Page 88 of Except You

“Do you want a drink? Something to eat?” Coop asks, but I just shake my head. I’m suddenly not hungry, and I don’t want to drink just in case I need to leave.

Especially if Beau changes his mind about me and wants to take off with Edward.

I need to be able to escape.

Coop eyes me for a second and then leans his chin on his open hand. “We were just talking about that time Edward and Beau?—”

“We don’t need to revisit any of that,” Beau says, and Edward chuckles.

“We don’t. It was a while ago. Coop is just trying to start shit,” Edward says, and I exhale slowly.

“He is,” Beau adds. “And it was a long time ago.”

The way he emphasizes that settles something in my chest. At least it was nothing recent. I don’t remember an Edward or an Eddie or any other E name that Beau might have thrown at me.

“Well, Beau hasn’t stopped talking about you,” Edward says and then winks at me. “Only good things, I promise.”

I nod and my eyes flick to Beau’s. He offers me a gentle smile, and I give him one back.

“Yeah,” is all I respond with. I want to tell him that Beau’s mine, that he can’t have him, but I swallow those words down. I still don’t know what Beau and I are, don’t know how to label this.

“So, is Beau really your first?” Edward asks, and Coop cracks a smile, like it’s all a big joke.

I swallow and meet Beau’s gaze. He looks a bit guilty, and I wonder how much he told them. Has he told them how nervous I am about giving a blow job? Fuck, were they making fun of me? I sigh and stand up.

“Yeah, you know what? This isn’t something I want to discuss. I’m gonna head home.”

Edward cocks his head at me as I start to turn away, and Beau stands as well, following me toward the door. His steps are quick, and he trips a bit trying to catch up to me, but I can’t slow down.

Fuck this.

Fuck Coop.

“Hey, are you upset, Max? I’m sorry about them. I swear, I didn’t say anything to Ed. It was Coop. He has a big mouth.”

He reaches out and tries to grab my arm as we make it out to the sidewalk, and I suddenly stop and turn on him. He runs into my chest, and I catch him, my fingers flexing against his arms.

“Were you making fun of me, Bow-tie?”

His mouth falls open, and he shakes his head. “Of course not. I’d never.”

I shift on my feet. “But they know that you’re my first. So you must have been talking about me.”

“I was. But honestly, I was mostly bragging about how wonderful you are.”

“Then why did Edward say that?”

“Honestly, I don’t know. He’s an asshole? Maybe he’s jealous that I’m happy? And to be fair, I thought his name was Emmanuel.”

Relief surges through me. “Fuck, Bow-tie. I can’t even be mad at you, can I?”

“No, you cannot. And I didn’t even want him to come sit with us but Coop was insistent.”

“Fuck them both then. Do you want to come back with me?” I ask, and Beau nods.

“Yeah, I really want to. Let me just go tell them I’m leaving so they don’t come looking for me.”

I nod and wait for him, as he strides back inside. A few minutes later, he’s jogging back out to me, sliding his arm through mine.