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Heat rushes to my face and I stand so quickly s Four sets of curious eyes swing ina beeline for the bathroom

“Millie?” Reid calls after me “You okay?”

“Gotta pee!” I shout overuntil I’m safely inside the bathrooh when confronted with one of the dozen roosters we’ve given Chris over the past two years But now? Not so iant rooster painting at Ed’s ave it to him on the spot—so of course every birthday, Valentine’s day, and Christmas present since has been soht of one of ot him for his last birthday—only makes me think of the cock joke, which e of Reid naked, in my bed, on top of me

Hands on the counter, I lean in to examine my reflection and, okayit could be better My cheeks are flushed, ed in a dark sers wrapped around the headboard—

With the faucet on as high as it will go, I clean up and splash cold water onout the haze so I can think

It’s not that I find Reid unappealing in a sexual way—he’s gorgeous and brilliant and hysterical—but he’s alsoan eency root canal and dressed up as Kylo Ren ent to see The Last Jedi on uys, but for whatever reason, it’s different with Reid Not that kind of different, butcloser Maybe it’s because he always knows to find me in the true crime section of the bookstore Maybe it’s because he has a level of intuition that I’ve never known in a friend before Maybe it’s because we can be quiet together, and it’s never weird

I squeeze my eyes shut; it’s hard to have an existential crisis when you’re drunk Part of me thinks I should head to the nearest exit, but the other part thinks we should justhug it out

There’s a knock at the door and I step back just far enough to open it a crack It’s Reid, looking sweetly disheveled with a dish towel still slung over his shoulder

God da I lookokay?” he asks

“Totally” I lean against the doorframe in an atte my face within inches of his, which somehow ht through ret what I’ve said, he’s laughing Why does he always laugh at my dumb jokes?

“Ed and Alex are headed out,” he says quietly “You can’t drive Can I take you hoht if I didn’t hiccup i to drive”

He tilts his head and a piece of soft brown hair falls forward, curling over his forehead My brain i It Out

“Come on,” he says “You can control the radio on the way”

It’s sunny and perfect in Santa Barbara at least three hundred days a year We get , and as we drive down Highway 1 aton the radio—it sht?” I ask, rolling my head to see him It takes a few seconds for my eyes to refocus The inside of the car is dark, his profile in shadow

“I did”

“Does it feel different?”

He turns to ht fro you can only be fired for incoross ain?”

“Sexual harass it sound like a dare” He reaches for my hand where it sits on the console between us and squeezes ers “You cold? I can turn on the seat warood,” I say, but he keeps hold of ers anyway “Maybe with less time in the lab and more in the classroom, you can cut back a little Have more time to yourself”

“To do what? Play pinball with Ed?”

“I don’t know,” I say, “explore new hobbies, find yourself, date You work too rins adorably “Why would I need a date when I already have you for the banquet?”

I roll eneral sense”