“That’s super nice of you, but …” A series of excuses and tiny lies pile up in my mouth, but I decide to be honest and say, “I need to be alone and process things. Plus, I have to practice soon, and I can’t do that with you here. It’s better if you go.”

He smiles in understanding and unmutes the phone to say, “Actually, I’ll head down. See you guys in a bit.” After hanging up, he clasps one of my hands. “Sure you’re okay?”

“Yes. You should go. You’re already late.”

He leans in and kisses me softly on the lips. It’s the briefest kiss, but shivers ripple over me. “Tomorrow night.”

I nod. “Tomorrow night.”

He squeezes my hand once before he leaves. As I shut the door behind him, I hesitate. Neither of us said good-bye.

But tomorrow we will.

FIFTEEN

Quan

AFTER PRACTICE, WE DECIDE TO HANG OUT IN KHAI’S BACKYARD and have drinks to celebrate the LVMH news instead of going out. He’s remodeling and just had a fire pit installed. There’s nice outdoor furniture and blooming whatever-the-fuck trees (the flowers are purple, that’s all I know), and the fire keeps people from getting cold at night. It’s a sweet arrangement.

“What are we celebrating again?” Khai asks as he hands margaritas to me and Michael. He makes the best margaritas. They’re strong, and he lines the rim with salt—my favorite part.

“Good news with LVMH,” I say.

“Have you guys signed anything?” he asks.

I take a sip of my drink, and yeah, it’s really good. “Nah, it’s too early for that.”

“So we’re celebrating a phone call?” he asks with a skeptical frown.

Michael laughs. “Yeah, we’re celebrating a phone call. It was a good one. Cheers.” He holds out his drink, and we all clink our glasses together. As I’m swallowing a mouthful of tequila and lime juice, he adds, “We’re also celebrating Quan’s new girlfriend.”

I choke and alcohol burns down my windpipe, making me wheeze and cough while Khai pounds not so helpfully on my back. When I can finally breathe, I rasp out, “What the fuck? She’s not my girlfriend.”

Khai perks up and looks to Michael for confirmation. “He’s seeing someone?”

Over the rim of his margarita glass, Michael grins like that cat from Alice in Wonderland. “He is.”

“We’re hooking up. That hardly counts as ‘seeing someone,’ ” I say, and I don’t like that I’m right.

Michael rolls his eyes. “Did you guys finally get it on last night?” “No, she was crying and upset about stuff and I’m not an asshole,” I say.

“He heard she was crying and ran over to see her so fast,” Michael says to Khai in a loud fake whisper. “Our man Quan has himself a girlfriend.”

Khai nods tentatively. “If I was only hooking up with someone, I’d stay away from them when they were crying.”

“She’s not my girlfriend,” I say firmly.

“Do you want her to be?” Michael asks.

I look down into my margarita and shake the glass so the liquid swirls. “Maybe.” I sigh and admit the truth, “Okay, yeah. I like Anna a lot, but she specifically wanted something simple. She’s coming out of a relationship and going through some life stuff. Plus, I’m not sure I’m ready.”

Khai frowns, but he nods, accepting what I’ve said. He’s never pushy or nosy. He’s the best listener.

Michael, on the other hand, makes a scoffing sound. “Bullshit you’re not ready. It’s been over a year since your surgery. And what happened when you came over? Was she uncomfortable about it? Did she send you away?”

“She asked me to stay the night,” I reveal, and the resulting look on Michael’s face is so delighted that I kind of want to punch him. “You’re so annoying, you know that?”

He tries to look innocent. “So you spent the night, and you didn’t get it on. That’s definitely hookup territory.”

Khai grins, though he doesn’t say anything.

“The plan is to finally get our one-night stand right tomorrow,” I say.

“That’ll be their fourth try at hooking up,” Michael explains to Khai, who looks confused.

I stiffen in my seat. “No, last night doesn’t count. And why are you counting, anyway?”

Michael ignores me and aims a smart-aleck smile at Khai, waggling his eyebrows. What a dick.

“Let me get this straight,” Khai says as he rubs his chin. “As soon as you guys sleep together, it’s over?”

I take a large drink from my glass and swallow, noting that it suddenly tastes bitter. “Yeah.”

“That means you’ve been seeing each other without sleeping together,” he says in an academic manner.

“Yeah.”

“And they text and talk and watch nature documentaries together,” Michael adds, pretending he doesn’t see when I glare at him.

“How long has this been going on?” Khai asks.

“Only a couple weeks,” I say.

“I’m no expert, but that sounds a lot like you have a girlfriend,” Khai says. “Especially the part where you spent the night.”

I make a sound in my throat and toss back the rest of my drink. “It’s wasn’t like that. She was in a vulnerable place emotionally, and I was there for her. As a friend. Nothing more.”

“What’s she like?” Michael asks.

I set my glass down on a side table and turn it in circles as I say, “She’s … quirky, funny, really nice.”

“You do like quirky,” Michael says. To Khai, he says, “Remember that chick he dated who couldn’t stand it when people saw her eating so she doggy-bagged everything?”

“Don’t judge. Everyone’s got their own issues,” I point out.

“There was also the one who made him brush his teeth before kissing,” Khai adds.

“That’s just good hygiene, especially in the morning,” I say.

Michael points his glass at me. “She also made you use hand sanitizer before holding hands and shower before sex.”

I shrug. “That wasn’t a big deal.”

“There was also the one who liked to lick him in public,” Khai says.

“Okay, I didn’t love that.” I rub my eye as I remember how it stung when her spit got in there.

Michael takes a sip of his margarita and casually asks, “So when are we going to meet her?”

“That’s not going to happen.”

“Why not, though? Why don’t you just tell her how you feel?” Khai asks.

“It’s not that easy—”

“Yeah, it is,” Michael interjects. “It’s exactly that easy.”

“It’s not,” I say, and my certainty is conveyed in the tone of my voice.

Khai starts to speak, but Michael shakes his head at him so he falls silent.

I spin my glass several more times, around and around. “I don’t know how to tell her about what happened.”

“Then don’t,” Khai says. “It’s not information that she needs to know.”