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And the old Vann would have The old Vann would have made work of him the second I pulled him out of that ainst a locker that first day he changed in front ofat me Old Vann has no restraint He doesn’t hold back He’s reckless as aoff his chain leash

But I don’t want to be that Vann anymore It’s that same Vann who e if I have any hope of doing right by this sexy country boy, who has inexplicably become the only person in this town I can trust

So let’s throw hi “Decided it wasn’t for me anymore”

He opens his eyes “Really?”

“Yep And you’ll do just fine For a friend Like you said, we’re partners in chemistry as well as castmates So … let’s do it”

His face brightens, relieved “Let’s do it!” A look of confusion crosses his face “Uh … do what, exactly?”

“Get to know each other” I point at his co what the hell Dread Knight is”

Toby gapes at ht? You don’t knohat—” He shifts on the bed, getting closer to ht is?? Oh, dude,out on It’s only the greatest open world roleplaying gaaender It’s super inclusive You can even have a gender-fluid character You can raise baby gorgons There’s a side quest that involves out-sassing a weredragon A spell that turns you into a crystal griffin, which you use to save a hot prince who’s been abducted by a cult of Halfling Pyroht? They use fire ic Oh, oh, and—”

I ht has Toby talking for a solid ten minutes while I kick back in the desk chair and listen To be honest, after a while, I lose track of what he’s saying, and all I see is the way his lips hts up and turns his blue eyes into beay and warmth of his smile alone could melt Antarctica How can someone so beautiful be kept hidden in a dusty, tiny corner of the world like Spruce? And even within Spruce itself, he’s tucked away into this shed, his own fa out in the yard, forgotten—a country-boy Cinderella

I want the whole world to realize they’reout on Toby I want them to knohat an incredible person I think he is—and then I want the him feel small I want Hoyt to realize Toby’s not alone and vulnerable any to have to go through me first That’s my new mission here in this town: to protect Toby, the only person whoover this boy’s pretty eyes

Even if thatmy ith those lips of his, and that sht find in those loose, shiny basketball shorts

“You get what I mean?” Toby finishes “Like, just put us out of ourout!” He blinks “Oh Am I … Did I lose you there?”

“Sounds like an aame” Some other chef has taken over on TV, a woe wooden bowl “So you’re a big gaonna dye your hair pink so online for your ?”

“Oh No, I don’t think that’s, uh … particularly lucrative I’ood I’m more of a … of a … well” He points at the wall above his computer

I look up Hanging next to the one narro in the shed is an oil painting on canvas It looks like a forest, except instead of trees, there are tall, glowing mushrooms the size of them Across the forest floor are pebbles and tiny streaht from the lustrous mushroo “Daer I look at it, the more little details I notice here and there, like a small fairy I almost missed, who hovers near the base of one of thestone “This looks like … soal wonderland”