Chapter Six
A lot of thought had gone into picking Isaac’s first ever gay bar, and Julian was proud of his choice. Classy enough not to get groped bytoomany strangers, but fun enough to satisfy Isaac’s personality.
“So this is it?” Isaac asked, looking up at the unsubtle rainbow sign.
“You were expecting something else?” Julian asked. Maybe thishadn’tbeen the right choice, though Isaac was definitely dressed for it. Painted-on jeans that left excruciatingly little to the imagination and a black t-shirt that had almost definitely shrunk in the wash was the perfect look for him, whether he knew it or not.
He was going to draw alotof attention in here, but Julian suspected he’d like that. Even if itwasmostly male attention.
Isaac kept looking up at the sign.
“I’m not freaking out,” he said, which meant he was.
Julian’s heart sank. He’d been afraid of this. He should have picked somewhere more discreet to start with, but he’d been afraid that’d bore Isaac.
“We can go,” Julian offered.
To his surprise, Isaac shook his head. “No,” he said, finally looking away from the sign and at Julian instead. “Just… hold my hand?”
Julian looked down at Isaac’s offered hand, and then reached out to take it without having to think for a moment. Of course he’d hold Isaac’s hand.
“Thanks,” Isaac murmured.
Julian tugged him toward the door, pulling him inside quickly. The same way he would have ripped a bandaid off or plunged into a pool. Once the initial shock was over, Isaac would be fine.
As soon as they were safely inside, Julian turned to look at Isaac.
Only to find him staring with his mouth wide open at the crowd.
“Wow,” he said softly, his eyes lighting up.
Warmth spread in Julian’s chest. Isaac looked like a kid at Christmas, a man discovering a whole new world. Julian couldn’t remember him ever being so endearing.
Well… that was a lie, but it wasreallyendearing.
“You know you’re staring, right?” Julian asked while they were still in the slightly quieter part of the bar, where conversation wasn’t literally impossible. He doubted anyone here would mind a man like Isaac staring at them, but it was still theoretically rude.
“If you hadn’t been allowed to look at men your entire life and then you were in a room full of them and there was at least the possibility that all of them might want you… wouldn’t you stare?”
Julian blushed, thinking back to his own first time in a gay bar. He’d definitely done a lot of staring.
He’d gone with a boyfriend, too. Arealboyfriend, but Isaac was stuck with a fake one.
Slowly, Julian realized he was still holding Isaac’s hand. He wasn’t sure if now was the time to let go, though. He’d have to find a way to do that gently, since he didn’t want Isaac to feel like he was being abandoned.
Or like Julian didn’tlikeholding his hand. He’d come to the conclusion that if this was all he was ever getting from Isaac, he might as well enjoy it.
“So, uh…” Isaac said, looking around. “How many drinks are you gonna need before you’ll dance?”
“Oh, I’ll dance sober,” Julian said, beaming at him. He was glad Isaac seemed to be relaxing.
Isaac raised an eyebrow.
“You’re in my territory now,” Julian shrugged. “These are my people. I’m always happy to dance with them.”
In response, Isaac tugged on Julian’s hand, pulling him toward the rest of the crowd.
Disappointingly, he let go of Julian’s hand as soon as they’d worked themselves into the throng of people. At least that saved Julian having to work out when the best time would be.
