Adrian arched an eyebrow, his smile growing wider. “A date, huh?”
“Not just a date,” Logan replied, his gaze steady, full of meaning. “A celebration. Of us. Of being here. Of… everything.”
Adrian’s expression softened further, his eyes shimmering like sunlight on water, carrying a depth of emotion that words could never capture. “Alright,” he whispered, his voice trembling just enough to betray the flood of feeling within. “Dinner it is.”
The corners of Logan’s lips curled upward, forming a smile so numinous it rivaled the divine. He leaned in to press a lingering kiss to Adrian’s forehead before murmuring, “I’ll pick you up tonight. I have to go, Ada Mae must be losing her mind.” His voice held a note of apology, even as he reluctantly pulled himself away.
Adrian’s fingers lingered on Logan’s wrist for a moment, his eyes hesitant. “You sure you don’t want to wait for the test results?” he asked, his voice wary, betraying the undercurrent of fear he worked so hard to suppress.
“They’re going to be fine,” Logan replied with a confidence that felt like a promise, though even he knew it wasn’t one he could truly guarantee. He stepped back, walking toward Adrian’s room to grab his cell phone.
“Dean hasn’t come back?” Logan asked as he glanced around, noting the absence of any noise or movement.
Adrian shook his head, a small smile tugging at his lips. “Went straight to work from his date.”
Logan chuckled, his laughter light and carefree in a way it hadn’t been in years. “I think Dean scored!” he said with a wink.
“And on the first date!” Adrian added, his laughter mingling with Logan’s, the sound filling the quiet house.
Logan’s grin turned playful as he leaned against the doorframe, his eyes sparkling with mischief. “Let’s see how you’ll be doing on our first date,” he teased, arching a brow and shooting Adrian a flirtatious wink. Despite their heartache the night before—and perhaps because of it—Logan didn’t shy away from comments like that. Teasing each other and laughing were woven into the fabric of who they were, and he longed for their relationship to blossom anew, rivalling the depths of what they once shared. One way to nurture that was by trusting their bond to carry them through both playful jests and hurtful memories.
And it worked. Where yesterday a comment similar to that one made Adrian stiffen, today it painted his cheeks with a warm blush. He shook his head with mock exasperation, laughter bubbling between them, their embarrassment woven together into a tapestry of warmth and tenderness that enveloped them both.
When it was finally time to leave, Logan couldn’t bring himself to rush. He kissed Adrian as if the world had stopped turning, as if time itself had folded in on them and nothing else existed but this moment. Five minutes passed, maybe more, but Logan didn’t care. His lips moved against Adrian’s like they were trying to memorize every inch of him, and when he finally pulled back, he laughed at himself, his forehead resting against Adrian’s.
“I’m turning into one of those people,” he said, his voice tinged with amusement. “You know, the disgusting ones who can’t keep their hands off each other, even when they’ll see their partner in a few hours?”
Adrian smiled softly, his eyes shining with affection. “Yeah,” he agreed. “But you wear it well.”
Logan laughed as he finally stepped away, his heart lighter than it had been in years. He was madly, hopelessly in love, and for the first time, he wasn’t afraid to admit it, to himself or to Adrian.
As he left the house, the thought crossed his mind like a wave crashing against the shore: he wasn’t just in love; he was starting to get used to the idea ofhavingAdrian. Of waking up next to him. Of laughing with him over something as mundane as Dean’s love life. Of holding him close and never letting go.
But there was one thing left to do—he had to make sure Adrian would stick around. And Logan knew, deep in his soul, that he would move heaven and earth to make that happen. Tonight’s dinner wouldn’t just be a date; it would be a step toward the future he could finally see on the horizon, one where Adrian would always be by his side.
The early evening sky was painted in hues of deep blue and gold as Logan parked his rented Maserati in front of Adrian’s house. The engine purred to a stop, and Logan stepped out, brushing his hands over his jeans as he admired the sleek car for a moment. The decision to rent it had been impulsive, but he’d needed something to counter the frustration of cab rides, and besides, tonight was special. He wasn’t going to let anything, not even a car, stand in the way of this moment with Adrian.
He made his way to the door, letting himself in as Adrian had instructed in his text. The house was quiet except for the faint sounds of movementcoming from Adrian’s room. Logan headed straight there, his heart skipping a beat as he reached the doorway and caught sight of him.
“Wow,” Logan breathed, his eyes trailing over Adrian, who was buttoning up a sleek black shirt. His long hair was pulled back into a neat ponytail, and the navy jeans hugged his hips in a way that made Logan forget how to form words for a moment. Adrian looked like a vision, like something Logan might have dreamed up during one of his sleepless nights.
Adrian glanced up, a knowing smirk playing at his lips. “Not too bad yourself,” he said, his eyes flicking over Logan before he winked and returned to his buttons.
Logan closed the distance between them, his hands sliding up to cradle Adrian’s neck. “How are you feeling?” he asked softly, his gaze searching Adrian’s for any trace of fatigue or discomfort.
Adrian smiled, leaning into Logan’s touch. “Okay,” he murmured before pulling Logan into a kiss. It was soft, slow, and grounding, and Logan’s heart seized in the sweetest anticipation.
God, they wereplaying house. They were pulling off the whole boyfriend thing—kissing in doorways, teasing about dinner reservations—and Logan was completely in love with it. With Adrian. With every bit of this ridiculous domesticity.
“Let’s go,” Logan said after they broke apart, his voice filled with a barely contained excitement. “I made reservations, we still have some time but we can maybe look around before.” Technically, Dean had suggested the restaurant when Logan called him in a mild panic, but Logan had made the call himself. “And I even scoped out a party we can hit afterward.”
Adrian cocked an eyebrow, amused. “A party?”
Logan threw his hands up in mock defensiveness as they walked toward the living room. “Come on, I’m allowed to want to go to a party once in a while. Let me have this.”
Before Adrian could reply, Dean’s voice cut through the house like a fire alarm. “Adrian! Holy fuck, there’s a Maserati outside our house!” Dean’s footsteps thundered as he rushed into the room, his eyes wide with disbelief. “There’s aMaseratiparked outside!Our house!”
Logan smiled smugly as he dug into his pocket. Adrian’s eyes sparkled with recognition just before Logan retrieved the keys and dangled them playfully.
