Drew’s eyes snapped up to Bas of their own volition, checking to make sure his attention was engaged with the television. How fucked up was it that he felt like he was some cheating husband stepping out on his man? Answer: very, very fucked up. Unhealthy. Not normal friendbehavior.
Having dinner with Mark would be a good thing. Good and healthy. Another baby step along theplan.
He typed back quickly. [Yeah, Saturday sounds great. You can pick theplace.]
“Hey, you’re missing the show,” Bas reminded him, flicking the control to pause it. “Come sitdown.”
“Huh? Oh, right.” Drew obediently returned to the sofa, seated himself a foot away from where Bas sat, and held his phone face-down on hischest.
It chimed again, and this time Bas reached over, grabbing the phone from Drew’s hand. “Your mom is extra chatty tonight,” he said. And then he looked at the screen. “Oh.”
“Uh. My mom’s in Martinique,” Drew said lamely. “Until nextweek.”
Bas nodded, still staring at the phone, his face blank. “So.Mark?”
“Yeah. We, uh, met at a bar a few months back, but haven’t met upyet.”
Sebastian turned his head, and suddenly Drew was submerged in the blue fire of his gaze. “How ridiculous is it that I didn’t know you went to bars? I mean, it makes sense that you do.But…”
“But?” Drewwhispered.
“We’ve never talked about it. You’re my best friend and we’ve never talked about you going out, or dating. Ithink…”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Drew said, a little bit desperately. “You’ve met guys I’vedated.”
Bas huffed. “Cam, yeah. And when we were teenagers, maybe. Or that idiot you dated back in college,Tim.”
“Tom.”
“Whatever. He was a douche.” Bas shook his head. “But somehow along the way we stopped talking about any of this stuff. Like withAmy.”
“I guess.” The way Bas was looking at him right now — his eyes soft, vulnerable, confused — made it nearly impossible for Drew to keep from spilling his guts. From telling Bas that he hadn’t brought up his dates because none of them were important, that the only person he’d ever loved, the only serious relationship he’d ever wanted, was with his straight bestfriend.
He pushed himself to his feet. “It’s getting late. I shouldgo.”
“Sit down,Drew.”
“Maybe that’snot…”
“Please?” Bas’s eyes were wide, serious, and as always, irresistible. “Just sitdown.”
Drewhesitated.
Sit down and torture myself for another two hours?This was the definition of a bad idea, not conducive to restoring the balance in their friendship, nor to making areal effortwith Mark. How many more times would Drew allow himself to be tortured because he couldn’t resist that pleading look in Bas’s eyes? He needed to stopthis.
Bas took advantage of his hesitation, wrapping an arm around Drew’s wrist and yanking him back down so they were sitting side by side, their legs pressed together from hip to knee, then wrapped an arm around Drew’sshoulder.
Drew sighed. Apparently he’d be tortured at least one moretime.
“So this show.” Bas gestured toward the screen with the remote. “It’s based on abook.”
“Yeah?” Drewsighed.
“It’s set in this world where the Axis powers won World War II, and conquered the UnitedStates.”
“Uh huh. Sounds superuplifting.”
“I know, right? You’d think it’d be all post-apocalyptic and stuff. And it is, in a way. But the real mind-fuck is that it looks just like some fifties’ sitcom on the surface. There are all these people just going about their business, living their lives even though the Nazis won. They salute the German flag, and they accept that this is the way things are.” His voice was low and quiet,intense.
