She played with the hair at the nape of his neck, then signed, “Do you want to wear a cape and tights?”
His eyes rose to the ceiling in thought.“Not really.I’d prefer armor like Thor or maybe the leather outfit of Star Lord.”His eyebrows waggled in a silly way.
They both laughed, and some of the heaviness melted away.She sagged against him and his arms wrapped around her back, holding her close.It was perfect, though she couldn’t sign to him this way.One drawback of having a Deaf boyfriend.
Was he her boyfriend?Should she ask?Was it too soon?What if he said they were only fooling around?Better to find out now than look like a loser later, right?
“So this kissing that we’re doing … What are we calling it?”
His eyes narrowed.“Kissing?What else would you call it?Making out?Nookie?Don’t the British call it snogging?”
He had to make a joke out of everything.Did he really not know what she was asking, or was he as afraid as she was of giving it a name?
“Are we dating?Seeing each other?”She tensed, waiting to see his reaction.
“We see each other every day.This kissing thing is new.However, we haven’t actually gone on a date, so we can’t call it that.”
“Do you want to go on a date?We kind of did when we went to Boston last month.”
His dimple appeared as he grinned.“I had a really good time in Boston, except when your ex showed up and tried to steal you away from me.”
She rolled her eyes.“Oh, believe me, Callum could never steal me away from you or anyone else.He’s a complete dud.I found that out the hard way.”
Evan stilled.“If we date, maybe you’ll find out I’m a dud.”
Tipping her head, she signed, “I’ve known you for a bazillion years.I think I would have known if you were a dud before now.”
“I’ve never been your boyfriend before.Maybe that’s what I’m a dud at.I’ve never had a girlfriend very long.”
“Who usually breaks up in your relationships?”How anyone could want to stop seeing Evan, she didn’t know.
“I usually do.Mostly, I wasn’t that into them.I want someone who gets me and isn’t only trying to show her friends that she’s cool enough to go out with a Deaf guy.Or a Deaf girl seeing me only because I’m Deaf and available, not because she likes the real me.”
“I hang out with you because you’re fun.Most of the time.When you aren’t teasing me.”
He laughed.“Admit it, you love it when I tease you.Because you tease me right back.That’s what makes it fun.I can be myself with you and not feel like I need to change who I am.”
That was possibly one of the best compliments she’d ever gotten.They both stopped laughing and stared at each other.The air grew heavier, more serious, a far cry from the light atmosphere they typically maintained.Her heart thudded in her chest, and she was glad he couldn’t hear how loud it was.She’d never wanted to kiss someone as badly as she did right this moment.
His fingers stroked her cheek, then he signed with his other hand.“So soft.I love your skin.”He leaned in, watching her, giving her a chance to back away.She couldn’t if her life depended on it.
This kiss felt different.More serious and emotional.Perfection.Something swelled inside her as their lips caressed, her thoughts surrounding him stronger than ever.He saw himself as broken, fractured, and she wanted to make him see that every piece of him was exactly where it needed to be.She saw him fully and knew exactly how extraordinary he was.
As they ended the kiss, her heart gave a kick.She was falling in love with him.When had that happened?She wanted to bask in the glow of it.Leaning back, she pulled him with her until they rested on the couch cushions.Evan held himself up by his elbows, so he didn’t crush her.Their lips touched over and over again, nothing wild but deeply personal.
He propped himself on his side and smirked.“So, leather pants, huh?”
She laughed, but inside she trembled, knowing this wasn’t simply a crush anymore.He wasn’t only a friend, or roommate, or even the guy she helped with lessons.He was the man she loved.
After shutting off his light, Evan slipped into bed and pulled the covers over himself.Would he even be able to sleep after the night he’d had with Mercedes?Not that they’d gone much further than kissing, but for them, it was beyond anything they’d done before.
The woman was incredible.Besides the sessions they were doing, where she basically translated the written word into ASL, she was his biggest cheerleader.Tonight, she’d gotten hot under the collar and told him off.It had been a bit of a turn on, seeing her all passionate and spunky.She didn’t take any crap from anyone, certainly not him, but it had helped to see himself in a different light, the way she saw him, or so she said.
He still had a hard time believing a woman as intelligent and beautiful as Mercedes could be interested in a construction worker who was covered in dirt daily, but she wasn’t the type to say something that wasn’t true.Being fake was not in Mercedes’ makeup.
It was totally adorable how she wanted to learn all about the heavy equipment he worked on.Her questions were relevant and in depth.Was she really interested in the construction vehicles or was it only to make him feel better?Or perhaps it was exactly as she’d said, so she could help him interpret the book and get to know what he did better.It was amazing that she wanted to connect with him that way.Unfortunately, he couldn’t connect with her job in the same way.Maybe he could find another way to relate to her career.
The best thing that had happened tonight was feeling like he could be himself with Mercedes.When he’d said it, she’d nodded and smiled like he’d given her the biggest compliment.They’d had that close camaraderie ever since they were kids, but their relationship had altered a bit lately.It was nice to see it hadn’t altered all that much in some ways.
