Once again Adam felt like his face was on fire. He ducked his head against Ru’s shoulder as she walked away. Ru kissed Adam’s forehead. “Minnesota is surprisingly accepting. Even more so than San Diego sometimes. And like I said, I know Dimitri, so no one is going to be spreading any rumors. Now let’s eat, okay?”
Adam nodded and let Ru chose the first piece. Maybe he was just being a kid, but he still didn’t want to let go of Ru’s hand. Ru didn’t seem bothered either, just dished up with his right and helped Adam retrieve a chosen piece. They ate together in a companionable silence. Ru shared his pineapple chunks and Adam his peppers. They snuck kisses in between bites and didn’t talk much more until after the last of the pizza had been boxed up.
A large man strutted to their table at their table, looming over them with his arms folded across his giant chest. Adam shove away from Ru and back into the corner. Ru chuckled. The owner, Dimitri, stood looking stern. Adam had met the man when he’d come in with his parents, but he’d never looked angry before. Then a big smile broke across his face.
“Ru! I’m so glad you’re back in town. What are you doing here?” He held his arms open.
Ru got up and let the man give him a bone-shattering hug. “Just working on a new project. Wanted some time away from all the lights to get this one done.”
“I hear you! When Mona said you were out here, I thought she was pulling my leg. Who’s your friend?”
“This is Adam.” Adam waved at the big man, heart still pounding but starting to slow down a little. “We met at the library a week ago. What better place to get to have some good food and conversation than here, right?”
Dimitri thumped Ru on the back. “Well then, how about dessert. You like chocolate?” He didn’t wait for an answer. “I’ll be right back. Go back to cuddling. Don’t let me interrupt.” He winked at Adam and then headed off to the kitchen.
Ru sat back down and reached for Adam’s hand. Adam let Ru pull him back to his side. “He’s sort of a force to be reckoned with.”
“I guess.”
They both stared at each other, then burst out laughing a minute later. Ru kissed Adam again lightly on the lips while they shared smiles and waited for Dimitri to return. When he did, it was with a huge slice of molten chocolate cake. Adam’s mouth watered just looking at it, but Ru looked a little green. Dimitri handed them each a fork. “Dig in, and don’t worry about the bill. Everything’s on the house.”
Adam took a big bite with his fork and shoved it in his mouth.Oh heaven!The hot chocolate over the soft and spongy cake tasted amazingly rich. Ru watched but didn’t move his fork. “You don’t want some?” Adam asked.
“I’m not really a runner like you. And I hate going to the gym.” He frowned at the cake. “For each bite of that I take, I’ll have to spend another half hour working out.”
Adam peered down at Ru’s trim body. Sure, he was a little bulkier than Adam, but not by much. Adam had maybe two inches in height on him, and Ru weighed maybe twenty pounds more. Adam had never really had to worry about his weight, but he knew some of the guys on the football team used protein powder to bulk up, and some of the guys ate a lot of salads to try to slim down. “Okay,” he finally said. He took another bite and swallowed, then leaned over to kiss Ru. “But you gotta taste this.”
Adam plowed through the cake by himself, letting Ru taste it from his lips. It was romantic, and sweet all at once. By the time the plates were cleared away Adam was hoping the night wouldn’t end, but they had been there almost two hours. “I feel sort of bad,” he told Ru as they walked outside.
“Why?” Ru asked and motioned Adam to walk with him. Since the night was cool but not cold, Adam was happy to use it as an excuse to spend more time with Ru.
“I don’t even know your last name. We’ve hardly talked at all. I should know more about you by now. Like your favorite color or maybe what TV shows you like to watch. Or what you wanna do when you graduate.” Adam felt a bit like a creep, clinging to him all night and demanding kisses. But they had been really nice kisses.
“Actually it’s kind of refreshing.” Ru smiled that radiant smile again. “My last name is Nakimura. Favorite color is red, though it looks horrible on me. I really don’t get much time for TV. Sometimes I feel too grown up for my own good, so I think I’ll skip that last one. But I do have this thing for cute blond guys who run, and I really like eating pizza with someone I could kiss forever.”
They walked about two blocks, hand in hand, before the car pulled up beside them. Adam didn’t want the night to end. “Let’s go see a movie or something,” he blurted out, grasping for anything that would allow them to spend more time together.
Ru stopped and seemed to think it over a minute before finally shrugging and saying, “Sure. But I don’t know where a theater is around here. You’ll have to give directions.”
“No problem. There’s one not very far.”
They got back in the car, and instead of sitting on the opposite sides of the seat, Adam waited until Ru was buckled and then took the middle seat beside him. Maybe he seemed a little too eager. He didn’t care. If the night ended with Ru saying he never wanted to see him again, well, then Adam was going to enjoy every second until that moment came.
They did go to a movie. Adam gave him the directions to a discounted theater he often went to with his parents. The place was fairly well maintained for having such a low ticket cost. The movies were a little older, but that didn’t seem to matter. Adam paid for the tickets and led Ru into the big theater. They sat in one of the longer love seats. Having Ru pressed to his side from hip to knee felt pretty good. And Adam was pretty sure their hands would be bonded together permanently by the end of the night. Ru rested his head on Adam’s shoulder while they watched, and Adam just breathed in the warm scent of him. He wondered what cologne Ru used, or if it was just his shampoo or something as equally unimportant that made him smell so wonderful. When the movie ended, Ru didn’t move. Adam realized after a few moments that Ru had fallen asleep.
“Hey,” Adam whispered softly and kissed Ru’s hair, which was all he could reach without dislodging him.
Ru sucked in a deep breath and jolted awake.
“You okay?” Adam asked him. Ru blinked a few times, obviously trying to reorient himself to where they were. The theater lights hadn’t come all the way back up, but they were bright enough to show how obviously tired he was. “Let’s get you home, okay?”
Adam led him outside, wondering how he would get the car to come back for them. Whoever drove it obviously wasn’t family; more of a hired driver, maybe? He had never met anyone with enough money to have a driver, but since Ru didn’t seem to be trying to flaunt his wealth, Adam didn’t bring it up.
The car pulled up beside them as though it had been waiting. Adam tapped on the front window to give the driver his address. Once they were inside, the car began to move. It was after ten thirty and curfew was eleven, so Adam needed to be home soon. The text to his mom about hanging with a friend would only get him so far in an argument to avoid being grounded. “Ru, I need to go home.”
Ru gripped Adam’s hand. “You’re going to be mad at me.”
Oh no. Here it comes. He was going to say Adam sucked, and he never wanted to see him again.
