Yeah, a loser who’s gonna run circles around you tomorrow.
Probably, bro. Love ya anyway.
Jordan didn’t love him. He knew Jordan barely tolerated him. But it still felt better that they’d managed to move on from,you’re such a fucking loser.
Nate gave that last text a thumbs-up, his heart beating a little faster at how reminiscent that felt of how Ramsey had responded to him, and stood.
He had two hours to get home, clean up a little, order takeout, and get his shit together so that Ramsey wouldn’t catch him unawares.
Chapter 7
Ithadfeltliketwo hours was plenty of time, but Nate felt like it sped by. He’d just managed to pull on a T-shirt after his shower when the doorbell rang.
“Aw,” Ramsey cooed the moment Nate opened the door, “you left a message with the concierge that I was your new boyfriend.”
Nate spluttered. He had most definitelynotused the word boyfriend to describe Ramsey’s position in his life. Dating, sure, but notboyfriend.
They weren’t doing that, fake or otherwise. Ramsey had specifically saidcasual datinglast night and Nate had agreed.
“That isn’t what I told him,” Nate said, ushering Ramsey inside.
But Ramsey only shrugged, like he was unconcerned that before this moment, he’d probably never slept with the same person twice and now he was rolling with being someone’s boyfriend.
Specificallyhisboyfriend.
Nate searched for something to say but his mind was blank. Extra, super-duper blank.
Those two words, put together, and the fact Ramsey was back in his apartment after the last two months was short-circuiting his brain. A thrill kept spinning through him at the thought, and he kept having to push it aside.
Ramsey walked right in, skirting past the doorway to the bedroom and into the living room with its jerseys on the walls.
The jerseys that had tipped Ramsey off to who he was back in June.
Nate tried not to tense as Ramsey gazed at the Thunder jersey under its glass. He was sure he was going to say something about it. Some casual, defusing-the-tension sort of remark that didn’t make light of that night but somehow managed to reduce its importance.
But Ramsey didn’t. He didn’t say anything at all. He just turned away from it, finally. “So, what’s this about you feeding me?” he asked instead.
Nate didn’t know what to do with that. He’d been so sure he knew what direction Ramsey was going to take, and now that he hadn’t, he felt extra flustered.
Whyhadn’tRamsey said anything about it? He’d looked right at it. They both knew he had.
“Uh yeah, sure. I was going to wait to order until I knew what you were interested in.”
“Asian’s always a safe bet,” Ramsey said lightly. “Sushi? Chinese? Thai?”
That was how they ended up leaning together over the kitchen island, staring at Nate’s phone as Ramsey experienced zero qualms in clicking any kind of sushi he thought sounded good.
“Are you really gonna eat all that?” Nate questioned as he added another roll to the cart.
Ramsey shot him a faux-wounded look. “Are you doubting me?”
“Yes. Always,” Nate retorted dryly.
“I’m gonna remember you being a shitty date,” Ramsey said, grinning. “Being cheap. Questioning my food choices.”
“You don’t even know what a shitty date is. You’ve never even been on one.”
“But I still know what a good date is. I’ve watched the Hallmark channel and both my best friends remind me every fucking day what romance is.”
