“I’d listen to him practice piano for hours. I think I stayed there more than at home on the weekends.”
“I’d make us smoothies after school.” I can’t help but smile, slipping my fingers around his wrist and showing his tattoo. “More strawberry than banana.”
“What?” Jamie laughs.
I hold his tattoo up to show everyone. “Is that a dick?” Mark asks. Hunter glares at him. “Sorry. I mean, it’s adorable.”
I laugh. “Cam used to insist that I made his smoothies the best, but all I do is put more strawberries in it than banana.”
“It tastes better when you do it.”
“Oh my god, how did it take this long for you two to get together!?” Hunter shouts, surprising all of us. “They have the cutest fucking love story! That is so cute. They beat all of us.”
“Excuse me! Jamie and I have an adorable meet cute.”
“You blew me one night and I’ve yet to let go,” Jamie mumbles.
“Yeah, and now we’re in love. Unlike someone who had to blackmail Hunter into sleeping with him.”
“I didn’t blackmail him to sleep with me, Noah!”
“Well, how else do you explain it, because I really need answers?” Noah folds his arms.
“Can I ask?” I laugh at Mark and Hunter.
“The short story is, I got into some trouble in college. I was blackmailed for a crime I didn’t commit. This douche canoe wanted me to fake date the hockey captain, but joke’s on him because I was already into you.” He looks at Hunter. “I just had to catch that dick in his lies before he destroyed my life. I pretended to pretend to date you.”
“Could have just told Sawyer and me what was going on.” Hunter sips his drink.
“I was twenty! Scared out of my mind and alone. You know that thing I promised to do later tonight? Not happening now.”
“Sure thing, babe.” Mark’s eyes narrow on him. “Love you.”
“Well, Jamie and I still have the best tropes. Roommates to lovers, size difference—”
“Height or penis?” Mark flutters his eyes.
“Fuck off.” Noah’s lips purse.
“Both,” Jamie says, looping his arm around Noah’s waist as he tries to squirm out of his hold.
Noah deflates against him. Not that he was really trying that hard to run away. “We also have hurt comfort, forced proximity—”
“Noah, it’s not forced proximity if you’re the one forcing the proximity. That’s called a hostage situation.” Jamie shakes his head.
“Stockholm syndrome at it’s finest.” Noah kisses the tip of his nose. “What do Mark and Hunter really have? Sports romance. Lame.”
“Sports romances are literally your favorite sub genre,” Jamie says.
“Specifically hockey, which now that I think about it . . . the train you ran on my hockey team makes a lot more sense,” Hunter says.
“Will you guys please not bring up my shameful past in front of the love of my life?”
“That’s literally all you two do!” Hunter says to Noah and Mark.
“That’s tragedy plus time. If I don’t laugh, I will cry.” Noah leans back against Jamie’s big body. “They’re being mean to me.” Jamie hugs him tighter to his body.
“So uh, should I let Sawyer down easy?” Hunter smiles sheepishly.
