“When was your last steady relationship?” Nick wouldn’t normally bring something like that up so quickly, but they were nearly done with their second bottle of wine now. He wasn’t drunk, but he was definitely into that fuzzy place where he could ask those kinds of questions.
Oliver paused as he scraped chocolate off his plate with one of the crumbly cookies that came with his coffee. His cheeks were flushed, but Nick’s question made the brightness in his eyes dim. “I was with someone for a long time. It ended last year.” He popped the cookie into his mouth, then licked crumbs from his fingers. Nick’s pulse fluttered as Oliver’s lips smacked together. “What about you?”
Nick balked, then flushed when Oliver smiled, like he’d caught Nick staring. He cleared his throat. “I was married once, right after school. It didn’t last. You shouldn’t get married when you’re that young.” He should mention Hayden too and get it over with. Short-circuited career, ex-wife, kid on house arrest. The trifecta of bad dates. Oliver would run screaming.
“So you’re bi then?”
Nick took a slow breath before replying. “Is that a problem?”
“Is it a problem that I’m not?” Oliver raised a glass, and Nick clinked his against it.
They both watched each other as they drank. Nick’s hand shook as he set the glass down, but he couldn’t make himself look away. His heartbeat was unsteady, and a warm glow spread through his belly. Oliver’s fingers played over the edge of his wine glass until he sat back in his chair, a broad palm smoothing over the front of his shirt.
Nick didn’t know much about clothes. He owned three pairs of the same jeans, and lately he’d taken to buying his T-shirts in five-packs online, while everything Oliver wore was expensive. The shirt fit him too well to be bought at a chain store. The buttons weren’t plastic like Nick’s. And where Nick had strapped on the ancient watch that usually lived at the back of his dresser, only taken out for special occasions, Oliver sported a black smart watch with a display that flashed on and off as he talked and gestured with his hands.
Oliver seemed like a really good guy, but they were very different. The odds those differences would make for a solid long-term relationship weren’t good. And that bothered Nick more than it had any right to.
As if on cue, his phone pinged in his pocket. Oliver blinked, breaking the moment between them.
Nick checked the time. Nearly eight-thirty. How had they been there for more than two hours?
Anya’s text flashed on the screen.
Where are you?
He glanced up at Oliver, who was watching him.
“Sorry,” he said. “I shouldn’t have done that. Don’t want to be that guy checking his phone in the middle of dinner.”
“We’re hardly in the middle of it.” Oliver’s smiles had softened over the course of the meal, and they held less teasing now.
Nick returned the smile. “I had a good time.”
“So I’m forgiven for towing your car?”
Nick snorted. “Almost.”
“How can I make it up to you?”
The warmth that had taken up residence in Nick’s chest and his full belly started to spread, moving south at Oliver’s question and the way his eyes danced as he said it.
The phone pinged in Nick’s pocket again, feeling like cold water in his lap. “Probably time to call it a night.”
Oliver’s smile dropped, but he didn’t protest.
The server took away their plates and brought a bill. Nick tried to pay for half, but Oliver held true to his word and covered the whole thing.
They walked side by side out of the restaurant.
“That was fun,” Oliver said as they stood in the parking lot.
“Yeah.”
“I’ll see you around?”
Nick scratched his chin to hide his frown. He’d had a nice time, but he still didn’t know why he was here. They had almost nothing in common, and sooner or later, Nick would have to tell him about what was going on at home. No way Oliver would stick around after that.
“I’ll be careful not to park my car in the municipal lot on market days from now on.” He held out his hand to shake, and Oliver took it. His skin was warm, the grip firm. Nick watched their hands twine together, following the line up Oliver’s arm to his shoulder and then to his face.
