“What do you call this?”
“An intervention?”
I scoffed. “That’s extreme.”
“You’re right. It’s not an intervention,” Branson said. “This is your life. You make your own choices. I’m just concerned.”
“What’s the problem?” Bolton asked. “They like each other. They hooked up. That’s good news, isn’t it?”
Branson turned to me. “Is it, Bryson?”
“Of course it is. I mean, he wants to keep it casual. He was upfront about that. He’s not a relationship guy.”
“Why not?” Bolton asked.
Good question. “Um. I don’t really know. When we met through Matchmaking Mamas?—”
“Wait, wait, wait,” Bolton said. “You met on a matchmaking app?”
“It’s not an app,” Branson said. “These wacky old ladies in town run around playing matchmaker. They zeroed in on Bryson like a week after we got here. Had himfill out a profile and all. Then they matched him with Silas.”
“Wow. That’s a lot to take in,” Bolton said. “You’re letting some old ladies run your gay love life.”
“I’m bi. I put that on the profile. My first date was set up with Silas, though, and he was perfect, so…”
“Perfect? You do have it bad.”
Branson nodded. “Yep. He’s head over heels. Therein lies the problem.”
“There’s no problem,” I said. “Would I be happy if Silas decided tomorrow he wanted to get serious? Hell yeah. Do I want a chance to find out what it’s like to be his boyfriend? You both know I’m a hopeless romantic. So, yes, of course I do. But Silas has been honest with me from the start.”
“Then why was he doing this matchmaking thing?” Bolton asked. “Isn’t the point of that dating, not hookups? The dude could just get on Grindr for sex.”
“One of the Matchmaking Mamas is his great-aunt,” Branson volunteered. “She harassed him into participating.”
I stared at my twin. “How do you know all that?”
“He told Caitlyn after everything went down.”
“Huh.”
“Have you even asked himwhyhe doesn’t want to have a relationship?” Bolton asked.
“Well, he said it was because of the wedding at first, like not mixing business and pleasure?—”
“That ship has sailed,” Branson said.
I nodded. “I got the feeling it was more than that. I was so focused on reassuring him that I never thought to ask.” I raked my hands through my still-damp hair. “Fuck. I should have respected his boundaries. I just had to go and fucking push.”
“Push?” Bolton sounded alarmed.
“Not like— It was totally consensual, I promise. He wasinto me, too. He just doesn’t want to be. Or he’s afraid of something real. I don’t know.”
“Well, maybe you should find out,” Branson said. “If you’re going to be with Silas on his terms, don’t you at least want to know why you’re doing it?”
“Yeah. I guess you’re right.”
“Jesus, and I thought dating men was supposed to be easier than dating women!” Bolton said.
