I catch the quick look that passes between my parents. They’ve got this whole wordless communication down to an art.

Just friends.

I know what they’re thinking: there’s no way these two are just friends. And they’re right, because we’re not. And a few weeks ago, I would’ve been bothered by Troy saying something like this, probably, but ever since he told me he’d been in foster care, something clicked. He’s not afraid of commitments because he wants to play the field or because he’s not ready to settle down or some shit.

He’s scared.

He’s deathly afraid of being rejected, again. And it makes sense for him to keep people at bay, because if you don’t let anyone in, they won’t be able to hurt you. I get it. Doesn’t mean I have to like it.

“Friends with a lot of special benefits,” I say, winking at Troy to make sure he knows I’m joking.

“Oh, god,” Doug says. “Here we go again with the sex references. Is it too much to ask to have one meal without talking about sex?”

Marley sends him a blinding smile. “When we’re back home, we can talk about root canals and wisdom teeth extractions, but I kinda like the sex talk, babe.”

I grin. Doug is a good guy, but he’s a little on the dry and dusty side. I’m still not sure what my formerly wild sister sees in him, but they’re obviously happy together. Still, I can’t help jerking his chain a little.

“What do you mean, sex? I wasn’t talking about sex. I was talking about him hooking me up with some seriously good weed.”

“And don’t forget the bananas,” Troy plays along. “I’ve introduced him to the best bananas ever.”

“We found a new supplier here,” Mom says, and I’m pretty damn sure she’s not talking about bananas. “All organic homegrown from a family operation and it’s the best.”

Troy’s eyebrows shoot up. Yes, Troy, my mom’s talking about weed. Welcome to the crazy reality that is my parents’ house.

“It’s true,” my dad adds. “They don’t add any additives, and it makes it so pure. Best damn weed I’ve ever had.”

Doug looks like he’s about to slam his head on the table, but Marley pats his shoulder.  “It’s legal here, honey.”

“Like that’s ever stopped them,” he mumbles.

“It did wonders for my pain throughout my cancer treatment,” my mom says, her tone a little sharper now. She likes Doug well enough, but she does not tolerate criticism on the choices she and dad make. Rightly so.

“So, Troy, what do you do?” Marley asks, as always excelling in dissolving tension.

“I’m working on my degree in video game design.”

He says it as if he’s expecting criticism on that choice, but that’s not gonna happen. Not in this house.

“You mean to develop games like Call of Duty?” my dad wants to know.

Troy’s eyes widen slightly at the interest, but I’m not surprised. My dad is the biggest reader I’ve ever met, and he reads books on every subject known to man. I’m sure that while he’s never played a video game in his life, he can tell you the names of at least ten popular games. Hell, he probably knows more about it than I do.

“For example,” Troy says. “Personally, I’m not the biggest fan of first person shooter games, but both the complexity and the design of that game are undeniable.”

“What kind of games would you like to develop?” Dad asks.

Troy drags a hand through his hair. “Erm, I’m working on a mobile game right now with a friend. It’s a good way to start for us, because we don’t have much experience yet. Mobile games are way easier to develop than complex games for consoles or MMORPG games. That takes years of experience and way more skills than I possess right now.”

“You have to start somewhere,” Dad says. “I bet you the folks who developed World of Warcraft or Elder Scrolls started small as well. They didn’t create games like that overnight.”

Troy’s eyes lighten up. “Do you play, Joe?”

I love how he skipped the whole formal Mr. part and went right for informal. My dad loves it, as he’s the most relaxed, casual guy you’ll ever meet.

“God, no, son. I don’t even own a computer. Susan has a laptop to do everything that needs to be done online, like paying bills and what not.”

“And watching porn,” Mom deadpans, causing Troy to almost choke on his food. “My god, that new boy you found is cute.”

“Which one, Pixie or Heart?” I ask with my mouth full, meanwhile keeping an eye on Troy as he bravely tries to recover from coughing up a bit of food, his eyes watering.

“Pixie. Heart’s not cute. He’s fucking sexy, but not cute.”

I quickly swallow. “True. They’re both great additions, and I love working with them, too.”

“Susan, we were talking about games. Don’t get distracted by sexy boys all the time,” Dad admonishes her.

Her face lights up, and her eyes sparkle. “But they’re so much fun to talk about!”

Dad lets out a passive-aggressive sigh, before refocusing his attention on Troy. “But is that your goal, to work toward designing a big game?”

There’s something in Troy’s eyes, as if he can’t believe my dad is interested in him. I could’ve told him he would be, because my dad is interested in everyone. He’s a people person, always enthusiastic to get to know people better. I guess I get that from him, because I’m pretty much the same.

“I don’t know, really. For now, I’m excited about working on this game with Mason, because we work well together, and we complement each other.”

“How’s your work been?” Mom asks me, as if I have a regular nine-to-five job.

“That video with Campy, Heart, and Tank was a-ma-zing,” Marley gushes. “Holy fuck, it was so fucking hot!”

Really?” Doug says, more resigned than mad. “More talk about porn?”

“I seem to remember you reaped the benefits of that particular scene,” Marley states. “We had a hot—”

Doug yanks her toward him and kisses her, probably the most effective way to shut her up.

“I have to agree with Marley. That video was smoking hot,” Mom says.

I’d love to say that this is abnormal, the way they gush about porn, gay porn specifically, but it’s not. This is how my family rolls. I’m pretty sure Troy can take it, though, once he stops being weirded out.

“Reb—Hendrix came up with the idea for that shoot,” Troy says, and the pride in his voice is unmistakable. It does strange things to me inside, to hear him express admiration for what I do. Not only does he not have a problem with me shooting porn and working in this industry, he’s actually proud of what I do. It’s such a foreign concept to me after having so many boyfriends and potential boyfriends who broke up with me over my job, that I get all warm and fuzzy inside.

“Bear had the basic idea of the exchange between Campy and Heart,” I say, not wanting to claim false glory.

Troy fires me a look that shoots straight to my balls. It makes me want to drag him into a room, drop my pants, and bend over. I love it when he gets all bossy on me.

“Shut up,” he says. “That idea was yours, and you know it.”

“Hendrix working in porn is not an issue for you?” Mom asks.

I hold my breath as I wait for him to answer this.

“Not at all,” he says. “He’s really, really good at it, and I love watching him. Hey, I’m as big a fan of gay porn as anyone, so nope, all fine with me.”

I exhale. As Marley and Troy get into a heated discussion over the best gay porn video ever made, my mom’s eyes meet mine. She smiles at me. He didn’t see through her trick question. If he and I had been just friends, as he claimed, the fact that I’m in porn wouldn’t even have been an issue. He didn’t answer that question as just a friend. He answered it as a boyfriend, and my mom and I both know it.