I shake my head no.
Ty steps back in the house, his arms laden with suitcases. “Are you a vegetarian?”
“No…”
Ty nods. “Cool, we’ll be back soon with food.”
“And beer,” Whit calls, turning and leaving with Ty.
The next few minutes are surreal. The girls come in, and Booker throws some sweats on and gets some snuggle time with Rose as I hurry to grab the rest of our clothes and the lube. I have no shame whatsoever, but I also don’t need a baby getting ahold of the K-Y.
Willa hugs me, then Phoebe, then Lucy. They go about unpacking what they can, and Lucy tells Willa she’s starting a load of darks. They’re busy with laundry, and Booker is busy being the favorite uncle. I feel strangely useless, so I wander into the kitchen to get myself a glass of water.
“Welcome to the club,” Phoebe says, giving me another hug.
“Yeah, I… He’s amazing,” I tell her honestly.
“Booker is one of the best people I know.But so are you. So this actually makes a lot of sense.”
I think back to the fall, to meeting Booker, to our text convos, to the moment I saw him in class and my heart took a nosedive. I think about how hurt I was when I found out he dropped the course. I think about the total relief I felt when he kissed me, and I knew I was free to do as I pleased.“Yeah,” I agree. “It makes a lot of sense.”
* * *
Booker
Later that evening, I make my way up to the third floor for a conversation that’s long overdue. Standing in the doorway, I call, “knock, knock.”
“What’s up?” Whit asks.
“Nothing. I just… Are you okay?”
“Me? I’m fine,” he says, turning his attention back to the suitcase he’s unpacking. “Tired as fuck and not ready for class tomorrow, but otherwise, good.”
I shake my head. “I mean, with me...and Ian.”
Whit tosses a shirt into his hamper and sits on the bed. “If you’re asking if I’m ok with you being gay or bi or pan or Iansexual or whatever, then I’ve been a shit friend these past twenty-one years. Of course, I don’t care. And… I do care. But not in the judging way, in theholy shit you’re in love and I wanna fuckin’ know all about itway. You're my best friend. This changes fucking nothing.”
My shoulders sag with relief. I’m not sure I knew just how much I needed to hear him say those words. “I should have told you. There were times I wanted to, but…”
Whit picks up the discarded shirt and shrugs. “So...full disclosure, a couple hours ago, I was pissed. Hurt.Like, we’re best friends. You impersonated me and swam the length of the lake twice in ten minutes just so I wouldn’t have to. I snuck you porn and booze. Now I’m realizing the porn was maybe not helpful. The thing is...I was hurt that you didn’t tell me. Wondering if you didn’t trust me, or what I’d done to make you think you couldn’t come out to me. But Lucy? She’s smart as hell. She told me to basically get over myself. That it had fuck all to do with me. That if you weren't comfortable telling me, talking about all of it with me, that’s a clear sign of how hard all of this has been for you.”
I lean against his dresser. “I couldn’t even tell myself. And holy crap, I can’t tell them. Every time I think about it, I almost puke.”
“I’ll go with you. Cause let’s face it—I am your third wheel, you lucky bastard. I will be there for you, whether it’s sitting next to you and Ian in your parents’ living room or driving the getaway car. Or whatever you need. But let’s be clear about one thing: you being gay is not the issue. It’s just not. The issue is your dad being a judgmental prick who thinks his opinions matter more than people’s identities. Christ, he’s done it to your mom. He’s trying like hell to do it to Fallon. Emersyn’s basically untamable, so I think he’s given up on her, and good. But you? He’s trying to control and manipulate you by using the fact that he’s your dad as leverage, dude. And that’s not love.”
My eyes catch movement in the hallway, and I turn to see Ian standing just outside the door, smiling. “There’s a reason I always liked you best, Whit. Well, second best…”
Whit gets that golden retriever smile of his. “Are we group-hugging? Is that where we are? I fucking love a group hug.”
I roll my eyes but bring it in anyway, and Ian looks at us like we’re nuts, but joins in.
Suddenly, Whit pulls back and looks at me, and then Ian before sighing heavily. “Look, I’m gonna ask you a serious question and I need an honest answer, ok?”
Next to me, I can feel Ian’s shoulders tense. “Ok, what’s the question?”
“Who’s the best Disney princess?” he asks, then quickly covers my face with his hand. “No hints, Zabek.”
“No hints necessary,” Ian assures him. “It’s Tiana, hands down. She owns her own damn business.”
