Okay, so two deciliters equals two hundred milliliters, but sugar isn’t a liquid. I pull out my phone to look up what the hell to do, when I realize that a few texts from Erik came through.
Erik Norberg
Yooooooooooooo Lukey happy new year
I’m so dunk rn my cousin got us all messed up hahahaha
I snort. Erik is a fun, cuddly drunk.
Nice lol
Whatcha up to
Making that mulled wine recipe
Trying to get “dunk” too
Confused about what a dl of sugar is
Haha you aren’t the first
1 dl is a little less than half a cup
Oh nice thanks
Np
Ok gotta go my dad is making us do more shots
I put my phone away and get back to the mulled wine, and right when I finish preparing it, there’s knocking on the door. Wine in hand, I dart over. It’s James and his boyfriend, Ethan.
James is how I remember: a little shorter than me, perpetually tanned, and constantly smiling. Ethan is a tall, jacked, good-looking athlete with short brown hair and a killer smolder. Going gay (or bi) for someone isn’t a thing, but if it was, it’s clear why James picked Ethan.
They walk in and James introduces everyone. “Ethan, this is Luke, we go way back. Luke, this is my boyfriend, Ethan.”
We exchange greetings, with James doing most of the talking, as usual, and when I’m telling them about our potential plans to head out later, James interrupts.
“Yo, I’m so sorry to ditch, but I really need to take a leak.” At that, James darts into my hallway bathroom and firmly slams the door behind him, leaving me and Ethan standing in the entryway.
“So, can I get you anything to drink?” I ask, and Ethan nods. After pouring him a mug of wine, I’m about to introduce him to the group, but Stefano speaks first.
“Yo, it’s Ethan Sullivan!”
And I choose now to notice that Stefano is wearing aBostonhat. Traitor.
I clap Ethan on the shoulder. “Looks like you’ve been recognized.” He doesn’t have a chance to reply because Stefano and Mark lure him over with their large bottle of whiskey.
James emerges from the hallway bathroom and searches around for Ethan, relaxing a little when he realizes that Stefanoinvited his boyfriend to join the drunken crowd on my couch. He comes into the kitchen to put his beer in the fridge as I’m fixing up another batch of the mulled wine, and then he randomly apologizes for being overly flirtatious with me in high school.
All of us knew it was a joke, and that shit never went anywhere. Sure, it might have confused me for a month or so at the beginning, but it’s whatever.
What’s funny is that James wentwayoverboard with Ethan, realized he wasn’t joking, and now they’re together.
Maybe he’s overthinking it.
“At least he feels the same way,” I say. “You’re one of my boys, and I can’t think of you like that.” I hand him two beers.
He adopts a mischievous smile, and I’m confused as to what might come next. “Makes sense. Also, your athlete kink is limited to hockey players, right? Baseball isn’t really your thing.”
