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“I do not.”
“You do too.”
“Why do I keep arguing with you?” But I couldn’t seem able to stop myself.
“Don’t be too hard on yourself. Many men have tried to deny my charm, but it’s basically impossible.”
I glanced his way, and he threw me a wink, which made me roll my eyes.
I went into the bathroom, relieved my bladder, washed my hands, and then brushed my teeth. Corbin was looking at his phone when I came back into the room. He immediately exited out of whatever he was doing. Social media, probably.
“You can use that toothbrush again or anything you need.”
He could also go home. He lives right next door.
But Corbin just said, “Okay,” so I told him to meet me in the kitchen when he was done.
This behavior one hundred percent wasn’t me, but I didn’t let myself dwell on it because it felt good to be there for him. While I didn’t wish another night on him like he’d had last night, something about being the person he had chosen to go to made me feel…proud? I wasn’t sure that was the right word, but it sure as shit made me feel something.
I was whipping up eggs in a bowl when Corbin came into the kitchen, wearing his shirt and shoes again. “What are we having?”
“Do you really not have a hangover?”
“Nope. I’m good, huh?” He pumped his brows dramatically.
“You’re something all right.” I nodded toward the fridge. “Wanna hand me the ham steak?”
“Sure.” Corbin grabbed it, and while I put it on the stove and started the eggs, he asked about coffee and then made a pot. When it started to brew, he put bread in the toaster, and a few minutes later, I was sitting at the breakfast bar with Corbin, eating and drinking.
He scooped a bite of eggs into his mouth, his portions a bit smaller than mine, but he seemed to be eating fine. Maybe it was more disordered eating, after all, like he’d said.
“Did you sleep okay?” Corbin asked.
“I had a wiggle worm in my bed, but it was fine.”
He wrinkled his nose cutely. “I’m not a wiggle worm.”
“Have you slept with you?” I asked, and when his brows drew together, I conceded, “Okay, dumb question. Yes, I slept well.”
“It was okay. You’re a little clingy, but I made it work,” he replied, and I playfully swatted his arm.
“Fucker.”
Corbin chuckled before asking, “Do you like your job?”
“I do. It’s hard. There are so many things I want to be able to do that we don’t have the money or resources for, but I’m proud of what we accomplish. I love seeing people feel welcome, the growth in some of the youth, or empowering people when it comes to their sexual health, or just seeing people enjoying themselves at events we plan. I feel lucky that I get to be a part of it.”
“Wow…I think you’re a nice guy, Spence.”
“Spence?”
“Just testing it out.”
I nodded before eating some of my toast. “What about you?”
“I fucking love it. The human body really is amazing. I kinda got obsessed with the body when I lost all my weight. Not in a shaming type of way, but as I became more comfortable in my skin, I tried doing more things and saw more things my body could accomplish. This has nothing to do with size, but I figured out how to control myself and strengthen certain muscles so I wasn’t that same clumsy kid. I wanted to help people learn how to work with their bodies, ease their aches and pains. It’s cool.” For the first time, I saw Corbin blush. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to ramble.”
“You don’t have anything to apologize for. You help people. That’s an amazing thing to be passionate about.”
Corbin sent a knockout smile my direction that looked like the definition of happiness.
As we finished eating, we talked about random things and what we expected for our day, before he said, “So…I think we’re friends.”
“Do you?” I questioned, even though I agreed with him. I shouldn’t be surprised. The first night we’d met, I’d almost immediately wanted to be friends with Corbin.
“The signs are there. You really like me. I can tell.”
A chuckle fell from my lips. “Oh, can you?”
“Yep. Luckily for you, the feeling is mutual.”
“Thank God. I would have been heartbroken had it not been.”
“Because you like me so much. You basically just admitted it.”
“That’s not what I did,” I argued, even if I basically had, despite my words having been playful.
Corbin nodded, then surprised me by asking, “Do you have any plans to do the boyfriend thing?”
I sucked air into my lungs, then choked on it, coughing wildly. Corbin laughed so hard, he nearly fell off the stool before patting my back like I was a child.
“Settle down. I’m not asking you to be my boyfriend. We just decided we’re friends, and I’d like that. I think we’re maybe supposed to be friends, otherwise how else would we have met at a college party and then reconnected when you stalked me and moved in next door?”
