Most Ardently

by Gabe Cole Novoa

Slowly, he turned back to Darcy with a wry smile. “So you come here to read?” “Mostly.” Darcy’s cheeks pinked and he smiled sheepishly. “Does that surprise you?” He almost said yes, but then he remembered Darcy’s behavior at Netherfield, and of course at the Temple of Muses. Between the two, he’d almost always had a book in hand whenever Oliver had seen him, so maybe it wasn’t so surprising after all. “Come to think of it,” he responded, “it suits your character. So maybe not a surprise, but it is endearing.” Darcy’s smile turned to a grin. “Can’t say there are many who would agree with you on that front, but I’m pleased that you are. You should look at the shelf—some of the books are actually quite good.” “Any recommendations?” And that was how Oliver was drawn into a lengthy conversation on books about men who fancy men, women who fancy women, people who are neither a man nor a woman, and, to Oliver’s true shock, even a couple books about boys who were mistaken for girls and the other way around. (That Darcy recommended those books to Oliver filled him with a fuzzy lightness, if only because it meant Darcy knew boys like him existed.)