Adathan walked out of the bathroom with a spring in his step. He stopped next to the kitchen table, giving William a smile as he asked, “Do you need space today?”
William straightened. “No.” He took his hands out of his pockets. “Do you?”
Adathan answered by closing the distance between them and wrapping his arms around him.
William exhaled a slow breath as he returned Adathan’s hug. He closed his eyes, relishing the sensation of Adathan’s fingers dancing softly against his back.
Adathan rested his forehead in the crook of his shoulder. He melted into William, his full body leaning against him, as if trusting him not to let go.
William had no desire to. In fact, he was almost tempted to go back to bed with Adathan and hold him in his arms while they slept a little longer. But it would be a very, very bad idea—especially now that he no longer had a near-bursting bladder to distract him from his memories of what had happened the first time they were in bed together.
“I was thinking we could go to the biodome today,” he said instead, letting go of Adathan. “What do you say?”
“The biodome?” Adathan pulled away but stayed close. He reached for both of William’s hands, fingers wrapping gently around his. The sheer tenderness in his eyes made William’s heart flutter. “Sounds to me like the perfect date.”
Well, fuck.
———
Adathan dragged his fingers along the tunnel’s simulated icy surface, tracing imaginary waves as they made their way towardthe Antarctic area. It was as if they were walking in a giant freezer in dire need of defrosting. Only warmer.
Adathan looked damn stylish in Oliver’s fitted bird-print button-down shirt and skinny black jeans. Even the rolled pant legs appeared to be a deliberate fashion choice. He’d tied his hair in a sleek ponytail that swayed with every step he took, like a pendulum holding William’s attention captive.
From what William could tell, he’d used the rubber band from the broccoli stalks. He wouldn’t let that happen again; they’d swing by the store later and get him proper hair accessories.
Nevertheless, Adathan looked even more irresistible than usual, and William’s willpower was waning by the minute.
“Are you cold?” William asked. “I brought an extra sweater just in case.”
Adathan shook his head, smiling.
A woman and three bouncing kids rushed past them with an explosion of giggles. Two seconds later, squeals echoed across the tunnel, announcing something cute ahead.
Adathan let out a barely audible “aww” as they exited the tunnel.
Penguins. William immediately recognized them—there were those with the long yellow eyebrows, and those... uh, without.
Wow. William’s penguin knowledge had gone to shit.
The enclosure on the other side of the glass wall was filled with water that came up to his waist, with large rocks peeking above the surface and mock glaciers in the back. Most penguins were relaxing on dry land, and the rest swam around like torpedoes in tuxedos. They looked like they were living their best lives.
Adathan crouched to meet the gaze of a curious little fellow bobbing in the water before him. The penguin lazily flapped itsflippers, its feathers puffed up like a big round marshmallow sizing up its new visitor.
William’s phone buzzed just as he grabbed it to take a picture.
? Oliver:Hey, is everything okay?
Shit.
With everything that had happened, William had forgotten to read the article. He hovered over the link, thumb ready to tap, but stopped himself.
No.
He wouldn’t be letting Richard intrude on his day with Adathan—not even in his thoughts.
? William:Sorry I missed your message yesterday. I’ll check out the article later, right now I’m at the biodome with Adathan
? Oliver:Nice! He must be enjoying himself :)
