Charlie laughed, reaching over to hit the button that reset the pins, effectively ending the game. He was still a few points ahead of Scott, he really didn’t need to keep going. He didn’t actually want to kick Scott’s ass. Not like this, when he was obviously at an unfair advantage.
“I play in the summer league. We’ve been champions four years running,” Charlie admitted.
“Oh,” Scott said, his cheeks going pink. “I haven’t played since I was a kid.”
“I figured. You’re actually really good. And itisreally hot that you’ve been trying to impress me all night, and you’re such a sweetheart. This has been a great date.”
Charlie genuinely couldn’t remember having this much fun in a long time. He loved his friends, and he always had fun with them, but Scott made him feel…
Special. That was really the only word for it. And everyone wanted someone like that in their life, didn’t they? Someone who made them feel like they were the most wonderful person in the world.
If this was what being Scott’s boyfriend was going to be like, Charlie couldn’t think of anything he wanted more.
“So, does going on a date with a guy make me officially bi?” Scott asked, sitting down to kick his bowling shoes off. Charlie suspected they’d been a half-size too big and Scott hadn’t wanted to make a fuss about it.
His nervousness was endearing, but Charlie really wanted to skip past that to being comfortable with each other. He felt at home with Scott, and he wanted Scott to feel the same.
“If you identify as bi, you’re bi. That’s how it works. So yes, officially bi if that’s how you want to think of yourself,” Charlie said. He knew he was sailing dangerously close to entering Textbook Mode, but he wanted Scott to understand that he didn’t have to immediately jump into a box and close the lid on himself.
“I do want to. I feel much cooler already,” Scott said.
Charlie sat down next to him, untying his own shoes to change out of them. “You’re not supposed to do it because it’s cool. You’re supposed to do it because it feels right.”
“It does feel right.” Scott focused on his own shoes, his voice a low rumble. “I mean, really… really right. Like when I realized I wanted to be a vet. And I upended my whole life to do that and now… now there’s you. And being around you feels good.”
Charlie made a soft, low whine in response, unable to articulate how sweet that was and how good it felt to hear. Instead of searching for better words, he reached out to take Scott’s hand.
“Being around you feels good to me, too,” he said, figuring Scott would understand the rest.
Scott nodded slowly, sitting back in the crappy plastic seat and breathing a deep, heartfelt sigh that seemed to make his whole body shudder.
“That was terrifying, and I’m really glad I got to say it to you first,” Scott said.
“You can always tell me things,” Charlie said. “Even if this doesn’t work out or you change your mind or whatever. I’ll listen.”
“That’s kinda what you do, isn’t it?” Scott looked over at him, his brows knitted together thoughtfully. “I’ve never really used a library regularly before I moved here, but librarians are kind of… like teachers and priests rolled into one. You’d never tell anyone if I borrowed a book on something super embarrassing or weird, would you? Even though you know.”
“No, of course not. You expect privacy, and you get it. I rarely look up what people have borrowed unless a book goes missing or they ask me.” Charlie shrugged. “I’ve never been compared to a priest before, though. I’m probably allowed to tell the cops if you tell me you’ve murdered someone.”
“It’s not the greatest comparison,” Scott said. “But you know what I mean. I can trust you, and I know that, because everyone else trusts you. Whenever I mention you to people, they pretty much always respond with ‘oh, Charlie the librarian? I love Charlie,’ or something like that.”
Charlie squirmed in his seat, barely able to contain his feelings about all of that. People liked him. Scott was talking to him about other people.Scottliked him.
It was all a little too much.
“Did you wanna take me home sometime soon?” Charlie asked.
Scott stood, stretching his arms high above his head, then swooped down to grab his shoes. “I’d like to take you home right now. If you’ll come?”
“Oh, I’m planning on coming,” Charlie smirked, wiggling his eyebrows.
“Dude,” Scott said, his mouth falling open.
“What?” Charlie batted his eyelashes, making himself look as innocent as possible. He knew Scott wouldn’t buy it, but the incredulous look on his face was what he’d really been aiming for.
“One minute you’re wise and adorable, the next minute you’re making sex jokes.”
“I contain multitudes,” Charlie said, picking up his shoes and heading for the counter, fully expecting Scott to follow him.
