Page 63 of Uncharted

“Welcoming our guest, make sure your dick is away,” Colin said, and I could have happily floated into outer space and would have sent a prayer of thanks for the opportunity.

“What fucking guest?” Xander asked, and despite not wanting to, I took Colin’s gesture at face value and stepped in. I’d only been in there a couple of times, but it was the same. There were some additions, like another desk, tidier than Xander’s. There was another closet next to Xander’s, a few hanging plants that I knew hadn’t been there before, and the kitchenette was tidier, and from the looks of the dishes in the rack, more dishes had been added.

Xander stood near his bed…well, their bed, glaring at me. “It’s almost ten at night, what the fuck do you want?”

“To talk apparently,” Colin said lightly, sounding amused.

“You can’t have your hug session with him during normal hours?” Xander snapped at me.

“Um, I kinda⁠—”

I trailed off, and Xander opened his mouth but stopped. I couldn’t see what was happening behind me, but some sort of communication was going on because Xander closed his mouth with a snap. A second later, he sighed. “Fine, talk to him, whatever. I’ll go…stare at the stars or what the fuck ever.”

“You,” I got out.

“What?” Xander asked, clearly losing what patience he had.

“It’s…you I want to talk to, not Colin.” I glanced over my shoulder. “Sorry.”

Colin wasn’t offended, but when I turned, Xander was looking at me like I’d just sprouted flowers from my ears and was giving birth to a fawn. “Me? What in the fresh hell do you want to talk to me about?”

“I’m pretty sure if he wanted me to know what he wanted to talk about, he would have already said,” Colin said, snatching up a shirt that was tossed over the back of a chair and moving toward the door. “I think I’ll go check on my favorite PITA since he’s probably unsupervised.”

I heard the door click behind me, and I winced. “I don’t mind if you tell him…after I’m gone…also, PITA?”

“Pain in the ass, he uses it for some of you idiots with you being patients,” Xander said, frowning slightly. “Not you, though. Loves you.”

“I’m charming,” I said and winced when he glared at me. “Sorry.”

“Jesus,” he muttered, wiping his face. “I don’t know what the fuck this is, but for fuck’s sake, you aren’t making it easy.”

“I’ll just…go. You two were having a good night and you don’t⁠—”

“Stay,” Xander growled, and I stopped. “And either sit down or stand somewhere that doesn’t make you look like you’re about to rotate your head in a full circle, Christ.”

I looked and decided Colin’s desk chair was probably the safest and sat down as Xander went into the kitchenette and returned with two glasses, setting one down and, after fishing a bottle from a cabinet beside his desk, poured a measure into each. “Whiskey man, if I remember, right?”

“Yeah,” I said, a little surprised he remembered. “Thought you did tequila.”

“Yeah, well,” he grumbled, setting a glass down before taking a seat at his own desk. “That jackass likes whiskey and bourbon, so I keep some around for him. Just like I let him change all my dishes, add those stupid plants, and I don’t know why I needed a new rug, but fuck me, I guess I’ve got one now.”

I smiled. “You love him.”

“How could you tell? Because it makes me fucking stupid?” he asked.

“I’m glad.”

“That it makes me stupid?”

“That it makes you happy.”

Xander opened his mouth, clearly deciding he didn’t know what to do with that, and took a drink. “So what the hell could you want to talk to me about that you can’t talk to Colin about? Fuck knows he’s the shoulder to cry on around here.”

“I don’t want to cry,” I said, wrinkling my nose and taking a good, hopefully encouraging drink. “I want…I dunno, what’s the word? Perspective? Understanding?”

It wasn’t often you got to see Xander look bewildered, but damned if he wasn’t now. “From me? About what? Wait, this had better not be about Bryce, I swear to God, Reno. I know you’re a nosy shit sometimes, but I’m dealing with that, and I don’t need any of you⁠—”

“Jake.”