Rick didn’t seem offended. “I needed to get out. It’s been a long week.”
Allen’s throat tightened again. He didn’t know why he kept reacting to Rick like this. He took another sip of chai, which was thankfully cooler this time. “I understand that.”
Rick watched him. “Do you always drink that?”
Allen lifted a shoulder. “Yeah.”
“I can see it.”
Allen frowned. “What does that mean?”
Rick’s mouth twitched. “It’s sweet. Comforting.”
Allen stared at him. Rick’s comments felt weirdly intimate, and his face heated up in response. “It’s nice,” he murmured.
Rick looked away and cleared his throat, then asked, “What do you do when you’re not dealing with angry customers?”
Allen shrugged. “Not much. I go out sometimes and see friends or watch stuff and I like to cook.”
Rick nodded slowly. “You sound bored.”
Allen’s eyes flicked up, and he furrowed his brow. “I’m not bored.”
Rick’s gaze held his. “You are.”
Allen opened his mouth, then shut it again because Rick was right. Allen didn’t know why that annoyed him, but it did. It also made him feel seen, and he couldn’t explain why.
He put his cup down. “What do you do?”
Rick’s mouth tightened slightly again. “Depends. I write. Sometimes I go to the gym. Sometimes I… try to work out what the hell I’m doing.”
Allen stared at him. The honesty caught him off guard, and he found himself saying, “That’s relatable.”
Rick’s eyes met his and held for a second longer than normal. “Yeah?”
Allen nodded, and it felt as if something passed between them. Rick broke eye contact first. He shifted his phone slightly on the table, then left it face down again. Allen noticed Rick’s hands. Strong, with veins faint beneath the skin. Large enough to pull or tug…
Rick caught him looking but didn’t comment. “Do you have a boyfriend?”
Allen blinked. The question was blunt and direct, but Allen didn’t think it was rude. “No,” Allen said, and tried to keep it casual. “Do you?”
Rick’s mouth twitched. “No.”
Allen waited for more, but Rick didn’t add anything else. Allen swallowed. “You… date?”
Rick shrugged. “Sometimes.”
Allen didn’t know what to ask without sounding like he was fishing, so he went with the safest thing. “Do you like being single?”
Rick’s eyes held his, and something in Allen’s stomach tightened. “No,” Rick said simply. “Do you?”
Allen’s throat went tight, and he shook his head. “No.”
Rick nodded. Silence fell between them, and it should have felt awkward, but it didn’t. Rick glanced toward the door, then back at Allen. “So, your friends aren’t coming.”
Allen made a face. “No.”
Rick nodded. “You could leave.”
