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And despite all my demands and best intentions, both our love-drunk eyes rock back as we empty ourselves

I collapse on h, utterly spent

The pair of us breathe heavily, our sweaty heads side-by-side My chin rests over his shoulder, and his face is tucked into the nape of my neck like it was made to fit there Our tired bodies are embraced in each other’s arotten, quickly cooling, while sweat drips from our brows

We don’t est while

We just listen to each other breathe in the wholesome, safe, beautiful silence of my bedroom

“I’m all yours,” I tell him, my voice muffled by the sheets

“Jimmy …”

“Every part ofit to words? “Every single part of s to you”

His hand finds ently rub “Jimmy We’re more—”

“What?”

“We’remy ear now “More than buddies We crossed a line”

Lying on hi, one body, one breath and mouth and set of ears “Yeah?”

“I want you to …” He takes a breath “… to be my boyfriend”

The word isn’t strange when used to describe me I’ve been many people’s boyfriends

But I’ve never had one myself

“I want you to be—” I start

“Yeah?”

I lift et a look at his face

Bobby’s starry, sparkly brown eyes meet mine, curious and excited for the rest of my sentence

I run a few fingers over his forehead, drawing some of his unruly strands of hair aside Then, to that precious face, I say: “I want you to be my dance partner for the Spruce Ball”

To that, Bobby Parker’s face freezes

He sure as hell wasn’t expecting that

20

JIMMY

I’m not sure how it happened

Or when

Or why

Or for what greater, unknowable purpose

But Bobby Parker and I are now in love, and he’s officially my boyfriend in every sense of the word

Except for the whole telling-people-about-it thing, because it ain’t no one’s damned business, quite frankly What we have is so precious and special, I think even Bobby agrees that letting it out into the world is asking for Spruce to co else

We don’t want to be the next Billy and Tanner