“Do you want to walk a bit?” Rick asked.
Allen blinked, then nodded. “Yeah. That would be nice.”
“Okay.”
Allen’s hands were in his pockets, and his breath fogged faintly in the air. He looked calmer now than he had when he arrived.
“I had fun,” Allen said quietly.
Rick looked at him. “Yeah?”
“You’re… not what I expected.”
Rick didn’t ask what he expected. He already knew. “Is that good?” Rick asked.
“Yeah. It’s good.” Allen smiled at him.
Rick held his gaze, and the urge to kiss him hit hard. To pull him closer and make Allen his, but he kept his hands at his sides instead.
Allen glanced away first, his cheeks pink, then said, “Can I ask you something?”
Rick nodded. “Yeah.”
Allen hesitated. “Why me?”
Rick’s mouth tightened slightly. The question was simple, but it wasn’t. Rick could have said anything, but he decided to stick to the truth. “You felt… safe,” Rick finally said.
Allen blinked, surprised. “Me?”
“Yeah.” Rick looked at him. “You do.”
Allen stared for a second, then looked down. “That’s not something people say about me.”
Rick’s jaw tightened. “They should.”
Allen didn’t look up right away, but when he did, his eyes held something Rick didn’t like seeing. It reminded him of how things used to be. So many people had made him feel good, had made him feel important, but the moment the lights and praise had dimmed, they’d walked away.
A man passed them on the sidewalk and glanced at Rick. A longer look than normal, and Rick felt the shift in his body immediately. The man didn’t stop, but Rick’s muscles remained tense.
“Are you okay?” Allen asked.
Rick forced his shoulders to relax. “Yeah.”
Allen didn’t look convinced, but he didn’t push. He just nodded and kept walking beside him. They reached Allen’s street, and Allen slowed. Rick stopped with him, close enough that Rick could feel Allen’s warmth in the cold air.
Allen looked up at him. “So… what now?”
Rick watched his face and knew that he wanted to see Allen again. “We do this again,” Rick said. “If you want to.”
Allen’s mouth twitched. “Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
Allen licked his lips. “Okay.”
Rick’s gaze dropped to Allen’s mouth for half a second, then back to his eyes. “Message me when you’re inside.”
Allen blinked. “Why?”
