His weight stays pressed into me, not a muscle twitching aside from the gentle curve of his smile. “Is that such an appalling idea? The two of us together?”
“Gods, no,” I breathe, shaking my head in a rush. “That’s why I was looking for you… I was…” A frustrated exhale pushes from my mouth as I try again. “I came to ask if you wanted to… hang out sometime.” I wince as I say it, the words helplessly awkward.
“Hang out?” he asks cautiously as he searches my face. “As friends?”
“As… more?”
His smile softens into something much sweeter, turning into the kind that reaches his eyes and crinkles them at the corners. “I’d like more.”
His gaze drops to my lips, and for a breathless moment I think he’s going to kiss me right here in the locker room. But after a few seconds of indecision, his lashes flutter and he pushes off the wall with a reluctant sigh.
“The movie starts at seven,” he says, fidgeting with his hair. “We could get dinner beforehand? Cafeteria food might not be the best way to a guy’s heart, but…” He shrugs, a sheepish half-smile tugging at his lips. “I’m working with what I’ve got here.”
“You’re working it just fine,” I insist, then cringe again.
His huffing chuckle makes my stomach flip. “I’m really glad you asked, Bash.” He bites again at his lower lip, and it’s so endearing it steals my breath.
“Technically, you asked first,” I say.
He takes a step closer, resting his hand on my waist, and the touch sends static crackling through my body. My blood turns to liquid fire as he backs me gently against the wall once more, close enough that I have to tilt my head up to hold his gaze.
“Can I tell you something?” he asks.
I only manage a nod as he leans in so close our noses brush, the faint scent of his amber soap surrounding me as I wait.
“I’ve been wanting to ask you out for a while," he admits. "Years now.”
“Why didn’t you?”
“I don’t know if you’ve picked up on this, but I don’t handle rejection well.”
Convinced I’ve misheard him, I shake my head. “You thoughtI’drejectyou?”
The ridiculousness of it nearly makes me laugh. He’s stunning, ethereal in a way that’s always left me tongue-tied, and I’m just… me.
Just Sebastian.
But the way he’s looking at me right now makes me feel like so much more.
“You don’t give yourself enough credit,” he murmurs, thumb brushing lightly over my side. “You’re the smartest person I’ve ever met, and so fucking gorgeous.”
“Me?” I squeak, more heat flooding my face.
His quiet chuckle is like a shot of liquor against my lips, burning down my throat and leaving me dizzy. He’s just far enough away to keep our mouths from brushing, and anticipation robs my lungs of rhythm.
“Yeah, Bash. You.”
An embarrassingly needy whimper slips from my throat as we meet in the middle for a tentative kiss. Static charges over my skin in prickling waves, and his lips curve into a slow smile against mine. The hand on my waist snakes around my body, fingers splaying wide to tug me closer until there’s no space left between us.
Desperate to dive deeper, my lips part in an invitation for more. His tongue drags over my bottom lip in a teasing glide, and my embarrassment is forgotten as I chase him, hungry for more. My hands fist in his scrubs, anchoring myself as a shiver races down my spine.
Footsteps and distant voices outside the door cause us to freeze, eyes fluttering open in unison. He holds me there, fingers clutched tight around the back of my lab coat like he’s reluctant to let go, and his chest rises and falls against mine in quick, uneven breaths.
“Dinner at six?” he asks, his thumb brushing idly along my spine.
I nod, because it’s all I can manage with my words tangled somewhere behind the dizzy rush in my head.
His wide grin makes my heart stumble, then he presses another sweet peck to the corner of my mouth that sends a flutter through my chest.
