Page 27 of Ethan

“How do you know I haven’t?” Ethan complained, even though he hadn’t.

Brody shot him a knowing look. “I can just tell, okay?”

“Call it his captain gene,” Dean added with a smirk.

“Okay, fine, I haven’t, because there’s nothing to tell. I thought I could . . . Imight. . . like him,maybe, but then he won’t text me back.”

“Where’s he now?”

Ethan almost said,he’s in Syracuse, but knowing Brody and his mysterious captain gene, he’d figure exactly who it was and then dig up Charlie’s number and tell him to intervene. As much as this sucked, that would be fucking catastrophic. Charlie couldn’t even get out of hisownway.

“Not here,” Ethan said instead.

Dean chortled, clearly amused. “Oh, he’s worried you’re gonna do something,” he told Brody.

Brody rolled his eyes. “God, you’re such an ass.” He turned to Ethan. “If he’s not around, and you think youmightbe into him and into guys, I’m gonna suggest something you might not like.”

“Brody,” Dean warned.

“It’s not like the guy’s around or even texting Eth back? Kindahisloss, you know?” Brody retorted.

“You want me to find some other guy,” Ethan said. He took a long sip of his seltzer. He didn’t really want anyone else, not any other guy, or at least he hadn’tbefore, but Brody had a point.Hank wasn’t here, and even if Hankwashere, it wasn’t like he was doing anything about it.

“Might be a decent way to figure out if youdolike guys,” Brody pointed out.

“I’ll think about it,” Ethan said.

“Myadvice,” Dean said, “don’t just go around kissing someone because you want to see if you’re queer. As for the guy? Be patient with him, okay? I know it sucks, but sometimes we’re idiots.”

“That’s true,” Brody said, but Dean didn’t look convinced.

“I mean it,” Dean reiterated and Ethan nodded, finishing up his drink. He leaned over and grabbed another from the cooler.

“That’s . . . that’s good advice,” Ethan agreed. “Thanks.”

“Don’t sound so surprised,” Brody said dryly, then gave him a playful shove. “Go hang out with younger and cooler people than us, okay?”

Ethan nodded and headed off in the same direction that Wally had—into the living room and its crush of bodies, writhing along to the beat of the thumping music.

He found Wally in a group—a few girls he knew played volleyball, a guy who ran track, and a few others he didn’t recognize—and it was easy enough to fall into the rhythm. To let the angst of his unanswered text finally fall away.

He was going to be okay. Better than okay, actually.

One segued into the next, and the next. He danced with a girl and then another and then the track guy. Then someone else he didn’t know. It was fun and easy and he liked it, but he was never tempted to take it any further.

Finally, he pushed back his sweaty hair and motioned to Wally that he was going to grab another drink. He was in the kitchen, rummaging around in the cooler, swirling around the melting ice, trying to find something he wanted, when his phone buzzed in his back pocket.

It was probably just the bro-chat, though it was late for Charlie. Might be Avery, though Ethan had thought he was in the Midwest right now, not in the West Coast.

He finally found a flavor he could stand and pulled it out, popping the top and taking a long drink before pulling out his phone, juggling both while he unlocked the screen.

Nearly dropped it when right there on the screen was the text he’d been waiting for, for so fucking long.

Two weeks, okay, but it hadfeltlike so fucking long when it hadn’t come in and hadn’t come in andhadn’t come in.

Ethan wouldn’t have even believed it if it wasn’t right there in black and white on his screen.

what a sick fucking game, dude