“Where do I sign up?”
We enjoyed a laugh before his gaze shifted down. “Oh, dude, your shirt.”
“What?” I looked in the mirror, and he pulled my tie aside, revealing where the placket was pushing open.
“Big chest problems?” he teased. “Guess there are worse things than having a body even your clothes want to share with the world.”
I enjoyed his flattery.
“Didn’t you guys say IPB 101 was always carrying around a safety pin?” he joked.
After we finished getting ready, we called an Uber. Ty was working to decipher our destination, although, as we headed through Buckhead, I figured he would eventually catch on, especially as the driver pulled into the lot of the steakhouse. We went inside and ordered a bottle of wine, Ty assessing the menu.
“This place is really nice,” Ty said. “Never been here before.”
“Oh, good. Does this mean I’m winning in the date department so far?”
He laughed. “Yes, I don’t think you have anything to worry about. You’re getting laid regardless of how the date goes.”
“Well, you have to give me an incentive to make me work for it.”
“I feel like a few hours without it is enough torture.” He winked, and damn if that wasn’t the truest thing he could have said. We ordered appetizers and entrées, chatting and laughing away as we caught up about everything that had happened in the week and a half we hadn’t seen each other.
I wanted to hear every detail about his family and friends, but also, as he talked about catching up with Jesse and Eric, it pulled from me, “How do you feel about telling them tonight?”
He pondered it for a moment. “Tricky. I’m not excited about that awkward conversation. Kind of cliché, really. I remember when they told me about seeing each other. It was this big dramatic moment where it was me at Eric’s condo, feeling like I was having to deal with this slap in the face. I’m hoping it won’t be like that. I wish there was a better way to handle these kinds of things.”
“Some things in life are just made to be awkward as hell. But it’ll be nice to just deal with it. I don’t think Eric or Jesse will have any issue understanding. If anything, they just won’t understand—can’t understand—the intensity of what we feel for one another. It’s a shame, but they can never really know all that we’ve shared.” I reached across the table and took his hand. “I’m not sure even I understand all we’ve shared.”
He smirked. “Yeah, you’re definitely working a little too hard to earn that good-date fuck now.”
