Chapter 18: Chapter 18

“Can we leave it at ‘I need to think about it’ for now?” he asked. “I don’t want it to be a no. I love you too much to have you think I don’t love you enough to consider it.”

Zach studied him for a moment before nodding, his face softening. “We can leave it at that. I only hoped I would have the chance to ask you. I can wait a little longer to get the answer.”

Impulsively, Harvey leaned across the table. Gripping the back of Zach’s neck, he pulled him in for a firm, lingering kiss. It wasn’t about passion. It was about need. The need he’d always had for his best friend, the need to show him the feelings were real, even if he was afraid.

“I know we planned on staying in this weekend,” he said when they parted. “But how about we drive up to Athens and spend the day there? We could go to the pictures. Or just, you know…be together. Give me a feel of what it might be like in California.”