Chapter Eighteen
Harry stopped him outside Bio. “Trivia tonight?”
“Maybe,” Bryce said.
“You always say that.”
“I might show.”
“Bring Sage. It’ll be fun.”
“I’ll text you,” Bryce told Harry.
He cut across the quad to meet Sage, who was leaving engineering as Bryce hit the steps. “Trivia?” Bryce asked when they began walking together.
“Do you want to?” Sage asked.
Bryce shrugged. “Only if you do.”
“Okay,” Sage said. “One hour, then we go home.”
The student bar was loud but not packed when they got there. Tara had grabbed a table near the back where it wasn’t as loud. Harry waved them over. Dan looked like he wanted to say something but kept his mouth shut instead.
“You made it,” Tara shouted.
“For one hour,” Sage told her
“Don’t be like that,” Tara said, and handed him a pen. “You’re on the tech questions. Bryce, science. Harry, random. Dan, shut up.”
“Harsh,” Dan said, but he did smile at her.
Round one was easy. State capitals and a picture of a famous bridge.
Dan tried to whisper answers and got shushed by Tara every time.
Sage didn’t talk much. He concentrated on the questions and on writing his answers.
Bryce gave him the science sheet for the second round and let him run the math on the chemistry questions.
Feeling his phone buzz, Bryce checked it.
Mom: call when you can. love you.
The next round had a circuits question no one else at the table even tried.
Sage circled the right answer and slid it back like he hadn’t done anything special.
Bryce touched his ankle under the table and left it there.
The last question was a list. Tara took it.
In the end, they finished third. The prize for third was a coupon for fries, which Dan tried to trade for a shot and got nowhere.
“Good game,” Ben said to Sage as they pulled on coats.
“Not too bad,” Sage said.
Harry looked between them. “You two good?”
“We’re good,” Bryce said.
“Cool,” Harry said and headed for the bar.
Tara bumped Bryce’s shoulder. “Thanks for keeping Dan in check,” she said to Sage.
“I didn’t do anything.”
“You existed near him,” she said. “It helped.”
They stepped outside and began the walk home. Wind gusted around them, and Bryce pulled his coat tighter around him. The street had the usual Friday noise. Laughter, cars, a siren far off and not coming closer.
“You going to call her?” Sage asked. “Your mom?”
“Yeah,” Bryce said. “When we get home and I’ve warmed up.”
“You want privacy?”
“I don’t need it,” Bryce said.
As they reached a corner, Bryce stopped. He wasn’t nervous. He was sure. He looked at Sage and said what he meant. “This is real,” he said. “You’re my person.”
Sage blinked once. “Okay.”
“If you don’t like the word, pick another.”
“No,” Sage said. “That works. I like being your person.”
Bryce stood there for a second, watching Sage. He licked his lips and then said, “I love you.”
Sage checked his face as if he were making sure. Bryce held his eyes, hoping Sage could see he was telling the truth.
Sage smiled. “I love you too.”
“Okay.” Bryce let out a breath and felt his chest loosen. “I wasn’t sure if I should say anything. It’s soon.”
“Not really. We’ve known each other for years.” Sage shrugged. “It’s been there between us. Just waiting.”
Sage lifted his hand, and Bryce took it. They walked the rest of the way home. When they got inside,. Bryce put his phone on the counter and faced Sage.
“Hungry?” Sage asked.
“Not really.”
“Coffee?”
“Yeah.”
As Sage made their coffee, Bryce watched him. Again, he was struck by the fact that he’d never realized his attraction to Sage or his growing emotions. Now that things had changed between them, Bryce knew he’d been falling for Sage for a long time.
“You okay?” Sage asked.
“I am now,” Bryce said. “I was before. I’m more now.”
Sage’s mouth tugged. He got two mugs down and set them side by side. “Call your mom,” he said. “I’ll finish making the coffee.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah. Do it now. You’ll stare at the phone if you don’t.”
Bryce nodded and picked it up. He walked into his room and sat on the edge of the bed. He hit the call icon. She picked up on the second ring. “Hey, honey.”
“Hey.”
“You sound good. How’s your week?”
“Busy. Lab didn’t kill me.”
“Good. Are you eating real food?”
“Sometimes.” He took a breath. “I need to tell you something about Sage.”
She was quiet for a beat. “Okay.”
“We’re together,” he said. “It’s new.”
His mom paused before asking, “Are you happy?”
“Yeah.”
“Good,” she said, and he could hear her smile. “Do you want me to tell your dad, or will you?”
“I will tomorrow.”
“He’ll be fine.” There was a small pause, then, “Are you two being careful?”
“We are. We talk about what’s happening.”
“Good. I love you.”
“I love you too.”
“Put Sage on sometime. There’s no rush.”
“I will.”
They talked about class schedules for a few more minutes. She told him about the neighbor’s new dog. He told her about Dan’s playlist and Tara’s trivia rules. She laughed in the right places. He didn’t rush off the call, enjoying catching up with what had been happening at home.
When he walked back out, Sage was on the couch with two mugs on the table and the throw over his legs. “How was it?” Sage asked when Bryce sat down next to him.
“Good,” Bryce said. “She’s fine. I’ll call my dad tomorrow.”
“Okay.”
Bryce sat and took his mug. He blew on it and took a careful sip.
“You told her?” Sage asked.
“Yeah.”
“What did you say?”
“That I’m seeing someone,” Bryce said. “That it’s you.”
Sage looked at him for a long second and nodded once. “Do you want to go to the store tomorrow?” Sage asked. “We need coffee.”
“Yeah,” Bryce said. “Paper towels. Batteries for the remote.”
“Fruit,” Sage said. “Gage thinks we live on noodles. I’d like to prove him wrong for one day.”
“We can do vegetables,” Bryce said. “Against my will.”
“You’ll live longer, and I kind of want that.”
Bryce smiled and leaned over to kiss him. “Fine. I’ll eat my veggies.”
They finished the coffee and put the mugs in the sink.
Bryce hooked two fingers in the edge of Sage’s hoodie and pulled him in.
Sage went, tilting his face up for Bryce’s kiss.
Bryce groaned as he pulled Sage close and licked across his lips before slipping between Sage’s parted lips.
The kiss deepened, tongues sliding, touching.
Bryce moved them until Sage’s back hit the wall.
Sage broke for air and set his palm on Bryce’s chest. “Bed?” he asked.
“Yeah,” Bryce agreed.