Oh.
"You two need anything else?" the guy asked.
Taylor shot Hudson a look that very clearly saidsay something, dumbass.
Hudson's brain scrambled for words that weren't embarrassing. "Uh. Yeah. No. We're good. Thanks."
"Cool. Enjoy." The guy turned to go.
"Wait," Hudson said before he could stop himself.
He stopped. "Yeah?"
Hudson had absolutely no idea what he was going to say. His brain was providing zero helpful suggestions. Taylor stared at him with an expression of delighted anticipation.
"Is it..." Hudson stopped. Tried again. "Do you work here a lot?"
Oh my god. That was the best he could do?
But the guy didn't seem to think it was stupid. He tilted his head slightly, considering. "Most nights. Why?"
"Just wondering." Heat crawled up Hudson’s neck. "It's good pizza."
"Thanks. I didn't make it, but I'll pass that along to Joe."
Taylor’s mouth dropped open. "There'sactuallya Joe?"
"There's actually a Joe. He's in the back having strong opinions about pineapple." He smirked, eyes flicking back to Hudson. "I should get back," he said, gesturing toward the counter where a line was forming. "But uh. Enjoy the pizza."
"Yeah. Thanks."
He left and Hudson stared at his pizza.
"Oh my god," Taylor said the second he was out of earshot. "You were flirting."
"I wasn't flirting."
"You were absolutely flirting. Badly, but still." Taylor grinned wide enough that Hudson wanted to throw his napkin crane at her. "Did you see the way he looked at you?"
He picked up his pizza and took a bite. His pulse hadn’t quite settled. "You're reading too much into it."
Taylor leaned forward, lowering her voice. "Okay. Scale of one to ten?"
Hudson chewed his pizza, considering. "I don't know. Seven? Eight?"
"See?" Taylor sat back, looking smug. "You are intoguys. It's not just Elliot."
Hudson took another bite of pizza, letting that sink in. Maybe she was right. The interest had been there—real and unprompted and slightly inconvenient.
"Okay," he said. "So maybe I am into guys."
"Groundbreaking."
"Shut up. I’m having a moment."
"What does it make you, hopelessly bisexual?"
Hudson snorted. "Hopelessly something."
