Lee’s face had turned a violent shade of mauve that suggested he’d just reached his capacity for new information, but he managed to ask, “Did you mean it when you said it to him?”

Zack hesitated before he answered. “At the time . . . I didn’t think so.”

“And now?” Kira questioned.

Zack’s cheeks grew hot. “Yeah, I love him. I’m more certain every day. Which is why it sucks so much that we haven’t talked about it since.”

“Isn’t it a little soon?” Lee asked. “I feel like you just started dating.”

“Like I told Kira before you arrived, we’ve technically been talking for months. But yeah, I guess we’ve always moved kind of fast. I mean, we had a form of sex the first time we ever talked, and then we really had sex on our first date. Plus, I introduced him to Ziggy—which is huge for me—and he gave me a key to his house.”

“And that didn’t seem kind of hasty to you?” Lee asked.

“He has a house?” Kira squealed. “Is it a mansion?”

Zack laughed. “I asked the same thing. It might as well be, compared to my apartment. I’m heading over there tonight, as a matter of fact.”

Lee held his beer in both hands and stared at it. “In that case, I think what you should do is obvious. If you love this guy, and you’re seeing him tonight, you should tell him.”

Zack flinched. “I’m kind of scared to.”

“You don’t think he feels the same?” Kira asked.

“No, I know he does. That’s what’s so scary. When I say it, and then he says it back, it’ll be like . . . real, or whatever.”

“Spoken like a true poet,” Kira said wryly.

“You get what I mean. What if I’m making a huge mistake?”

Lee shrugged. “What if you’re not?”

Zack started to answer, but then he repeated Lee’s words in his head. He had to admit, Lee had a point. Zack was acting like John was a ticking time bomb just waiting to blow up in his face, but did he really have any reason to think that? What if John was simply a man who loved Zack and wanted to be with him? Zack hadn’t allowed himself to believe that he and John would work out in the end, and as a result, he’d been sabotaging them. It seemed so silly now.

“Wow,” Zack said. “I’ve been an idiot.”

“About what?” Kira asked.

“About John. I never let myself think it could work. Doesn’t make much sense, does it?”

“I can’t say it does,” Lee answered, “but that’s mostly because you’re not making sense. I’m glad I could help, though. Are you going to tell him how you feel?”

“Yes,” Zack affirmed. “I think I am. Right now.”