Page 87 of How Not to Date a Griffin

And it was just... that easy.

For Nolan to trust him, to trust that Reid loved him and wouldn’t hurt him.

Reid cleared his throat. “Right. Of course, breaking up would require us to have been dating first,” Reid drawled, probably ruined by his welling eyes.

Nolan sputtered. “Were we not? But we – oh, I see. You’re teasing me.”

“Glad you caught that,” Reid sputtered out on a watery laugh.

“I’m going to long-distance date the hell out of you,” Nolan promised.

His hand slid to the back of Reid’s neck, and pulled him close. Their lips brushed once before returning for more, ignoring the smear of salt tinging the kiss.

“And then,” Nolan said, trailing his lips to his ear. “Then, when I come back, I’ll be the best boyfriend you’ve ever heard of.”

Reid’s stomach flipped. “You’ll come back?”

“Of course,” Nolan said, nodding, mouth slipping over Reid’s cheek. “Of course I’ll come back to you. And my cat, too.”

Reid’s chest tightened with overwhelming affection, and he breathed his first easy breath in what felt like hours.

“I’ve heard long distance is difficult,” Reid murmured a moment later.

Nolan pulled away to meet his eyes. “Please. We were made for difficult. I mean, if you can help me take down my family’s business, figuring out FaceTime will be nothing.”

“You don’t even know how to use FaceTime, grandpa?”

Nolan paused. “I admit nothing. But I wouldn’t turn down a tutorial, no.”

Reid snorted, kissing him again because he could. “Couple other things I could show you, too.”

When Nolan smirked, Reid felt it against his lips. “I like the sound of that. Care for one last use of that waterfall shower head?” Nolan pushed to his feet and held out a hand to Reid.

And even though Nolan would leave tomorrow, and his chest hurt at just the thought, Reid would see him again, even if it was through a few hundred pixels on a screen.

So for now, he would just have to commit every inch of Nolan to memory.

Reid laid his hand in Nolan’s, and let himself be pulled from the bed.

“I thought you’d never ask.”

Reid

6 months later

Reid was sweeping the front step of Essie’s Place, freezing in the chilly winter air, yet still wincing under the sun’s bright light.

Excited voices neared, and he stepped out of the way to make room on the sidewalk for a gaggle of teens to pass.

“He’s been there for hours, I’m telling you. I’ve never seen anyone play so long. It’s just Frogger.”

Reid’s heart thumped, and he cleared his throat. “What’s going on?”

One of the kids turned to him, calling out as he walked backwards. “Some weirdo is hogging the Frogger game at the arcade. It’s been hours.”

“What for?” Reid asked.

They shrugged. “Dunno, but he has, like, thousands of tickets already.” The kid rolled his eyes and turned back around. “We’ll come back another day.”