Rein shrugs but doesn't smile, clearly weighed down by whatever it is he's going to tell me. I try to keep my nerves in check, not liking not knowing what it is. We order drinks and loaded fries, but they've run out of pickled jalapeños, which seals the deal; thiswillbe the last time we come here.
"I have to tell you something," he says, and it almost sounds like the beginning of a confession, with the dramatic pause and all.
"Okay."
I brace myself. He opens his mouth, and…the server arrives. Once she's gone, Rein dives straight in.
Although, maybestraightisn't the right word.
"I've been doing some thinking. About us." His brow is creased, and he's not looking me in the eye, intensely focused on twisting the napkin around his fingers instead. "About…myfeelingsfor you."
Something about the way he breathes out the wordfeelingsmakes my heart beat harder. "Go on."
He lifts his head, his eyes meeting mine. "I'm in love with you, Beau. And it's more than friendship love. It's romantic love. And I know that me saying this risks our newly re-formed friendship, but I couldn't face not telling you. I've learned my lesson, and I am never going to repeat the mistake of not making more of an effort to make sure we talk about things, like I should have done after the accident. So, yeah, there it is. Bomb has been dropped." He drops his gaze to the napkin again. "Thoughts?"
"Ummm…well, the first thing that springs to mind is aren't you straight?"
"I am. This isn't about other guys. It's only about you. I'm in love withyou."
Mydon't get your hopes upcheer squad don't even bother showing up. It'd be useless if they did anyway. "I cannot tell you how much I've wanted to hear you say that."
"Really?" His left eye twitches. "Even after all this time?"
I snort. "What? You thought I was only into you when you were young and hot?"
"Hey, I may not be young anymore, but I am still incredibly hot."
"You are." I reach across the table, untwist the napkin from his fingers so I can take his hand in mine, and say, "Not to mention modest."
"I realize you may need to take some time to process, but…how are you feeling?"
"I'm feeling a lot of things," I answer, tuning into my emotional radar to get a read of what's going on with me. "I'm happy, of course. I'm in shock that this is happening. I think we have a lot to unpack. And…"
"And what?"
I look up at him as heat stirs deep in my core. "And I can't help wondering what it would be like to kiss you again…among other things."
"Other things?" Our eyes lock like laser beams. Sexual laser beams. "Like what?"
I love that he's challenging me, that he wants to hear me say it, since I'm pretty sure he's got a good idea of what I mean.
"Like make love to you, Rein."
13
Rein
Did I want to rush out of that diner, find the nearest Super 8, and make mad, passionate love to Beau?
Yes. Yes, I did.
Is that what happened?
No.
Why not?
Because this is real life, not some cheesy Turkish telenovela, like the ones Granny is so obsessed with she taught herself all about VPNs just so she could pirate them to feed her insatiable addiction.
