Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 88207 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88207 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
We talked about random things, small things, as he drove us to the restaurant. When we went inside, he told the hostess, “Table for two, please.”
As she led us to a four-person booth near the center of the restaurant, I noticed she was pretty, with blonde hair and plump lips, and that she smiled at Jake in a way that said she thought him attractive, not that I could blame her. It made doubt shoot through me, though, made me wonder if he regretted being there with me.
“Okay, what is it?” Jake asked when we were seated.
“Nothing. Ignore me. Thinking about my mom still.”
“Are you okay to do this tonight? I don’t want—”
“No,” I rushed out. “I want to be here. How was work yesterday?”
We chatted, and I began to relax. Neither of us had alcohol. Jake drank a soda, and I had water. He ordered steak and a baked potato, and I got chicken. Jake was telling me how Bonnie called him, freaking out because she had a wasp in her apartment. We were laughing and having a good time, all my worries tucked safely away in the back of my head, when I heard, “Well, isn’t this a surprise?” and looked up to see Jesse, Dane, and Skylar, this dancer from the Playground. My heart immediately dropped.
Jesse was smiling ear to ear, Dane looked a little confused, and Skylar was typical Skylar, saying, “Damn, Seth. Your man’s a hottie.”
“Wait. You two are officially dating?” Dane asked.
Jesse thumped Skylar on the ear, then turned to do the same to Dane, but Dane was ahead of him and cocked his head, playfully trying to bite his finger.
My eyes widened and darted toward Jake. It was one thing to say we were on a date and to tell his mom, but I wasn’t sure if that meant everyone would know, or if he regretted it, or how he would feel being labeled as my man in public. Again, this was all new for him in a different way than it was for me. I might have never had a boyfriend, but I always knew I wanted one, that I was gay.
Jake looked at me, gave a small, encouraging smile, and cleared his throat. “Yeah.”
“Ding, ding, ding! You gave the correct answer!” Jesse played game-show host, but I couldn’t take my eyes off Jake.
“I’m happy for you guys,” Dane said.
“This feels like a big moment, and I don’t even know either of them well,” Skylar added.
“If you have the chance, take him to a storage room, Jake. He deserves it,” Jesse said. He leaned down and kissed my cheek, whispering, “Love you, friend,” before dragging Skylar and Dane away to give us privacy.
“Storage room?” Jake’s brows knitted together. The first time Jesse and Dane had sex was in a storage room at the bar. Jesse had told me about it afterward. It was before they were serious, and I was enamored with the idea of wild, confident sex like that. While I wasn’t sure I would ever do it in a storage room, I thought maybe, if Jake and I kept going, I could have that kind of feeling with him. Safe to be myself and explore whatever I wanted sexually. Jake said, “Now you’re blushing, so I really want to know what this storage-room thing is.”
“No comment,” I teased, before taking a drink of my water. “I hope they didn’t put you on the spot…with the dating thing. I know we said we were dating, but I didn’t know how public you wanted to be.”
“Seth…I’m here with you tonight, on our first date. Yeah, this is new to me, and I might screw up some, but this is what I want. I’m not going to keep you a secret.”
“I know it would be easier if I were a woman.”
He rolled his eyes. “If you were a woman, we wouldn’t be here. Yes, I like women, but I like you. All parts of you. Wait, is that why you aren’t wearing makeup tonight? Not that you have to. I like you no matter what you wear.”
“Yes,” I admitted. “I didn’t want to embarrass you.”
“Sweetheart, you could never do that. When I do something, it’s all the way. I’m not one for half-assing, okay? I don’t want you to ever shy away from being yourself with me.” He stood up, leaned over, and pressed a quick kiss to my lips. When he sat back down, he added, “Now, I was thinking we should try and plan a lake-house trip soon.”
I glanced toward Jesse’s table, and my best friend smiled. I could see how happy he was for me, but it was nothing compared to what I felt inside.
I looked back at Jake. “I’d like that.”
24
Jake
We were lying in my bed, completely bare, after deciding that the movie we’d planned on watching was pretty far-fetched, so we called it a night. And sleeping like this with Seth, his skin all warm and soft, had become my new favorite thing. Seth’s head was relaxed against my shoulder, and my fingers were running through his hair. We were both quiet, contemplative. We’d had our first official date tonight, where I’d admitted out loud to his friends that we were together and then I kissed him—a man—in public. Holy fucking Christ. But seeing the way his eyes had softened was worth putting myself out there. It was time, and I had Seth to thank for that.