Penny
What he said.
Me
Not sure why I’m friends with either of you tbh. I’m going to Dare’s tonight and I don’t know what I’m supposed to wear. Do I go casual? Dressy? Slutty?
Wes
Slutty. Definitely slutty.
Penny
What he said.
Me
I can’t tell if you’re both serious or if you’re trying to ruin my life.
Wes
Harlan, Darío isn’t going to give a single fuck what you wear. That man would love you if you showed up in a garbage bag. Wear something comfortable with something slutty under it. Focus on having that conversation that you two need to have so you can stop dancing around the inevitable. The next text in this chat better be to tell us you’ve finally gotten fucked into the mattress. Love you!
Penny
What he said.
Me
Pen, your insight has been enlightening. Love you both. Stay safe tonight!
I roll my eyes at Penny before tossing my phone into the heap of clothes. Wes is right. Besides, the tattoo on my thigh is going to be the star of the show, anyway. I settle on a royal blue lace jockstrap, ripped jeans that just barely conceal the tattoo, and a loose, cream-colored sweater. Fixing my hair quickly in the vanity mirror, I decide to wear my glasses instead of putting my contacts in. If it’s because Dare thinks it’s hot, no one has to know that but me.
After the way we left things on Christmas, we need to have a conversation. We’ve spent the last couple months building a friendship that feels stronger than it ever has been in some ways. We talk about simple things during our runs in the morning—what the team is up to, our families, L&L—but we avoidthe incident, and what that year was like for both of us. They were some of the darkest days of my life. I’m sure he knows that, since I was bleeding out all over the place. All of that has me feelinggood about our conversation tonight. I’ve never been as sure about anything as I am about Dare.
He texted me earlier to tell me to just walk in, rather than knock. That sets a riot of butterflies loose in my belly. It’s a double-edged sword walking into the townhouse that I called home for the best years of my life. It feels like home, and yet, it’s unfamiliar from the perspective of being only a guest. Not that Dare has made me feel that way. Quite the opposite, in fact. He insists that he hasn’t changed anything—which is true—and he tells me to make myself at home.
The moment I walk through the mahogany door, I am hit with the delicious and vaguely familiar smell of dinner cooking. I find Dare in the kitchen, in low-slung gray sweats and a black crop top, that I’d bet money has the teal and purple Sea Scorpions logo on the front. I may have been teasing with my glasses, but he knows how I feel about him in this outfit. It’s going to be a long night.Fuck me. But actually, thanks.
“Are you going to just stare at me all night, or did you plan to say hello?” He doesn’t turn around, but I stick my tongue out at him, anyway. Leaning over his shoulder, I see a clay pot ofAjiacosimmering on the stovetop.It’s my second-favorite Colombian soup, and my mouth immediately waters.
“Smells delicious,” I purr near his ear. Dare snaps his teeth at me before leaning backward to give me a kiss, sending chills down to my toes. He growls and pulls away to finish preparing food. “How can I help? And where is Craig?” I expected a wiggly greeting, but I haven’t seen the puppy since I came in.
“Doggy daycare. I figured tonight we needed to be alone.” Alone sounds perfect, I think. “If you can slice the avocado, the rice should be done, and we’ll be ready to eat. I also made natilla, even though you had Mama’s. If you comment about how hers is better, I’ll never make you anything again.” He winks at me as he hands me a knife from the block next to the stove.
“I’m sure your natilla is passable,” I sniff, getting to work on the perfectly ripe avocado. As always, we work well together in the kitchen, talking and teasing. He prepares the aji in a small bowl before uncovering the chicken breast and shredding it. Without being told, I know he’ll have sour cream in the fridge. I plate up rice with avocado slices on the side for each of us and carry both to the dining room table, with the bowl of aji and sour cream.
Dare appears with two soup bowls and places them in our normal spots before taking his seat. “You look beautiful, Lan.” His soft smile makes me blush. I don’t know why I’m so shy right now. It’s Darío. The love of my life. The other half of my heart.
“Thank you. And thank you for dinner.” I return his smile, and I can feel my face heat further.Jesus, Harlan. Breathe.
“I don’t want this to be weird, Lan. I haven’t been avoiding the conversation because I think it’s going to go badly. I’m just afraid to burst this bubble we’ve been in for the last couple of months.” He holds my gaze as he eats a spoonful of soup. Even the way he eats soup is hot.Why am I like this?
“I get it,” I tell him, because I really do. “What is this? What are we?” The hard questions. May as well jump in the deep end.
Placing his spoon down, he considers me for a moment before speaking. “I’ve been terrified since that day we had lunch. First that you would say no, but then it’s been that you would eventually decide you didn’t want that. And now, I’m so afraid that if we try again, and I lose you, I won’t survive that.” Seeing Dare this vulnerable does something to my heart.
“I wouldn’t do that…” I begin. Doesn’t he know? I would sooner rip out my heart and hand it to him than hurt him that way again.
