfortable with thiswhole conversation, then reluctantly answered. “Yeah. I told you.”

“And yet you’ve barely even looked at the guy since you gothere.”