The Lies He Spoke

TWENTY SIX

"If you say so."

"I do say so. And Logan loves you from the bottom of his black and blue heart. And I love you from the very very bottom of my romantic and mushy heart."

That made her smile, which made Blake smile. "I love you too," she said. "I'm going to go to sleep now. Good night!"

Blake blew her a kiss. "Bye, good night, Liv!"

As he was reaching under his bed for his charger, Andy strolled into his room, hands in his sweatpants pockets.

"Didn't know you were a mushy romantic," he said casually.

Blake hurled a pillow at him. "You were eavesdropping!"

Andy put his arms on Blake's shoulders and leaned in and made exaggerated kissing noises. Blake shoved at his chest and began to laugh so hard half in embarrassment and half at Andy's goofiness that tears came to his eyes. He put his hands against Andy's shoulders, pushing him away and laughing.

"Mwah, mwah, Blake, I gift you kisses right from the bottom of my mushy heart to the bottom of your romantic one," Andy teased.

Blake turned his face away from the spray of spit inadvertently getting in his face, laughing so hard he could barely breathe. "You are the worst! Oh god, get away from me!"

"I've already found out your secret. What's the best way to woo a romantic, huh? Walks on the beach? Someone who cooks for you? Handwritten notes?"

Blake ducked Andy's flailing arms. "I don't know anything about being wooed!" he insisted. "Let me go!"

Andy raised an eyebrow. "I guess I'll have to teach you then." He puckered his lips grotesquely and attacked him again and Blake was nearly crying from laughter so he didn't realize that he had slid to the edge of the bed in his attempt to get away.

One more attack by Andy and Blake scooted yet another inch to the right - and he slid right off the side of the bed.

Firm, warm arms shot out and tried to close around his middle to stop his fall for a brief few seconds before Andy's hands lost their grip on his shirt.

Blake slammed into the floor elbow first. Electricity shot up his funny bone.

"Shit!" He groaned and curled into a ball on the floor, cradling his elbow and fingers.

"Was that romantic enough for you?" Andy crowed. Blake didn't even have to open his eyes to know he was smirking.

"How was that romantic?" he demanded incredulously.

"I caught you!"

"You dropped me!"

"Shit, sorry," Andy said, smiling wolfishly, not moving an inch from his vantage point five feet above Blake's groans.

"You are terrible, you know that, right?"

"I guess I just can't compete with the romantic, can I?"

"Stop," Blake groaned. "Don't make me laugh more, my stomach hurts."

"Sure, whatever you say."

Andy finally bent down to haul him off the floor by his uninjured elbow and deposit him unceremoniously on his bed. Then he flopped down on the opposite side of the bed, arms folded behind his head. He gestured vaguely to Blake's phone.

"Logan's your brother, isn't he?" Andy asked.

Blake nodded. "Yeah. Why?"

"Why'd she ask you if he...when she told him...ah, never mind."