Our server comes over and drops off two Cokes. Branson must’ve ordered them before I arrived.

“Mmhmm,” I reply, taking a drink. “The day after graduation, I move into the new house, and I can’t fucking wait. I appreciate the experience that frat’s given me, but I’m ready to not live with thirty other dudes.”

He laughs. “I don’t blame you. I live with two other dudes and that can even be too much at times. I can’t imagine.”

“What’re your plans after graduation? Moving back home?”

“Me and Luca are taking the summer off, but I’m going to work with Luca’s dad in the fall. We’ll probably live with our parents for the summer, then move into our own place once we start working. We haven’t figured out all the details yet, aside from the job.”

“Moving in together already?” I tease.

He chuckles, raising a brow. “Bro, we literally live together now. What are you talking about?”

“I’m just fuckin’ with you. It just seems different, moving in together as a couple versus you each having your own rooms.”

“We haven’t slept separately since we started hooking up. His old room is a storage area now,” he replies before taking a sip of his Coke.

I’m not surprised at all to hear that. They’re practically joined at the hip and have been for years.

“So, what’s new with you?” he digs, playing with the wrapper to his straw. “Seeing anyone?” He waggles his brows at me suggestively, and while I didn’t come here to spill my guts about Stone, it would feel good to talk to someone about it. So, what the hell?

Heaving a sigh, I meet his stare. “Shit, man, I don’t know what you’d call it, but there’s someone alright.”

“Well, color me intrigued.” He chuckles. “Go on, then.”

“There’s this guy I’ve hung out with a few times. We’ve made out, but never more than that.”

“So, what’s the problem?”

“I guess I want to ask you how you handled being with Luca when you knew you shouldn’t be. Because it was considered wrong.” Branson and Luca are stepbrothers—it’s not as weird as it sounds—but Luca also had a girlfriend when they started exploring their relationship. If anyone could even remotely understand what I’m dealing with, it’d be Branson.

“My feelings for Luca were never wrong in my eyes, and that’s all that mattered to me. If you ask me, fuck what society says. Fuck what they deem “acceptable.” They don’t know you or your situation, and even if they did, it wouldn’t matter. Attraction, sex, love, all of that is hardly ever black and white. If it feels right to you, then go with it, man.”