Jay wanted to kick himself, to gaze upon his reflection and have words with it, a few choice phrases crossing his mind. He wanted to belittle himself for being foolish enough to think Walden was ready for something more than a simple cup of coffee between two friends. When he’d asked Walden to join him at the party he’d experienced an abundance of joy when his question was promptly answered with a yes. Instead of throwing an internal celebration, he should have been considering Walden’s feelings, taken his shyness into consideration. Though Jay was overjoyed to finally have the missing piece of the puzzle—the fact that Walden did indeed enjoy the company of men—he felt like a jerk for pushing Walden out of his comfort zone.
There at the party, Poppy excitedly gushing about his first step
