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I pressed on, nodding once. “Yeah. Even though I think you’re pretty cool, I wanted to make it clear that I’m not interested in you like that. ‘Cause, you know, I’m gay.”
“You think I’m cool?”
I suppressed a groan. After everything I’d been through, I actually totally appreciated when people acted like it was no big deal when I told them I’m gay. But I mean, that was kinda the point of this particular conversation, and she was acting like she didn’t hear that part.
“Well, yeah,” I said. “You’re always good to us here at the diner, and you even came to the hospital to check on me.” She was looking at me like I wasn’t done, so I added, “And I like your hair.”
Her eyes rounded. “You do?”
I nodded. Why did I feel like we were getting off track here?
She reached out, fingers slipping into the hair flopping over my forehead. “I like your hair too. It’s cute.”
I froze for a minute, surprised at this turn of events. The door behind us opened, a rush of frigid morning air blasting into the otherwise warm diner. I used the distraction to pull back, dislodging her fingers to glance around.
Win stepped inside. Our stares collided immediately. Then his eyes shifted to Veronica, probably still leaning over the counter toward me, and then back to me. One of his nicely shaped brows arched.
My cheeks heated, and I turned back toward Veronica. “That’s my brother.”
“I thought he was studying abroad this semester.”
Startled, I said, “How’d you know that?”
“Was it a secret? I mean, he’s like the most popular guy in the sports med program. All the girls swoon over him.”
She had a point. “He came home because of my accident.”
Her head bobbed. “He’s a good brother to you.”
“So you understand what I said, right?”Are all girls so hard to talk to? I feel bad for Ryan and Jamie.
“That you’re gay.”
I nodded, relieved she got it. “Yeah. So I’m sorry if I made you think that we could be more than friends.”
“Have you ever been with a girl?”
The question caught me off guard, and I sat back on the stool, momentarily speechless. “Ah, what?” I finally managed.
“Have you ever been with a girl?” she repeated.
I opened my mouth. Shut it. Opened it again. “I like guys.”
“Well, how do you know you don’t like girls too if you never tried?”
I coughed.This is not at all the conversation I expected to have this morning. Is she arguing with me about being gay?
I wasn’t even sure how to answer that. Following her logic, I said, “Have you ever tried with a girl?”
Her chin plopped into her hand, and the buns on her head bobbed. “Once. It wasn’t for me.”
I glanced around, hoping Win was still standing there. He was talking to someone I didn’t know. He caught me looking, and I sent him adear God, please help melook.
Turning back to Veronica I said, “Girls aren’t for me either. At least like that. So, ah, friends?”
As she straightened off the counter, her stare went behind me where my brother approached.
“Who’s your friend, Wes?” he asked.
