“Why would Seth tell me to take you to a mixer?”
“I spoke to him earlier and he was on my case about making friends. I might be socially inept, but I at least know straight guys don’t go to queer mixers without ulterior motives. You know lesbians aren’t interested in sleeping with you, right?”
And that answers whether or not Seth told him about me.
“You know what the B stands for in LGBTQ?”
“Are you going to straight-splain it to me?”
Okay, now he’s pissing me off a little, but I can’t say I hate it. I like it when he stands up for himself. Like when I questioned his TA abilities.
My lips curve. “Bi chicks and threeways. Enough said.”
“You’re gross.” He goes to shut the door in my face—deservedly so—but I stop it with my foot before he can close it.
“Zach …”
“What?”
“I was fucking with you. I am bi.”
He eyes me like he doesn’t believe me.
“I could prove it to you if you want me to. Though I think Seth would blow a fuse if I did.”
The door eases back open.
“You’re bi …” There he goes with the analyzing thing again.
“It’s not exactly a secret. I figured you would’ve heard something by now.”
“I’ve heard you’re a bit of a man slut.”
I roll my eyes. “Ah. Good old bi stereotyping for the win.”
“So, you didn’t sleep with half the student body?”
“Maybe a quarter. No, maybe a third. You’re smart, what’s between a third and a quarter? I suck at fractions.”
He frowns.
“Joking! I’m no virgin, but it’s not that bad.”
He winces.
“I promise my reputation is bigger than the reality.”
“And you’re bi.”
“Yup. I like hearts not parts. Although, I think that’s technically the pan slogan.”
Green eyes assess me.
“Would you like to call my brother and verify before you believe this isn’t a charity date?”
Zach balks. “D-date? You didn’t say this was a date.”
Shit, I didn’t mean it to sound like that either. That word just flew out of my mouth. This isn’t a date. This is me showing the new guy a safe space for like-minded people.
I wave him off. “You know what I mean.”
“I-I don’t, actuall—wait. Seth knows you’re bi?”
“Has since we were teenagers.”
“He … he never told me.”
“Would you have been okay if he’d told me you were gay?”
He cocks his head. “Didn’t he?”
“No. You did. Thanksgiving, I think. Three years ago.”
“Then why …” He pulls the most confused look I’ve ever seen on him, and that’s saying something. “I don’t understand why Seth never told me. About you.”
I shrug as if I don’t know. Seth wanted to keep Zach as his friend and didn’t want me to ruin their friendship by hitting on him. “He respects his brother’s privacy? My right to come out on my own?”
“Who are you not out to?”
Ah. I rub the back of my neck. “Well, our parents don’t know for one, so if you’re ever with them, please don’t say anything. And it’s not a secret on campus, but I don’t go around advertising it. I didn’t come out in a big article in the college paper, although they’ve asked me to. I didn’t want to make it a thing, you know? I just want it to be what it is.”
“I understand saying no to the paper, but, why not your parents? They’ve been nothing but nice to me.”
Yeah, but you’re not their son.
“Will you come with me tonight?” I change the subject. “Please? I’ll tell you all my other deep dark secrets on the way.”
He blinks at me. “Promise me this is you talking and not Seth.”
I throw up my hands. “I haven’t even spoken to Seth today.”
Zach stares down at his clothes. “I have to get dressed.”
“I could really go for that invite inside your room right now.”
“I’ll be out in a second.”
Damn. So close.
8
Zach
It’s entirely possible tonight will kill me. I consider checking the emergency contact details in my phone to be certain I’ve covered all bases, but I can’t take my eyes off Foster.
Bisexual Foster.
Foster who’s apparently been interested in … hearts for as long as I’ve known him.
I try to picture those big, capable hands cupping another man’s face, running down his chest to his—
Highly inappropriate. I will certainly not be sexualizing him purely because I know this tiny, improbable piece of information about him. Though I suppose it’s only improbable because Seth talks about him with women, never with men, so I haven’t stopped to picture him that way.
Foster may be interested in men, but there’s still a lot of difference between the types of men worthy of an insanely good-looking hockey captain and, well, me.
As has been pointed out to me on countless occasions.
In fact, Foster being bisexual might be the cruelest joke CU has played on me yet. At least when I thought he was straight, I knew there was no chance of that changing. Except, it apparently has.