Page 57 of The Librarian’s Familiar

“Um…seeing each other?” He lowered his voice to barely a whisper. “I don’t know how to do this.”

“Seeing each other is fine.” Charlie smiled, but it was the lethal kind. “A little classier than saying we’re fucking.”

One of his brothers coughed and tried to smother a laugh.

Heat burst on his cheeks as Charlie delivered the well-deserved hit. “Yeah, it is.”

It also wasn’t as formal as dating. Were they dating? They were certainly getting to know each other, and that’s all that dating was, wasn’t it? He hadn’t been with anyone long enough to worry.

“We don’t need the details,” Harvey said. “We wanted the gossip.”

Charlie drew in a breath, as if he was about to speak, but August got there first. “We…um…I am not ready for this to be public.” He was looking at Charlie as he spoke. “Baby steps, please.”

Charlie gave the smallest nod, but August was sure it wasn’t over. The thing was, he wanted to hold Charlie’s hand and go out to dinner with him, but he was still scared of what people might say—or more correctly, what people beyond this town might say.

What if he stayed for three years? By the time he left with Charlie, everyone would’ve forgotten he existed, and it would no longer matter who he dated.

“Aww. You guys are cute.”

“Shut up, Keaton,” August growled. “Don’t say anything to the parents, yet.” When Charlie tried to pull his hands away, August gripped them a little tighter. He needed Charlie to understand. “They’ll want to invite you round for a family dinner. And family means everyone, including people I rarely see. Once they all know, you might as well assume that the entire world knows. They’ll be posting announcements on social media…” He closed his eyes. He was acting like a scared rabbit, and he couldn’t help it. “Fuck. It’s not you. It’s me.” He opened his eyes and stared at Charlie, willing him to understand.

“We all know you’re the problem,” Harvey said with a laugh. “He’s always been a drama queen. It’s always all about Augie.”

Keaton gathered up the last of the pizza and the soft drink from the floor where they’d been sitting. “Shall I put these in the fridge in the staff room?”

“I can do it. It’s fine.” Charlie pulled his hands free, and August let him go.

“Harvey is going to help me, and Augie is going to prove he’s not a complete bonehead.” Keaton slapped August on the shoulder as he walked past.

Harvey grabbed the napkins off the floor and waved them at August. “See, doing as I’m told.”

Charlie exhaled.

August scrubbed a hand over his face and down his beard. “I fucked up. When they came in, I should’ve said something.”

“Yes…but also no. I got into this knowing that you still had at least one foot firmly in the closet and were terrified of what was waiting outside. I’m the bonehead.”

August wrapped his arms around him and kissed his cheek. “You’re not a bonehead. But when it comes to dating and relationships, you are definitely the pro, and I’m the one who can’t skate. I need a bit of time to catch up before you expect me to be able to jump and spin.”

Charlie nodded. “When you put it like that…”

“I’ll teach you to skate in winter. It’s not that hard.”

“Right back at you.”

“Except there will be the comments from my fans on social media who are watching and waiting for me to fail.”

“They’re not waiting for you to fail.”

“Who will express their displeasure and call into question everything I’ve ever done?” August tried again.

“There will be some of them, but there will also be some who think you’re incredibly brave. Some who are playing hockey at the moment and thinking about quitting because they know how much they’ll have to keep to themselves. Not only that, but you can’t live for what people might think or say. Most people don’t regret the things they’ve done. They regret the things they never did.” Charlie’s lips curved. “Augie.”

August groaned. “I couldn’t pronounce my own name when I learned to talk. Then everyone in my family started calling me Augie.”

“It’s cute.”

The staff room door opened. “Right enough kissing time. I want to get home before midnight. Some of us have work tomorrow.”