Chapter 32: The Answer To The Question

Alex seems to enjoy making me squirm, because once again, he doesn't answer me right away. I'm suddenly grateful for the darkness - my entire body is on fire right now.

Then he steps toward me.

"You're asking me to be your rebound guy?" he says. He stops just short of me, not touching but close enough that I can feel the heat radiating off his bare chest.

"Not a rebound," I say quickly. "As I've told you, that thing with Wes was over long ago. Just..."

"Just sex."

I nod. "Just sex. Unless...unless you think our friendship couldn't survive it."

"Do you believe our friendship couldn't survive it?"

Now it's my turn to hesitate before answering. Honestly, I hadn't really thought about it. I was more concerned with his opinion on the matter than my own.

"Maybe," I say. "Or maybe not. But our friendship has certainly survived a lot up to now. I mean, we haven't lived in the same place for years and years. And you've seen me at my drunkest and stupidest - "