He didn’t seem to realise he was the one in control of the date, but the relief when Scott agreed to any of his basic demands lit up his face.
They didn’t stroll hand in hand, although their fingers had grazed as they walked. It wasn’t the first date Scott had been on where an unspoken ‘no touch’ rule had been in force out in public, but behind closed doors, that restraint often exploded and Scott got thoroughly groped, stroked, and…if the night went well, poked.
Scott glanced back as he went through the gate, but Thomas wasn’t there. A dull ache of disappointment registered in his chest, but Scott quickly pushed it away.
Thomas was in the past. He had to stay there. At first, he’d hoped they could remain friends, but that hope was squashed two minutes after leaving Brixton.
A thick wall ran along the perimeter of the grounds, and the gate had two burly security guards. Their stony expressions and the shades over their eyes added to their intimidation, and Anthony hurried past them with his head down.
Anthony shot Scott another cautious smile after they’d climbed into the car.
“Remember,” Scott told him, “there’s no pressure to do anything.”
Anthony looked away from him, nodding.
During the ride, Scott pretended he hadn’t noticed they’d driven the same road twice, and when a car horn beeped at them for being in the wrong lane, he kept his mouth firmly shut. Anthony was clearly stalling, choking on his nerves.
“It is a lot of money, though,” he whispered finally.
“You paid for an afternoon, evening, and morning after. The evening and morning after have yet to happen.” Scott touched his knee. “I will refund you the money for them if you’ve changed your mind.”
Anthony nipped at his bottom lip, considering his options, but they didn’t drive down the same road again. Scott relaxed into his seat and kept his hand on Anthony’s knee, rubbing slow circles with his thumb. Scott felt him relax and inwardly patted himself on the back. It was baby steps, but Anthony had at least allowed Scott’s hand to linger.
Anthony pulled onto a driveway, hesitated a moment, then unclipped his seatbelt. Scott followed his cues and got out of the car. The front garden had been paved and had a few potted plants in desperate need of water. Anthony was at the front door, scratching the key against the lock, not managing to get it in. Scott wondered whether that was a metaphor for the night ahead. He laid a hand on Anthony’s back between his shoulder blades and rubbed.
“Breathe for me.”
Anthony exhaled noisily against the wooden door and slid the key into the lock. He snorted before opening the door and stepping inside.
Scott slipped off his shoes and followed Anthony into the kitchen.
“It’s a nice place,” Scott said, running his gaze around the gleaming kitchen. The counters were black marble, the units were white, and the tiles were sandstone. There was a smallwhite table with four matching chairs. Minimalist, clean and functional, Scott approved.
“Scott…”
Scott went to him immediately. Anthony kept his eyes low at first, crawling them up Scott’s body until they were sharing an intense bout of silence. Anthony’s eyes flicked away from him only to return. Scott kept his gaze steady.
“You’re…you’re a nice man.”
Scott smiled. “Thank you.” He risked knocking his hand into Anthony’s as they stood staring at each other, then asked, “Can I hold your hand?”
Anthony’s throat thudded. “I…I shouldn’t touch you.”
“Of course you can touch me,” Scott said softly, stroking the back of Anthony’s fingers. “But only if you want to. Or if you’d like, I’ll do all the touching. Or…no touching at all.”
Anthony stumbled away and dragged a kitchen chair out from under the table. He sat down with his head in his hands.
Scott scanned the kitchen, thankful for the coffee machine on the side. “What if I make us drinks?”
Anthony lifted his head, frowning.
“Coffee?” Scott asked, strolling over to prep the machine.
Luckily for him, he’d been to a lot of houses, flats and hotels, and had experience with an array of different machines. There were already cups and spoons ready, waiting on the side.
“Do you take sugar?”
Anthony nodded. “Yes. Two.”
