Crush (Crash #3)(72)

Holly's shoulders slumped as her hands fell away from LJ's ears. "Aren't you?"

"I've got the little man," Jude said, standing and grabbing LJ. He tossed him over his shoulder, much to LJ's delight. "You want me to teach you how to throw a football ten thousand yards now?"

"Yay!" LJ replied, giggling as Jude walked him down the hall before disappearing into the bedroom.

That man was getting laid so good tonight.

"So wait." Holly shook her head. "You're not gay? You like women?" This was clearly rocking her worldview.

"What? No!" Thomas twisted in his seat.

"No, you're not gay, or no, you don't like women?" Holly asked.

"No, I'm not gay!" This was the first time I'd heard Thomas raise his voice. I suppose if there ever was a time for a guy to lose his cool, it was when the girl he had it bad for thought he was gay the entire time.

"Whoa." Holly gave her head another shake. "This revelation is . . . profound." 

"Unbelievable. My whole life people have assumed I was gay because I was a dancer. People judged me because I slipped into a different kind of spandex than the other guys in the locker room." Thomas shoved his seat back, stood up, and headed for the door. "I didn't think you were one of those people, too, Holly."

"Thomas," Holly called after him. "Wait."

"I don't think so," he said, continuing to storm for the door. "I'm going to find some boys to kiss." When he slammed the door, it shook the walls.

"He's not gay?" she said, more to herself than anything else. "Did you know?"

"He's been my dance partner for three years," I replied, staring at the door. "Of course I knew he wasn't."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I thought you figured it out after the first night you met him," I said, hating the way Holly was looking at me-like I'd betrayed her.

"I did think that, until we went on our date last Friday," she said. "Until he kept bringing up this guy Samuel. He was talking about him making breakfast that morning, and how he always leaves his wet towels on the floor, and . . ." Holly's face blanched. "Oh, my God, Samuel is Thomas's roommate, isn't he?"

I clucked my tongue. "Bingo."

"Shit," she said, slamming her fist down on the table.

"Do you like him, Hol?" I asked, feeling like I already knew the answer.

She bit her lip and nodded.

"A lot?"

Another nod.

"Then what are you still doing here?" I said. "Go after him."

"Please, Lucy. Even if he did like me before I called him gay, he's never going to say another word to me."

"There's only one way to find out," India piped up. I was surprised it had taken her this long to give her two cents. She usually wanted in right away. Beside her, Anton was staying quiet for once in his life.

"You think I've got a chance in hell that he's still going to like me after what I just said?" Holly's arms were flailing about-a sure sign she was about to lose it.

India propped her chin on her fist and gave Holly a once-over. "Girl. I think that man would still like you if you told him to go get bent every time you saw him. He's got it bad for you. Bad squared."

"Lucy?" Holly said, her eyes shifting from me to the door.

"He definitely likes you. And I think you definitely like him, too," I said. "So why don't you go after him and definitely like each other."

The corners of Holly's mouth twitched. "Anyone have some lip gloss handy?"

India slid a tube out from her back pocket. "Always handy," she said, tossing it to Holly, who managed to catch it despite being in the middle of that hair-flipping/hair-teasing thing she loved to do. Slicking on a coat of gloss, Holly headed for the door like a woman on a mission.

"Good luck," I called after her.

After the door slammed closed for a grand total of twice in the past two minutes, Jude and LJ reemerged from the bedroom, football in hand.

"Uncle Jude taught me how to hold the football like he does," he announced, skipping to the table.

"Everything all right?" Jude asked, coming up behind me and rubbing my shoulders.

"I hope so," I said, feeling like my eyes were about to roll into the back of my head from the magic his fingers were working on my muscles.

"Movie time!" LJ said, rummaging through the DVD collection. "Can I be in between you and Aunt Luce in the fort?"