“What do you mean?” He laughs as his arm extends along the back of the couch. If he reached to the right, he could twirl my hair in his finger.

“I mean, the men would strip down naked, a few women would join them, and then they’d parade around the hall, warding off all evil with their nakedness.”

“Fuck, are you serious?” He laughs.

“Yes. Some of them rode bikes around the center, and I’m going to tell you right now, once you see a pair of old man balls squished on a bicycle seat, you will never unsee it.”

He shivers. “Can’t imagine that sitting well in your mind.”

I shake my head. “I can still see it. Like an aged snail attempting to come out of its shell.”

“Ew, fuck.” We both laugh.

But his laugh is hearty. It’s very attractive, just like everything else about him.

“It seems you’re close with Banner, since he moved with you.”

“Very close. He’s my best friend. He always said where I go, he would go, and that’s how it’s been ever since I moved out to Phoenix.”

“Is there a reason?” I ask.

His fingers gently press along my shoulder, sending chills all the way down my spine. “I think he feels safe around me. He had a different childhood than mine. I was the star athlete, and he was the computer nerd. He was picked on, teased, and got into a few fights at school because he’s just . . . different. He has a different way of thinking, and I was the one who stuck by him. Defended him. Made sure no one touched him. He graduated early, because he’s really fucking smart and, instead of going to college—there wasn’t much he could learn that he hadn’t already taught himself—he worked on coding. He worked twelve- to fourteen-hour days at times until he developed his first real app.”

“What did it do?” I ask, totally unaware of how smart Banner is. I just assumed he played the hot nerd role with Nichole—the best-sex-she’d-ever-had hot nerd.

“Some banking exchange thing that a company in Japan bought from him.” Ryot slowly draws a circle over my shoulder. “It meant he didn’t have to get a nine-to-five job, which of course my parents were worried about when he moved out to Phoenix with me. For those first few years, he totally supported my ass because baseball players barely make enough to eat in the minor leagues.”

“Wow, I had no idea. I guess I just assumed you got paid the same all around.”

Ryot laughs and shakes his head. “No, not even close. It’s why so many guys room with each other in the minors, because they can’t afford to live alone. Thankfully, Banner was there for me.”

“You’re lucky to have him. I love your relationship.”

“You would have loved it when we were kids. We weren’t always as close as we are now. Before Banner started getting picked on, we constantly tried to get each other in trouble with our parents. It got to the point that whenever one of us did something, my parents grounded us both.”