Page 74 of The Build-a-Boyfriend Project

Peter sits there for a moment. “Your . . . your sweater . . .”

Eli nods to keep him going.

“It’s nice.”

“Wow! I’m blushing, take my clothes off right now.”

Peter hides his face. “Okay, so I don’t know how to flirt.”

“It’s not that hard once you get the hang of things,” Eli tells him. “You just have to get comfortable.”

“Okay . . . so how do you flirt?”

“Well . . .” Eli has to think for a moment. It’s one of those things that he’s never given much thought to—explaining how you flirt. “You pretty much just have to find something that you like about a person, and be playful, loose. The most important thing, besides respecting boundaries, is that you’re having fun.”

“What does that mean?”

Eli doesn’t even know how to answer that. You just know it when you see it. Like porn.

Then he gets an idea.

“Think of it like jazz.” Eli sits up straight in his seat.

“Like jazz?”

“You know how jazz musicians play loose, they go with the flow of what they’re playing, adapt to the other members of the band to make something great?”

“Yeah?”

“It’s like that, being loose, going with the flow of the moment, responding to what other people around you are doing.”

Peter stares at him, smiling.

“What?”

“When did you learn so much about jazz?”

“I might’ve watched a video or two,” Eli says with an air of confidence. “Just trust yourself, you’ll know if you’ve gone too far.”

“So, what does ‘going for it’ look like? How will I know?”

Eli leans in closer. “You could be direct, say ‘Your ass looks so juicy I’m dying to take a bite.’”

Peter almost chokes on his own spit.

“But that could delve into the territory of harassment if you’re not careful.”

“Okay, good. Yeah. Thank you.”

“It’s all very natural,” Eli explains further. “Just be lighthearted, don’t overthink it.”

“Right, because I’m so good at that.”

“Well, maybe a drink would loosen you up?”

Peter perks up. “Really?”

Eli taps on the table, motioning for Peter to follow him as he gets up. “What’s your poison?” he asks once they’re at the bar, grateful that it’s slow enough that they can easily find seats.