Chapter 14

I couldn't say who was more surprised, Zach or Albert. Albert's eyes widened and he kicked me under the table. Zach just stared at me in shock. Before he could say anything, our server came by with our food order. Zach got a bacon cheeseburger, and Albert and I got fries and onion rings to split.

Zach barely acknowledged the arrival of his meal but waited until the server left before speaking. "You have a roommate."

"He's moving out, remember?" I responded. I transferred half my fries onto an extra plate. Albert put half his onion rings on my plate and took the other plate with half the fries.

"No, I completely forgot about that." He ran his fingers through his short, dark hair. "Are you sure that's something you want? I babysit Cody about once a week, and he sometimes stays overnight."

I stayed silent for a moment, waiting to see if he would add something else to the list. When he didn't, I asked, "Is that it?"

"Well, yeah," he replied.

"Do you throw wild parties and wreck your apartment?"

He looked at me like I'd lost my mind. "Of course not."

"So, what's the problem?" I asked.

He shook his head. "There's no problem other than you might not like living with me. I'm…" He stopped and looked down at his still-uneaten food.

I had a feeling I knew where this was going. "You're…?"

"I get…really dirty at work. It's a lot to keep everything clean, you know?" He looked up at me and his expression was bleak. I swear, I wanted just five minutes alone with the person or people who made him feel this way about himself.

Before I could say anything, Albert spoke up. "Honey, you work for a living. You get dirty. So what? It's not like you roll around in grease for fun." He paused and eyed Zach. "You don't, do you?"

Zach snort-laughed. "No."

Albert crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair. "Then there shouldn't be any problem."

I watched Zach carefully. The last thing I wanted was to try to force something on him that he didn't want. "Zach, it's okay to tell me you don't want to live with me. I won't be offended."

Zach shook his head vehemently. "It's not that at all. I think living with you would be awesome. You're a lot of fun to hang out with."

Not gonna lie. I felt the warmth of that statement to my toes. I heard Albert snicker quietly, so I knew I must have been blushing. I nudged my bestie's foot with mine and gave him the side eye. "Then what's the hesitation about?"

His eyes flicked down again before he looked over at me. "I guess I don't want you to get tired of being around me."

I may have growled a little. "Listen here, Zachary Kelley," I began.

Albert chimed in, "Oooh, he full-named you."

I rolled my eyes. "Zach, I like you. You're one of the nicest people I know. You're interesting, knowledgeable, patient. I could go on and on. What I mean is I'm really glad I've gotten to know you better. I'm sure you'll make an excellent roommate. So, what do you say?"

Zach's cheeks were pink. I guessed he wasn't used to hearing compliments. He smiled shyly. "Okay. But I do need to know what the rent is."

I smacked my forehead. "Duh. I imagine that would be helpful. It would be half of eighteen hundred plus half of the utilities and internet."

He blinked. "Wow. That will actually be less than I'm paying right now."

"How much are you paying right now?" I asked.

"Twelve hundred plus utilities." He shrugged. "Which isn't bad considering what rents are nowadays."

"No kidding. A friend of mine just had their rent jump to twenty-five hundred from twenty-two hundred," Albert said.

"Whoa," Zach whispered.

"Okay," I said. "My lease is up at the end of June, but I'd bet money Dwayne wouldn't mind moving out early if you take over his rent payments."

Zach nodded. "Sounds good. I'm guessing they're not going to complain about me breaking the lease since they were trying to get me out by the fifteenth."

"I'm guessing that fancy lawyer will keep them in line," Albert commented.

Zach shook his head and took a bite of his burger. After he swallowed, he said, "I still can't believe he would just offer his services for free like that."

I took a sip of my beer. "Like Liam said, it's family. He's dating Marco. Marco decided you were his friend. Friends are family."

"I have a feeling I'll have to get used to a lot more people caring about what happens to me," Zach said.

"You're damn right," I said. "It's about time someone looked after you."

Zach smiled and ducked his head. "Thank you."

Our conversation turned to lighter topics as we finished our food and ordered a second round of drinks. We listened to the piano player and sang along with the songs we knew. Zach playfully complained about being unable to get away from climbing stairs to his apartment since my apartment was also on the second floor.

"It's good for my legs," I said.

"Definitely," Zach commented. Then he froze and his cheeks turned beet red.

Albert and I glanced at each other. My best friend raised his brows as if to say, "I told you so." I let it go because I didn't want to embarrass Zach, especially if he was questioning.

We got back to the parking lot of Moonlight Inn with full bellies and a loose plan for Zach to move in at the beginning of May if Dwayne agreed to it. I was pretty sure he would, seeing as he spent most nights at Jason's place already.

After we said our goodbyes to Albert, Zach pulled me into his arms and hugged me for a long time. "Thank you," he said, his voice husky. "It's been a long time since I've had a friend I could count on."

I squeezed him back. "You're welcome anytime. I'm glad I was able to help."

He drew back a little. "You did more than help. You rallied the damn troops. I should start calling you Little General."

I shoved playfully at his chest. "Hey! Who are you calling little?"

Zach just looked down at me from his six-foot-plus height with a raised eyebrow. "If the tape measure fits…"

I fake-pouted at him. "Small but mighty."

"So true." He squeezed me once more, then let me go. "I'm going to head home. I'm pretty beat after this weekend and getting that letter first thing this morning. But I want to take you to dinner on Friday to thank you for helping me."

"You don't have to do that," I said.

"I know. I want to," he replied.

"Okay. I get off at seven on Friday."

"Okay. I'll pick you up at your place around seven-thirty. Or is that too early?"

I thought about it. "Better make it eight. I'll need time to shower and change so I can look pretty."

"You always look pretty," Zach said. And then he blushed—again.

"All these compliments are going to go to my head," I teased.

"Sorry." He jerked his thumb toward his car. "I should go get some sleep. I'll see you Friday."

I watched him drive away, my head full of conflicting thoughts. It was becoming evident that Zach was questioning his sexuality, and it seemed like he was attracted to me. At the same time, it was equally apparent he was confused and maybe even scared of his feelings. I'd been there before, and it had ended badly for me. I didn't want to be the person someone tried out their sexuality on ever again. But I really liked Zach and knew he wouldn't purposely hurt me. The question was, would he know he was hurting me?

I dropped my head back and let out a groan of frustration. Why did I have to be a masochist? My phone rang with a call, and I knew without looking it would be Albert checking up on me.

"I haven't even left the parking lot yet," I said without preamble.

There was a beat of silence before he said, "Somebody's peevish this evening."

"Al, please. I can't with this right now."

"Then why on earth did you invite him to move in with you?"

I huffed out a frustrated breath. "Because he needed my help. I know what rent is like around here. He wouldn't have been able to get an affordable apartment anywhere near where he works."

"And why is that your problem?" he asked.

"Because he's my friend," I ground out. "I would have done the same thing for you, and you know it."

He softened his voice. "I know you would. I'm just worried about you. You have it bad for Zach, and he's oblivious. I'm still not getting a good read on him. You could get really hurt, and then you'd have to live with him at least until the lease is up."

"I'm aware of the risks," I said. I let out a resigned sigh. "I'll get back on the dating apps after Easter. Will that make you happy?"

"It's not about making me happy, Miguel. It's about you protecting yourself. The world is full of gay men pining after straight men. It doesn't usually end with a happily ever after."

"I know. I know." I rubbed my eyes. It wasn't even five o'clock, and I was already dragging. "I'm going to go home, get takeout, and watch movies until I pass out."

"We just ate," he said. "How can you be hungry again?"

"I'm not yet. I'll get takeout later. I just want to curl up on my couch and not think for a while."

"Well, you go and do that. I have a show to plan. Thanks again for getting me the connection to Moonlight. It might just be the break I'm looking for."

"You're welcome. I hope it is. I know how hard you work." I unlocked my car and got in. "I'm pretty sure Jeremy Fitzgerald will be inviting his fancy New York friends. You're so talented. They'll fall in love with you right away."

"Thank you, darling. You're the best. Have a good night."

"You too," I said. As I drove back to my apartment, I couldn't help but wonder if I'd made a mistake by inviting Zach to move in with me. Only time would tell.