“What gave me away?” I ask, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand.
Isaac follows the movement before his gaze slips back up to mine. “The turtlenecks.”
I bark a laugh, and Isaac smiles smugly. He takes a moment to set himself to rights, tugging his light jacket into place and running fingers through his hair.
Finally, he blows out a breath. “Can I just…try something? Before you go?”
Curious, I nod, and Isaac steps forward. He wraps both hands around my bicep, his fingertips not meeting.
“Jesus,” he murmurs.
“It gets bigger,” I whisper.
Isaac snorts when I flex the muscle, his hands lingering for a moment before they fall away. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”
“Bright and early. Do I have your number?”
He startles before chuckling and pulling his phone free. “Uh, no. That was Lumi’s.”
I hum, inputting my digits into Isaac’s phone when he hands it my way. “And did she like the video?”
Isaac accepts his phone, cheeks red as he saves my contact. “Far too much.”
“It doesn’t bother you?” I check. “You said before she was off-limits.”
My phone chimes before Isaac slips his own away. His exhale is measured. “Because Lumi and Todd are my family. I don’t want you looking at them the way you look at me.”
Isaac’s breath hitches when I clasp my hand against the side of his neck, thumb raising his chin. “How could I see them when you are the sun?”
“Jesus, Trevor. Are you always going to be like this?”
“Do you want me to be?”
He doesn’t give me ano, his eyes pinging between my own. “Please don’t make me regret this.”
The words don’t sound like a threat. They sound like a plea.
I kiss Isaac’s cheek. One and then the other. His skin is hot beneath my lips, a stark contrast to the chill in the air. When I press my lips to his, his hand fists in my sweater.
“One day soon,” I tell him, “I’ll have tasted every freckle on your skin. I’ll ask you then if I’ve given you any reason to regret putting your trust in me.”
His eyes slip closed, his breath stuttering. “I think you were born in the wrong era, Trevor.”
“No. I’m right where I want to be.”
Isaac relaxes his grip on my sweater, his hand smoothing over the fabric as if in apology. He gives me a small push, opening his eyes at last. “I’ll see you later.”
“Mhm.”
After a second in which neither of us moves, Isaac laughs and shoves me further away. “You go. I need a second.”
I glance pointedly downward, eyes raking over Isaac’s jeans. “Did you already forget what your legs are for? I haven’t even done the good stuff yet.”
“Get out of here, you asshole. And stop smiling like that. For fuck’s sake, you don’t have to look so pleased. And there you go. Yep.Bye. You dick.”
I chuckle to myself as Isaac continues muttering, the heat of his touch like a phantom pressed against me. When I pull my phone free, I find his text waiting: a simple “It’s me.” I save the contact as “Red,” my smile aching my cheeks.
No, I don’t plan on giving Isaac a single regret when it comes to him and me.
