Chapter 3
ZACH
Miles was temptation personified. Besides being tall, muscular, and ridiculously handsome, he was generous with physical touch.
As he filled up the drawer with his haphazardly folded tees, flannel shirts, and jeans, he kept absent-mindedly touching Zach whenever they were close.
Which, in a studio apartment, was most of the time.
Every time they brushed against each other, Miles’s hand ghosted over his upper back or his bicep, making Zach’s heart beat faster.
It was the best kind of torture.
He could have told Miles to dial it down, could have drawn a line years ago—Miles had been a tiny ball of affection even as a kid, throwing an arm around his siblings, hugging his friends, and generally ignoring his father’s grumbling about how men should behave—but he’d always remained silent.
These casual touches were the closest he could be to Miles, and he clung to them, knowing they would never be enough.
He’d rather suffer through a thousand embraces that left him yearning for more than not have Miles’s touch at all.
That theory was put to the test immediately as Miles draped an arm around his shoulders. “All done,” Miles murmured and sniffed his hair, making his skin tingle. “You smell good. What is that, a new shampoo?”
“It’s just my regular soap.” Zach squirmed in Miles’s hold. He was at serious risk of getting an erection that would be hard to hide and harder to explain.
Miles hummed and tightened his grip. He was so much taller and broader than Zach that pressing against him was like being cocooned in a blanket of safety and warmth.
“I guess I’m going to smell like you now since I didn’t bring any of my own,” Miles joked.
The mental image of him in Zach’s shower, naked and wet, was too much to handle. Zach gently extricated himself from Miles’s hold and scurried over to the now-empty suitcase.
“You didn’t bring much stuff. How long are you staying?
” Zach asked, dropping to the floor to inspect the space under the bed that served as storage.
It was half-full of boxes, some of them containing sensitive items he definitely didn’t want Miles to stumble onto by accident.
He pushed the black plastic tote with his toys to the center of the bed, shoving it as deep as possible, before sliding the suitcase in.
Miles was curiously quiet throughout the entire round of underbed Tetris, a shy smile playing on his face when Zach reemerged. For all of Miles’s intimidating size, he was a true teddy bear—soft, gentle, and considerate. Judging by his expression, he was about to say something adorable.
“That depends.”
“Huh?” Zach had already forgotten what he’d asked, distracted by the sudden bloom of color on Miles’s cheeks.
“Depends on how long you want me to stay.” Miles shrugged, putting his hands in his pockets. “I wanna stay all summer, but if you have other plans, I can leave whenever.”
Zach grinned, his smile so wide he was sure it showed off his wisdom teeth.
He stood slowly, taking a moment to dust off his knees and collect himself before responding.
“You’re welcome here for as long as you want.
I have classes, so I won’t be around all the time, but there’s plenty to do in the city. ”
“You sure?” Miles asked, his voice filled with a hopeful tone. “I won’t mess up your summer plans?”
He was dancing around something, putting a strange weight on summer plans. As far as Zach was concerned, his only plans for the summer included studying and hopefully getting outside every once in a while to enjoy the sun. Which was exactly what he told Miles.
Miles nodded and bit his lower lip, clearly not convinced.
His piercing sky-blue eyes darted back and forth between Zach and the floor.
“I know you lied about why you stayed,” he finally said.
“You don’t need the credits to graduate.
I assumed it was your family, but now I realize it could be…
something else.” Miles shifted from foot to foot. “Is it… Do you have a boyfriend?”
Zach snorted in amusement. “Shit, Miles, I thought you were going to say something serious.” He shook his head. “I don’t, nor have I ever had a boyfriend.”
Miles’s eyes widened. “Never?”
“I’ve had hookups,” Zach clarified. “But I’ve never dated anyone.”
Despite being best friends, this was one topic of conversation that never came up.
Even after he came out to Miles last summer, tired of lying about such an important part of himself, he never shared any details.
Miles hadn’t asked any questions, and Zach didn’t feel the need to volunteer any information.
Mostly because his love life consisted of nothing but meaningless flings and failed attempts to fall out of love with his best friend.
Which, incidentally, was the same reason Zach didn’t take the initiative to ask about Miles’s exploits.
Their frequent conversations included every topic under the sun, and Zach could easily name all of Miles’s classes, professors, and favorite cafeteria food, but he had no idea if Miles had a girlfriend.
He didn’t want to know.
“Why did you stay here?” Miles asked.
Zach wouldn’t insult him by continuing to pretend it was about classes, so he went with a half-truth.
“Didn’t really want to see my family.” He shrugged and changed the subject. “Should we get an early dinner? You must be starving.”
Miles nodded enthusiastically, and Zach was grateful he didn’t push. The topic of his family would definitely come up again, but he was safe for now.
They walked five blocks to Zach’s favorite hole-in-the-wall taco joint and grabbed a corner table. Miles bounced with excitement, carefully studying the flimsy paper menu as if it held the secrets of the universe.
“There’s too many choices,” he complained without looking up.
Zach grinned and waited until the server was at their table, then ordered the large sharing platter, immediately rewarded with Miles’s grateful smile.
It was the least he could do, and he planned on doing much more.
Miles was here, on his turf, and Zach couldn’t wait to share everything he loved about Portland with his best friend.
Partly because he felt the need to show Miles how amazing the city could be, to justify his desire to stay, but the main reason came from a much purer place.
For as long as he could remember, he’d always wanted to share everything good in his life with Miles.
After working their way through the pile of tacos while chatting about Miles’s family and life at the Carter farm, Zach leaned back in the rickety chair and checked the time.
“You gotta go home and study?” Miles asked, not missing the gesture.
Zach grimaced. He wished he could spend all his time with Miles, but he couldn’t drop the classes without losing his scholarship. “Yeah, I’ve got a ton of reading for Monday.”
Miles nodded, picking up the last taco and offering it to Zach. When Zach shook his head, Miles bit into it with gusto.
“I can make you a list of stuff to check out in the city,” Zach offered apologetically. “Touristy stuff or clubs, whatever you’re in the mood for.”
Miles stopped chewing. “What are you talking about?”
“Well, I stay in most nights to do homework, so I can’t tag along, but there’s plenty of places you can go on your own. You got Lyft or Uber on your phone, right? I don’t want you getting lost on a bus.”
“Zee.” Miles wiped his fingers on a napkin before reaching over to cover Zach’s hand with his own. “I’m here to see you. I don’t give a shit what fun places I could visit. I’d much rather sit quietly on your couch and watch you study.”
Sometimes Zach hated how open and guileless Miles was, how he said the absolute sweetest things without realizing their impact.
“Well, then you’re in for quite a treat.” He squeezed Miles’s fingers and got up to order some tacos to go.