Michael plucked one of the succulent red fruits out of a bowl and dipped it into the fresh cream he’d bought. He lifted it to Jag’s lips, studying his face carefully as he closed his eyes and took a bite out of the strawberry. A tiny dribble of juice ran over his lower lip. Michael kissed it away before it trickled onto Jag’s chin. Next, he popped the cork on the bubbly wine and poured a generous amount into two champagne flutes. He handed one to Jag and sipped from the other.
“This is really nice,” Jag said. “Kind of weird and definitely crazy but nice.”
“I’m glad you approve.”
He felt a bit at a loss. Normally, on a date, he’d be asking questions to find out more about the guy he was with. With Jag, personal questions were strictly off limits. At least when they’d just been having sex, the silence had been filled with kissing, panting, and groaning. It wasn’t even that the silence was awkward. Yet. He was pretty sure it would become so. He also liked to talk when he was nervous, as it helped him to cover up any insecurities he was feeling.
“Do you arrange picnics for all your dates?” Jag asked as he picked up one of the tiny cucumber sandwiches Michael had made.
“You make it sound as if I’ve dated tons of guys.”
“Haven’t you?” Jag’s smile was cheeky, but his voice was genuine.
“Probably not as many as you’d think.” He sighed, shifting so he was leaning on the opposite leg and arm. “I was with Edward for a long time, and I didn’t feel like dating for quite a while after he’d died.”
“I get that,” Jag said quietly, looking down.
“When I did start dating again, I think I tried too hard,” Michael carried on, trying to ease the tension.
He was definitely trying too hard with Jag. The picnic was a crazy grand gesture, but the idea had popped into his head the day before, and he hadn’t been able to shake it loose. Besides, if they really were only going to have a few weeks together, he’d decided he might as well go big or not bother at all.
Jag watched him quietly, his dark eyes harbouring sorrow. “I haven’t really dated before.”
The admission took Michael by surprise. He wasn’t sure if he was supposed to respond with a question—probably not—or an understanding nod. He played it safe and went with the latter. If Jag wanted to open up, he’d listen, but he wasn’t going to push and scare the young man away. Not now that he’d just found him.
Jag shook himself and then helped himself to more food, crunching on a breadstick. His gaze flitted around, not really settling on anything. Michael hoped he was nervous rather than bored.
“It feels as if we’ve done everything the wrong way round,” he said.
“Fucking before dating?” Jag asked.
“Yeah.”
Jag chuckled. “Well, at least we know we’re not going to be disappointed when we get back round to that.”
Michael grinned. As much as it would be easy for the night to go that way, he didn’t need it to. He wanted to spend time getting to know him as far as that was possible with the secrets Jag was closely guarding.
“This really is nice,” Jag said, smiling at him.
“You’ve already said that.” Michael’s chest tightened as he worried they were starting to struggle for conversation. It was possible that, no matter how much they liked each other, they didn’t have enough in common to make even a short-lived relationship work. Beyond good sex, at least. He longed to know more about Jag, to simply sit and talk to him without worrying he would clam up or freak out.
“I know.” Jag looked down, his lashes bashfully covering his eyes. “I’m kind of choked up about what you’ve done tonight for me. No one’s ever done anything like this before.”
“Something crazy, you mean?”
“Actually, I was thinking sweet, but no one’s done anything this crazy for me, either.” His shoulders slumped. “I don’t know how I’ll repay you.”
“You don’t have to repay me. That’s not how dating works.”
Jag laughed. “You mean I don’t have to outdo you tomorrow night?”
Michael laid his hand over Jag’s. “Not at all.”
“Good, because I’m pretty sure I couldn’t pull off anything like this.” He gestured towards the picnic spread. “Did you make all this food?”
“Some of it is straight out of the packet,” Michael admitted. “But mostly, yes.”
“It was a lot of trouble to go to,” Jag said quietly.
