“Iknow,” Patrick groaned. “That’s the problem. We sort of missed the dating bit and skipped straight to being together.”
“And that’s a problem how?”
He sipped his coffee as he got his thoughts in order. “Because I moved in here when I was desperate for somewhere to live. Simon and the guys took me in as a favor to Charlie and Josh. I was sort of forced on them. They were great, don’t get me wrong, but they weren’t given much choice in the matter. Then we became friends and hung out, and this thing between Simon and me happened.”
“And? I’m still not seeing the problem.”
“We went from friends to lovers—” He glanced at Lisa, but her expression didn’t change, “—to living together. That one weekend away changed everything.”
“I thought it changed everything in a good way. So, you regret that you’re living together?”
“No!”
“That Simon hasn’t taken you out on a proper date?”
“No! It isn’t that.” He sighed. “I regret thatIhaven’t taken him out and showed him how special he is.”
Lisa placed her hand on his. “Hon, he knows that already. He’d be blind not to see how much you care for him. And him for you. I’ve seen you guys together, and even the boys picked up on something.”
Patrick looked up suddenly. “Really?”
“Yes, really. You couldn’t take your eyes off each other, even before your weekend away. And let me tell you something, even when you were out as a group, you two looked like you were together, and you sure as hell weren’t with anyone else, not in the whole time I’ve known you since you moved in.”
“Well, no.” It had been ages since Patrick had even been interested in anyone else, and since he’d met Simon his thoughts had been entirely consumed by him. He hadn’t given anyone else a second thought.
“So maybe you just need to relax and go with the flow. You may have only recently started dating and moved in together pretty fast, but when it really counts you’ve been seeing each other for a while, even if you didn’t know it.” She nudged him in the ribs. “Plus, isn’t it a lot more fun now with all those extra benefits?” Her laugh rang out clear.
Patrick blushed, all of a sudden very interested in his coffee mug as he thought of the night before.Oh yeah, there are definite benefits of being more than friends.He could hardly meet Lisa’s eyes, and when he eventually did look up it was to see her smirking grin.
“What? You think I don’t know what goes on? The walls in this house are pretty thin, you know.”
“Kill me now,” Patrick muttered under his breath, but he couldn’t help returning her smile.
“That’s better.” She stood with a lot more energy than Patrick had. “Now come on and finish that coffee and go get ready for your date.”
“Oh God.”
“What now?”
“We’re back to the original problem.”
“And that is?”
“Simon took me for a weekend away in the mountains. The best weekend ever. He had everything arranged perfectly—the location, the food, absolutely everything. Since then we’ve mainly done stuff as a group, or hung out here at home. I wanted to take him somewhere special, like he did for me. The trouble is there isn’t really anywhere very special in town. The closest thing to special is Alfredo’s.”
“There’s nothing wrong with Alfredo’s.” But Lisa’s voice didn’t hold much excitement. Now it was Patrick’s turn to raise a brow. “Okay, you’re right. It’s stuffy and old-fashioned.” She raised a hand to her mouth. “Shit, you didn’t make a reservation there, did you?”
Patrick chuckled. “No. I have enough sense to know that Simon wouldn’t enjoy it any more than you or I would.”
“So what did you decide? The dinner and movie?”
Patrick stood and walked to the sink. He watched the dark remnants of his coffee swirl down the drain. He felt like a fool, a romantic fool. He faced Lisa, who was watching him expectantly. “I didn’t want to do the corny dinner and a movie thing, and there was honestly nowhere I thought Simon would want to go that would be special enough, so… so I arranged a picnic.”
Lisa’s response was immediate and enthusiastic. “That’s perfect! It’s personal and special. And very romantic. I don’t know why you thought you wouldn’t be good at dating. I think you’ve mastered the art.”
“Not too sappy? You don’t think the movie and burger is a better idea?”
“There’s no such thing as too sappy, and I don’t think Simon will think so either,” Lisa said, moving back to the cooktop, where she stirred the simmering sauce. “Although won’t it be a bit dark and cool out for a picnic?”
