I shrugged. Did he really expect me to answer that?
“My parents always taught me that you’re supposed to move toward the next steps,” he said.
“That’s how it works on the farm, huh?”
“Whatever, dude. I just think we’ve reached the point where we should think about trying out a real relationship.”
“What, like being boyfriends?”
My mouth and throat felt so dry that the words barely came out.
“If you want to call it that, then yeah,” he said.
I paused, having no idea what to tell him.
“What’s the problem?” he asked.
“I don’t have a problem.”
“Yes, you do. You practically groaned when I said it.”
“I did not…and even if I did, it’s only because you keep moving the goalposts on me.”
“I’m not moving the goalposts.”
“Yes, you are.”
“Why don’t you tell me how I’m moving the goalposts?”
“You told me we needed to go on a real date before having sex again. I went above and beyond by giving you that homemade dinner. Once we rocked each other’s world again, you said we had to have another one in public. Stupid me went along with that too. Now that I’ve gotten used to having regular sex with you, you’ve gone and raised the stakes again.”
Erik sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed, which meant I could forget about this moment advancing into sex. Normally, I wouldn’t have cared. Now I did, and it drove me crazy.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “That came out wrong.”
“No, it came out exactly right. That’s what you really think, isn’t it?”
My eyes fell shut, and I sighed. I couldn’t win with this kid no matter what I did.
“I’m just saying that I’m not sure if getting into a relationship is the right move,” he said. “At least during the season.”
“If you think it’s a bad move, then we can always put things on pause…as long as you’re willing to put sex on pause.”
I put my hands on my head, practically clawing at my hair, and I didn’t give a shit how it looked. This kid was killing me.
“We don’t have to do that,” I said.
“We don’t? Just a second ago, you told me that a relationship wasn’t a good idea during the season. Sex can be every bit as much of a distraction, you know.”
“No, it isn’t. It helps chill you out when you’re stressed. It’s a great release. Sex is like milk: It does the body good.”
He snorted. “Give me a break, Kayden.”
“Look, you know we’ve got to slow down. Things are moving really fast.”
“What are you talking about? I’m asking to try being boyfriends. I didn’t say we should get married.”
“Of course not. You’ve got to save something to push on me next week.”
