“Did you breathe wrong on it?”

“I called it a bad name.” Kyle pouted at River as he pushed away from the front of the building. What a hell of a day he’d had, and he was grateful for about the millionth time that River was both a great human being and the owner of a great car.

River gave him a sympathetic look and leaned over to open the passenger door of his gorgeous little red Mazda. “It died at the university?”

“No, no. It made it back from that.” Kyle mournfully flopped in the passenger seat and buckled up, then tugged his skirt down. “It decided to die when Denver and I went out for lunch.”

“Nice. Leaving you stranded—”

“—at Subway. The less stabby Subway, though!” Kyle informed River, beaming. “Not the one around the corner from Alex’s. Or I might have been worried for my bodily integrity. And not in traffic! It was much safer than it could have been.”

“You gotta squint to see that silver lining, baby.” River laughed and pulled away from the charity parking lot, flicking the turn signal. He braced his elbow on the sideboard of the car and ran his fingers across the close-cropped sides of his platinum hair. Even without a wig, he still frequently played with the air around his head like he was wearing one. It always fascinated Kyle to watch.

“My eyesight is better than perfect, thanks,” Kyle smiled brightly. “Chinese?”

“Sold. I could use about eight tons of sweet and sour chicken.”

“Aww. That bad a day, huh?” Kyle pouted. River was such a sweetheart, but he was just as hopeless in love and had bounced between several jobs in the last year, which put him one step behind even Kyle. He was working at a beauty counter in the mall now and hoping to land a job in an actual storefront for one of the big makeup brands. Some brands hired more men than others, so jobs were scarcer for him than they otherwise should have been given his talent.

“Well, first of all, when did the mechanic say your car will be ready this time?”

“Tonight!” Kyle smiled brightly. “Should be a simple fix this time. Something something wiring… I don’t know. I wasn’t listening.”

River eyed him but snorted with unmistakably fond laughter. “It’s a good thing you’re pretty, hon.”

“I know. And it’s cheap this time! I’m sure he gave me a discount for fluttering my lashes.” Kyle propped his chin on his fist.

“Or you’ve reached the top tier of their frequent customer program.”

Kyle laughed richly but elbowed River. “Ouch. Don’t diss my baby.”

He let River get away without answering the question until they got to their favorite cheap Chinese buffet and got their usual plates of food, then found a table in the corner.

“So, your day,” he prompted River, eyeing him over his glass of Coke. He knew River was supposed to have had some makeup lessons to give, plus a date.

River sighed and raised his shoulders. “That date ditched me and ghosted me.”

“Oh, no,” Kyle crooned, scowling deeply. Anyone who put that look on River’s face—trying to hide the moments of insecurity that afflicted them both occasionally, but River more often—was a fucking scumbag, in his opinion. “I’ll go kick him in the balls for you.”

“Would you?”

“Twice. Was he pretty?”

“A lot less than his photo,” River muttered, and Kyle grinned. Cattiness was better than moping.

“Maybe just once, then. Being ugly was God’s advance punishment for him being a dick to you.”

“To me specifically?” River was laughing as he pushed his fork through the fried rice to dig out the bits of egg.

“Yep,” Kyle confirmed brightly. I bet Nic wouldn’t do that. Ditch someone. He’s a solid kind of guy. Sincere. He’ll do great work for us, I know it.

River eyed him. “What’s that look for?”

“Oh. I had the first meeting with the, er… with the liaison for the tech company.” Kyle waved his fork and dug into his veggies.

His attempt to underplay it wasn’t working, though. River had his eyebrow raised. When that didn’t work, River put down his fork and folded his arms, staying silent.

“Fine,” Kyle relented. “He might be… really cute. And gay. And single.” He bent his wrist, gesturing in a circle with his fork. “And new to the area.”

“Get on that before the gold rush,” River breathed out, leaning in over the table. “Go on!”

“No, no,” Kyle waved him off. “It’s not going anywhere. A relationship with him would never work. But he was adorable. Dorky adorable. Adorkable?” River giggled and he went on. “Kind of an otter, I think… scruffy, probably a little chest hair, that kind of look. Awkward and shy. Smart as hell.”

“All I hear is exactly your type, Kyle,” River informed him. “So, why wouldn’t it work?”

Kyle didn’t have a very good answer. “Just… wouldn’t be good. Business with pleasure and all that.” River didn’t look impressed, so he added, “And you know I’m not looking for someone to spend my life with.”

“Maybe he isn’t, either,” River pointed out.

“He looked like the commitment type. And one-night stands are obviously the way forward for me these days,” Kyle stated firmly.

River snorted. He tossed his head and swept his hand over his shoulder to rub his scalp behind his ear, a little gesture he did when he was out of drag but automatically moved like he had hair to push back, then realized there was none there. “I’d be more impressed with that if we didn’t know you have that little tendency of running from your past.”

River knew him well. Way too well. He was godfather and practically uncle to Kyle’s son, and he could pick a dude, dress, or dinner for him correctly every time.

Kyle glanced down at his plate and pushed his fork through his rice to arrange it into a pile, then started working on his veggies again. “True. I know. But…”

River nudged his foot with his own to make him look up. “Was he flirting with you?”

It was hard for Kyle to judge that. If it weren’t, he probably wouldn’t accidentally flirt with everyone he talked to. “I think so. Maybe. Maybe not.”

“You deserve it, baby.” River gave him an affectionate smile. “I’ll kick him in the balls if he hurts you, so take the risk.”

Kyle drew a breath. It was enough to get him thinking, but he wasn’t going to encourage River to plan their wedding yet. “Maybe,” he conceded. “After the project.”

“You’re going to be spending a lot of time together. At least enjoy that,” River told him.

Kyle groaned. “Well, I don’t have much choice. Not that I’d want to avoid him.”

“You’re so cute when you’re crushing,” River said matter-of-factly and grabbed his plate, pushing himself to his feet. “Spring rolls?”

Kyle closed his mouth when he realized it was open. “Uh. Yes.”

“And the blush is very fetching,” River teased him.

“Hey.” Kyle couldn’t quite slap River on the ass before he scooted by, grinning broadly at him.

It was a nice thought to distract him, but not much more than that. However much River teased him, Kyle couldn’t rush into anything, and they both knew it.

Strictly business, then… with a bit of fun.