The question startles me. “Me and Bane?”
“Uh, yeah. I don’t get it.”
“Bane doesn’t see me like that.” I shake my head at how ridiculous the idea is. “We’re not compatible in that area.” Bane deserves a whole lot more than I could give him.
“Have you tried?” Indy asks, more gently than Kit did.
“No, but we know each other very well. Trust me, I’m not the one for Bane.”
“I’ve never been so confused,” Ridley says. “If you two aren’t right for each other, who is?”
“It’s not obvious stuff,” I mutter, wishing someone would change the subject.
Oakley reaches over and pats my shoulder. “It’s okay, man. You don’t have to tell us. We just care ’cause we’re your friends.”
“I know.”
Bane returns, looking deliberately casual again. “You should totally see Alec,” he says, sitting in his chair. “Closure is good, and if it’s not closure, then maybe it’s a second chance.”
“Don’t want a second chance,” I mumble. Bane knows better than that.
He chews an ice cube, tilting back slightly in his chair.
“We should probably get going soon if we want to find parking,” Lowen says. “You sure you guys don’t want to come?” The question is directed at Ridley and Wren, the latest of our friends to become a couple.
I smile as I notice the flirtatious body language between them. I’m really happy for them. For all the guys, and it’s only made life even more fun with a fuller house.
We carry our empty breakfast dishes to the kitchen. We’re heading into the city today for a festival, which should be fun. Even though my idea of a good Sunday is kicking back with Bane and playing video games, it’s nice to do something different for a change.
After cleaning up a bit, we walk up the stairs together. Bane pauses in front of my room.
“You know I support whatever you want to do.”
I nod. “Yeah, I know.” I playfully punch his chest. “Why did you say that about a second chance though? You know I don’t have feelings for Alec.”
Bane shrugs, dragging a hand through his soft curls. “You liked him more than the others.”
“No. I was more hopeful. That’s not the same thing.”
He nods, his jaw ticking like it does when he has something to say that he’s holding back. I know Bane as well as I know myself—every gesture, every expression, every mood. He’s complex, brilliant, and has the biggest heart, but I figured out back in college that we were never going to be more than friends.
Bane is the center of attention, a gleaming light, wanted by many. Me? I’m just the guy who’s always with him. His platonic sidekick. And that’s fine. I’d rather have that role in his life than none at all.
But I’m holding him back and I know it. He needs to date more and find his forever person. If I could stop being selfish and hoarding all his time, that would help.
I poke his belly. “What? Just say it.”
“I don’t want to see you get hurt again. That’s all.”
I grab his hand, swinging it between us. “Alec can’t hurt me anymore. We’ll meet for coffee, catch up on things that don’t matter, and that’s it.”
Bane nods, a smile tugging at his lips. “Yeah, okay.”
“I’ll get changed and meet you back here in a few?”
“Sure thing.”
Before he can go to his room, I tug his hand and pull him into a hug. He sinks into me, wrapping his arms around me and burying his face in the crook of my neck. He gives the best hugs.
