Page 77 of Zero Confusion

He shifted closer, not crowding Zach, just enough that their knees bumped. After hesitating for a second, he reached up, brushing his thumb lightly along Zach’s cheek.

“Hey,” he said, quieter now. “It’s not like that.”

Zach frowned, still tense. “Then what is it like?”

Miles let out a small breath, his lips quirking like he was trying not to smile again. “Let me start over. Hey Zach, I have good news. Max is getting married to the love of his life. You might know him. His name is Ray.”

If the sight of Miles leaning against his door was akin to a record scratch, this news took the entire stereo system and set it on fire.

Chapter 28

MILES

Miles had spent the entire trip rehearsing their reunion—everything from dropping to his knees and begging Zach for his hand in marriage to playing it cool and letting Zach set the tone. Instead, all he’d managed to do was freak Zach out.

In his defense, he was operating on half a brain. The moment he laid eyes on Zach in the stairwell, all common sense had departed his body, leaving behind nothing but a large neon sign that flashed Mine over and over. Frankly, it was a miracle he was still able to carry on a conversation instead of scooping Zach up into his arms and carrying him off to the nearest cave.

He still planned on doing that. After Zach calmed down.

“Are they eloping? Did Max leave the farm?” Zach’s voice was thin but less frantic.

Miles reached out to thread his fingers through Zach’s, relieved to encounter no resistance. He needed to tell Zach everything without dragging it out, but it was difficult, his mind getting sidetracked by how kissable Zach’s lips looked as they pursed in concern.

Reluctantly, he dragged his gaze away and answered the question. “No. They’re getting married at the farm.”

Zach’s eyes widened, gorgeous pools of gray threatening to swallow him, and it took all his willpower to keep from leaning in and pressing their mouths together.

“Miles, I don’t get it,” Zach whispered. “What happened? Last time I talked to Raymond, he was committed to a lifetime of sneaking around and being miserable. A public marriage was not on his bingo card.”

“Yeah, I know—I’m getting there. Stop getting me sidetracked.”

“How am I getting you sidetracked?” Zach’s voice shot up with indignation. “I’m trying to understand! You show up out of nowhere, tell me the star-crossed lovers are getting their unlikely happily ever after, and I’m doing my best to keep up.”

Miles lifted Zach’s hand and kissed his knuckles before responding. “You don’t have to do anything to be distracting. You just…are.”

“Then close your eyes and tell me what’s going on before I lose my mind,” Zach snarked, that lovely spark of energy returning to his glistening eyes. Miles would do anything to keep that spark alive, to feed it every day, to wake up to Zach’s soft touches and groggy sarcasm. He didn’t say any of that out loud. Not yet. Zach was still waiting for him to explain why he was there, and his patience seemed to be wavering.

“Max and Ray are planning their perfect August wedding—their words, not mine. I’m Max’s best man, obviously, and Ray wants you to be his. But,” he tutted, “you keep blocking everyone’s calls, so they had me come ask you in person. And warned me not to take no for an answer.”

“What?” Zach threw his hands up in the air. “Why? I barely even know him! Why would he want me up there?”

“Well, he doesn’t have any family around, and since you were sort of instrumental to the whole wedding thing, he figured—”

“Miles,” Zach said deliberately, a dangerous undertone to his voice. “What in the fucking fuck are you talking about? I left weeks ago. How could I have had anything to do with…anything?”

“It’s a funny story.”

When Zach impatiently gestured for him to continue, Miles threw an arm around his shoulder and pulled him in. “A few weeks ago, we were having dinner, and my mom decided it was peak dinner conversation to announce you’re gay. I guess your mom filled her in?”

“Makes sense.” Zach made a face and shrugged. “It’s not like I expected her to keep it a secret.”

Miles felt immediately lighter. He’d been unsure how Zach would react to finding out he’d been outed to people outside his family.

“So, what happened? Did everyone freak out?” Zach asked, trying to play it off as a joke, though Miles could tell he was genuinely worried.

“Mom and Dad assumed I didn’t know, thinking it was this huge revelation. I told them I’d known for a while, kind of went off about how reactions like theirs were exactly why you didn’t tell anyone.”

“My hero.” Zach smiled and cuddled closer, dropping his head on Miles’s shoulder. “Defending my honor.”