Jett puts his laptop down and mirrors my position. “Me too.” He strokes his foot over mine. “Do you want to get out of here for a while?”
I gasp. “Do my ears deceive me? Is Jett Harris suggesting taking a break from coding?”
He folds his arms. “I’ve been taking lots of breaks recently.”
“I know you have. Has it felt good not being consumed by work?”
“Yes.” He rubs my shin. “Thank you for waking me up. I’d been sleepwalking through life since Erica left.”
“No sleepwalking anymore. We’re going to experience life in glorious technicolour. On a budget. You’re dating a poor student, you know.” I wink.
“Living with your parents must help.”
“It does. So much.” I wince. “I should have probably got a part-time job. That was my original plan. It’s why I applied to do my MSc part-time. My parents talked me out of it.”
“Why?”
“They said I should concentrate on my studies. I’m just grateful that they’ve been willing to support me. I think they’re proud because I’m the first person in the family to do a postgraduate degree. But not working means I don’t have a lot of cash to splash around. On the other hand, we don’t need lots of money to have fun. We can do romantic stuff like having picnics in the park or taking moonlight walks.”
“Both those ideas sound nice.” Jett dips his chin. “About that double date with Rufus—”
“It’s fine if you’ve changed your mind.”
“I…haven’t.”
“You don’t sound so sure about that.”
He meets my stare. “It will be a big step, but I’m more worried about the cost. What kind of double date will it be if we go somewhere cheap?”
“A great one. The company is more important than the destination.”
Jett laughs. “I can almost believe it when you say it in that over-the-top voice.”
“Hey, I’m serious. Do you think we’d have a different conversation just because the food costs four times the price? No. We might dress a bit fancier, but we’d be the same people, talking about the same things. As long as the food is good, what does it matter how posh the place is?”
Jett’s chin quivers.
“What?” I ask.
“You. You’re”—he gestures at me—“amazing.”
“I know. I can’t help it.” I move onto my knees, with my hands on either side of his thighs, lean in close, and stare him right in the eyes. “I only need you.” I lean closer still and press my lips to his. “And you are pretty perfect in my eyes. Perfect for me anyway.”
He wraps his arms around me, moves his legs, and pulls me on top of him. I cup his cheek as we kiss.
“I’ve been thinking.” He rests his cheek against my hair.
I stroke his chest as I wait for him to continue.
“I want to try bottoming.”
I open my mouth, but he holds his hand up.
“I remember everything you said about not rushing into it, about getting comfortable using my finger and stuff like that first. But I want you to help me. I’m not sure I’m going to like it, but I won’t know if I don’t try.”
“I’d love to help.”
His chest expands as he releases a long breath. “Thanks.”
