“I’m already scared to lose him, and he’s not mine, yet.”
“The best thing you can do is to be yourself,” Arsène counseled. “Not the flirty playboy you show to the world, but the real you that you try so hard to hide.”
From the background, I heard Felix’s voice call out, “Are you home?”
“In my office!”
Felix appeared, looking as precious as ever in ripped jeans and an old, faded band T-shirt. His brown hair stood up in tiny spikes from where he had ruffled it earlier, making him seem younger than his twenty-three years. With his joyful exuberance, he was a bright light in Arsène’s life that had changed my best friend for the better. While Felix had been very distrustful of me from our first encounter, we had grown closer over the time he had been with Arsène. Like Isidore, I had adopted Felix as a baby brother to take care of while also teasing him any chance I got.
He lit up with a bright smile when he saw me wave on camera. “Hey, Armand! How’s Hawaii?”
“Worthy of Arsène’s talents for a beautiful photo shoot.”
Felix made himself comfortable on his boyfriend’s lap before he looked at me with concern. “Is everything okay?”
“Why would you ask that?”
“Because younevergive me a straight answer, let alone talk only about work. You normally would say, ‘Full of gorgeous men who are eager to have threesomes with me.’ When your first retort isn’t bragging about banging some dudes, I’m legit worried about you.”
I had to chuckle that even Felix had me so figured out. “You’re as clever as always.”
“Did something happen?”
Arsène rested his chin on Felix’s shoulder. “It seems our Armand has finally fallen in love.”
“Wait, for real? And not just an ‘I’ll love you all night long,’ kind of thing?” Felix’s green eyes went wide when I chuckled at his adorable reaction. “Like, stop teasing about threesomes level of being in love with someone?”
“I feel selfish enough that I don’t wish to share him with another.” It was a shocking realization when I always enjoyed a goodplan à trois.
Felix leaned back against Arsène with a stunned expression. “Holy shit, who is he? I can’t fathom a man who would makeyouwant to be withonlyhim.”
I couldn’t blame him for being shocked considering my reputation. “He’s an adorable graduate student.”
Felix’s jaw dropped. “You’re joking, right? He’s not some celebrity or a famous billionaire but agrad student?”
“What can I say? The heart wants what it wants, even if it is as unbelievable to me as it is to you.”
Felix made noises of disbelief before he turned to glance at Arsène behind him. “Is he being serious? Or is he pulling my leg?”
Arsène laughed as he hugged his boyfriend tighter. “He is being sincere. I think it is wonderful.”
“What’s wonderful?” Isidore asked before coming on-screen. He may not have been my blood relation, but I loved him fiercely as my own baby brother. Like Arsène, he was devastatingly handsome, with dark hair, lush lips, and a wicked sense of humor. He was dressed stylishly in a teal blazer and white T-shirt with skinny pants.
His boyfriend, Wren, was right behind him. He was a lively spitfire, which made him so much fun to tease. As he always did, he had on a shirt with a skull that had hearts for eyes with jeans. His quirky personality filled Isidore’s life with light and laughter, which was all I could have ever hoped he’d find in a partner. “It can’t be wonderful if it involves Armand.”
I couldn’t resist joking with him. “Ah, if it isn’tmon petit chat.”
“You’re lucky you’re an ocean away from me right now! You know I hate it when you call me that.”
“But of course. That’s why I do it,” I said with a laugh. “And how ismon beauIsidore?”
“Curious about why you haven’t been posting pictures of handsome men on social media.” Just like Arsène, he was quick to pick up on minor details. “Normally, you would have shared proof of all the beautiful hookups you’ve entertained on your trip, but you haven’t uploaded a single one.”
“He has found his Felix,” Arsène told him.
“And he’s agrad student, which I’m still trying to wrap my head around,” Felix added.
I arched an eyebrow at him. “Are you implying I prefer men who aren’t smart?”
