Angelo ended the call and unlocked thedoor.
On the other side, Dylan was leaning against the wall, looking a lot more sober than he’d sounded the previous day, though his shadowed eyes told the tale of a late night. “All right,mate?”
“Am now.” Angelo found a smile from somewhere and plastered it on, and the longer he stared at Dylan, absorbing his silky soft hair and spirited gaze, the easier it was to hold on to. “Comein.”
Dylan slipped past him into the deli. “Oh wow. You madefood?”
“It’s just some leftovers really. Wecan?—?”
“Fuck no. We’re staying in.” Dylan zeroed in on the antipasti Angelo had laid out and popped a green olive into his mouth. “I was going to suggest pizza, but this is so much better. I was drooling over these artichokes the otherday.”
Dylan’s enthusiasm was so heartfelt that Angelo couldn’t contain his widening grin. Truth be told, he was sick to death of Italian food and everything it represented to him, but he’d eat a bazillion marinated tomatoes if it made Dylan smile like that. “There’s not much focaccia left, but we can make paninis if youlike?”
“Prosciutto and mozzarella? With basil andanchovies?”
Angelo laughed. “Sure. Whatever youwant.”
And like magic, any awkwardness that might’ve hung over them faded away. Dylan ate everything Angelo put in front of him and encouraged Angelo to eat far more than he would’ve if he’d beenalone.
“You’re going to make me fat,” he muttered, patting hisstomach.
Dylan’s gaze lingered on Angelo’s abdomen. “Doubt it, mate. Your body isawesome.”
The ever-present fatigue in Angelo’s muscles begged to differ, but he pushed the shadows away. “It’s all leftover from my dancing days. I don’t know how much longer it will stickaround.”
“You don’t dance at allanymore?”
Angelo shook his head. “I don’t havetime.”
It was mostly true. There were studios around Romford that he could’ve trained at, but arsing around in front of a mirror would never be the same as performing on stage, and he didn’t even want it to be. The days when he could barely move were easier to take when he wasn’t missing asmuch.
Dylan seemed to accept his half answer as he stole the last slice of salami and wrapped it around a caramelised pear. He studded it with Gorgonzola and popped it in his mouth and then speared Angelo with a curiousgaze.
Angelo shifted in his seat. Dylan was the master of small talk, but he was sometimes at his loudest when he said nothing at all. “Fuck’s sake,” Angelo growled. “What?”
“Justwondering.”
“Wonderingwhat?”
“What you look like when you’re dancing. I mean, you move like a lion, so I know you’re graceful as fuck, but I’m trying to picture you with your legs all pointing up in the air or something, and Ican’t.”
Neither could Angelo anymore, but he understood Dylan’s curiosity. Previous lovers had always been intrigued by his profession and fascinated by the things his healthy body could do. “I’m pretty flexible, or at least I can be when I’m fit, and I’m strong too. Male dancers do a lot oflifting.”
Dylan nodded slowly, still chewing. “That makes sense. The way you threw me around in the club had me looking out for some giant, hairybear.”
“Giant?” Angelo laughed and it chased away some of the tension in his shoulders. “You think only big men can bestrong?”
“Notanymore.”
The sudden heat in Dylan’s eyes went straight to Angelo’s pulse, quickening it and warming his blood so fast that it roared in his ears. The urge to jump Dylan was overwhelming, but he swallowed it. Choked on it. And slid from his stool. Tight jeans were no good for stretching, but the pair he wore were so old that they had little resistance left. He braced himself and then cautiously lifted his foot from the floor. Extending his leg was easier than he expected, and lengthening it out feltgood?—natural?—and the ease with which he stretched it up and behind his head surprised evenhim.
Dylan’s expression was a fucking cartoon. “Wow. That’sincredible.”
“Not really.” Angelo held the pose until his abandoned muscles protested and then slowly returned his leg to earth. “I’ve been doing that since I wasnine.”
“Still wow. I can barely do theMacarena.”
“I did a show in Barcelona a few years ago that included thosemoves.”
