Page 20 of Zero Confusion

MILES: Can you tell him the truth?

ZACH: So I can look like a liar who won’t acknowledge my boyfriend? Pass.

MILES: I’m sorry, Zee.

ZACH: It’s fine. I don’t really care what Tyler thinks. But for the record, I’d never cheat on you.

MILES: I know.

Miles checked the time and did some calculations in his head. According to their location-sharing app, if he left now, he’d make it to campus in time for Zach’s class to let out. He wasn’t sure what he could do to fix the situation he’d gotten them into, but he could do something. Maybe seeing that Miles wasn’t upset would be enough to get Tyler off their back.

He grabbed his wallet and flew out the door. Hoping not to get too sweaty, he alternated walking with light jogging until he reached his destination, barely taking his eyes off Zach’s dot on the map.

“Miles?”

A group of students spilled out of the building, with Zach at the front, a confused frown on his face. Joel hovered nearby, and Tyler walked a few feet behind, stuttering to a stop along with everyone else.

“Hey.” Miles nodded at each of them, a reckless idea suddenly forming in his head. He strode up to Zach with determination, cradling his face as soon as it was within reach. Before Zach could ask any questions, Miles leaned down and brushed their lips together.

It felt right. Being close to Zach like this was as natural as breathing, and when Zach shivered and Miles pressed closer to deepen the kiss, Tyler was the furthest thing from his mind.

Chapter 9

ZACH

Zach’s brain screeched to a standstill.

He didn’t know how to react, didn’t know what Miles was doing, or how it was possible that a situation that had only ever existed in his fantasies was suddenly playing out in real life.

Miles’s soft lips brushed against his, warm and sweet.

Impossible to resist.

One part of him was frozen with indecision, while the other screamed to keep going. He’d wanted this for so long. This was his opportunity to taste Miles, to breathe him in, to commit to memory every single detail of this perfect moment. A powerful shiver rocked him, and Miles’s grip tightened.

It was impossible to say who initiated it. Between one breath and the next, their mouths were open, their tongues tangled together. The connection evolved from a gentle caress to a battle for dominance, stealing his breath. It felt like free fall, like the first seconds of going down a slide—the weightlessness, the brief panic, the inevitable surrender to gravity.

He swayed. His hands flew up to Miles’s shoulders, clutching at the thin fabric of his shirt to keep himself steady. Miles groaned, a rumble from deep inside his chest, and Zach gladly swallowed the sound, absorbed the vibration, pressed closer.

It was over as quickly as it had started. With a final peck, Miles drew away and turned to their audience.

“Sure is hot out here.” Joel fanned himself with his hand and pumped his eyebrows.

“Guess you weren’t lying,” Tyler said, his gaze bouncing between him and Miles. “Sorry.”

Zach offered him a tight smile and nodded. Annoying as today had been, he couldn’t fault Tyler for giving him a hard time. After one too many dirty looks and pointed jabs during class, he’d almost given in and told Tyler it was all a misunderstanding, but it would only sound like a shady excuse. The cliché of a married man telling his mistress he’s separated and totally about to get a divorce. It would only make Tyler hate him more.

Besides, a small part of him had reveled in the idea of Miles saying they were boyfriends. Whatever his reasons—Zach still wasn’t clear on what those were—it created a small bubble of hope within him, a small universe where he could pretend his wildest dream was a reality.

He didn’t want that bubble to burst.

Once his classmates realized the show was over, the group dissipated until Joel was the only one left.

“That should take care of Tyler.” Miles winked at Zach and pulled him closer. Zach’s bag swung heavily, and Miles slipped it off his shoulder and onto his own.

“Wow, it was so thoughtful of you to come all this way and make out with Zach just for Tyler’s sake.” Joel’s words dripped with sarcasm, and Zach couldn’t help but chuckle. Even if Miles’s only motivation behind the kiss was to get Tyler off his back, it was still worth it.

Except…Zach suspected there was more to it. Nothing about that kiss seemed born out of obligation and guilt. Miles usually couldn’t lie his way out of a paper bag, and there was no way he could have faked the passion that Zach had felt, could still feel rolling off him.