“Let Ollie live here in peace?” Tommy sighed. “Use Grindr.”
“I got banned. Twice. Too much nudity.” Rain let out a dramatic sigh.
“Anyway…” Biz stood, ever the mom. “If we don’t get these boxes upstairs soon, then we’ll be doing this in the dark and I want to finish up and have some pizza.”
“Pizza!” Tommy and Rain punched the air like eight-year-old twins as Ollie tried to smile. When one hired family and friends to help with a move, it was customary to provide pizza, water, and other refreshments as payment for their service and Ollie was not about to shun that tradition. But he was trying to figure out the best waynotto consume any of that pizza without attracting attention. Going up and down stairs all day was a significant workout and he didn’t want to waste that by eating a greasy helping of cheese on bread.
He hadn’t come up with an answer by the time the van was empty but once he studied the takeout menu he sagged in relief. He could get a plain salad without dressing and pretend to nibble on a slice. That should do the trick.
“How much of this house do you get to use?” Tommy popped the top on his soda. They were all spread out across Ollie’s room, waiting on the food, with Biz in Ollie’s desk chair, Tommy sitting tailor-style on the floor, and Rain in the window seat again.
“All of it but the attic, the basement, and Mason’s room. The attic has a lot of his grandmother’s stuff and the basement is his darkroom. I think. I’ve never seen it.” Ollie lounged on the bed, happy that he’d managed to find sheets, a comforter, and the most important thing - his laptop.
“That’s still a lot! Nice.” Tommy toasted Ollie with the can. “I’m happy for you, Ollie, even if Biz, Mom, and Dad aren’t.”
“Hey, don’t drag me into this!” Biz looked up from where she was scrolling on her phone. “And Mom and Dad are just concerned.”
Ollie rolled his eyes. “Because Mom wants me to stay local and go back to school or my old job.”
“Of course she does.” Biz tilted her head. “You’ve been making a lot of changes and you have to admit that your decision to quit and move here was spontaneous.”
“What is life without spontaneity?” Ollie sat up straight, nodding at Rain when he made a grunt of agreement. “See! Am I supposed to languish in the town I grew up in? Continue to get fooled by straight men until I eventually marry some guy I went to high school with, settle down, and have two-point-five dachshunds?”
“Dachshunds are cute though,” Tommy pointed out.
“You know that’s not what Mom wants. She’s worried about you.” Biz pursed her lips.
“She’s worried about me supporting myself.”Among other things, Ollie left that unspoken, cracking his neck. “Listen. I left college because the closest thing they had to a social media degree was marketing and it wasboring. I have a letter of recommendation and glowing references from my last job and I don’t think I’ll have a problem finding another. Plus, I’ve got four different brands that I’m doing affiliate stuff for so I’m making cash for postingandI’m getting a lot of free things too.”
“Really?” Rain’s face was all curiosity.
“Yes!” Ollie gestured toward the pile of boxes labeledTools of the Trade.“Mostly makeup, hair care products, and clothes. The companies want me to try their stuff out on camera and tell my large follower count that I like it.”
“But what if it sucks?” Using the tip of her toe, Biz swayed the chair back and forth.
“Then I don’t make a video. I’m not negative online. People don’t follow me for negativity. I try everything out and what works well, I promote.”
The doorbell rang and Tommy sprang into action, barreling down the stairs, his footsteps echoing throughout the house. He was back in under a minute, laden with two pizza boxes, a tinfoil-wrapped loaf of Italian bread, and a bag that contained Ollie’s salad.
Ollie handed out paper plates and napkins as everyone got comfortable on the floor, sitting in a circle.
“Please tell me you’re eating more than that rabbit food.” Biz eyed Ollie as he pulled the plastic top off his salad. He smothered a frown as he realized there were croutons on it; he’d have to pick those out. Thankfully they remembered to leave the dressing off.
“Calm yourselfMom,I’m having some pizza too,” Ollie shot back.
“Good. Because a stiff breeze could blow you away.” Biz sniffed at him and then busied herself with selecting two slices - one with extra cheese and one with pepperoni.
“That’s not an accident.” Ollie raised an eyebrow, tired of his weight being an issue. It was one of the reasons he’d taken the room. Mason was the type to stay out of Ollie’s business, and after being constantly observed by his family, Ollie craved that privacy. “I wish you and the parents would get off me. This is what I look like now and I have to be diligent to maintain it.” And lose more.
“You don’t think you’re too thin though?” Tommy asked around a mouthful of food.
“Can we maintain that it isn’t polite to comment on people’s bodies?” Ollie held in a sigh.
“Not even to tell someone they have a nice ass?” Rain wiped the corners of his mouth with a napkin.
“That’s an exception.” Ollie nodded, selecting a slice of pizza and blotting it with his napkin before taking a bite, just to show everyone that he was fine. He wanted to simultaneously hum at the orgasmic taste and spit it out, for he hadn’t eaten something so decadent in ages. “But really, I’m smaller than I was and I think you’re all not used to it.I’mbarely used to it.”
“You looked great before, just so you know,” Biz grumbled.
