Now, though, River seemed present in a different way. Maybe I was just delusional and placing way too much importance on the fact that our knees brushed together when we were drunk, but every time we touched, I craved touching him more.
To pull him close and keep him there, right in my arms.
What a weird way to feel. Although I was starting to understand better how my clients got themselves in so much trouble.
We took our seats, and I set the popcorn on the armrest between us. The lights were dim, and when I stretched my legs, his foot bumped against mine.
River plucked some popcorn from the bag. I opened my mouth to make conversation, eager just to hear his whisper again, but the screen flickered, and the movie started.
“I’m glad I ran into you,” he said out of the corner of his mouth.
I let out a slow breath. “Yeah,” I whispered back. “Me, too.”
Chapter Ten
River
Maybe I should just hookup with Leo.
The thought came out of nowhere, surprising me while I munched on a few Milk Duds. On the screen, the characters practiced different fighting styles, and I noticed the way Leo dodged his head back and forth while watching it, totally wrapped up in the scene.
Why was that suddenly hot to me? But for the last few days, I’d been noticing these little things he did that were actually kind of charming. Like the way he bought a big popcorn for us to share without making a big deal out of it or how he’d wait around for Kai in the morning so they could head to the office together.
I’d started to notice the way he smelled, too, like the pine-scented body wash he kept in the shower.
I grabbed the armrest with a hard squeeze, surprised by how distracted I was. But the more I thought about it, the more the idea of hooking up with Leo did almost make sense.
For one, I believed him when he said he always stuck to his one-time-only rule with hookups. My problem was that I threw myself into love too easily, but if Leo had a hard boundary against any sort of relationship, he would cut anything more off before it even began.
And as someone extremely experienced in casual hookups, he would be a great teacher.
Not to mention I knew that I wasn’t interested in something serious with him. Leo was just too different from me. His work obsession would be totally incompatible with my need for spontaneity, and I doubted he had a romantic bone in his body. He would never run away on a last-minute adventure with me or drop everything at work to take me on vacation. Hell, he wouldn’t even have time to take me to dinner with the schedule he kept.
I grabbed a handful of popcorn and shoved it in my mouth. Why was I sitting there listing the potential problems I’d have in a relationship with Leo? It wasn’t going to happen, and I didn’t want it to happen, and Leo certainly didn’t want it to happen, either.
It did make me wonder, though. Leo might not be the right guy for my future, but maybe that made him the perfect guy for right now.
As the movie ended, I shook my head to chase away that inkling of a bad idea. Kai would kill me anyway, and random hookups weren’t my style.
Leo had a funny smile on his face, and it crossed my mind he probably hadn’t taken a break on a weekday in ages. We walked slowly out of the theater, the smell of popcorn in the air.
“How was the sauna?” I asked. Hooking up with him was a bad idea, but that didn’t mean our conversations had to stay PG.
Plus, I was genuinely curious what Mr. One-Night would have to say. His way of looking at sex was so different than mine, and I wanted to understand more how he approached things.
“Excuse me?” Leo pushed the door to the outside open and held it for me as I stepped into the hot summer air.
“I heard you tell Kai you were going to the bathhouse. Did you have a good time?”
Leo paused in the shade. I could tell he was working to keep his composure, which made me want to poke him and see if I could get the relaxed guy who played videogames with me to come back out. “It was fine…” He trailed off. “Have you gone to a bathhouse before?”
I fingered my necklace, rolling the gems. “I’ve been to plenty of saunas, but never, like, a gay sauna. The ones I’ve been to, you just go there to sweat and maybe get a massage.”
“Right.” Leo nodded. “I haven’t been to this one in years,” he added defensively.
I laughed. “I’m not judging. If I were into hookups, I’m sure I’d enjoy it.”
He kicked his leg back against the brick wall of the movie theater and tilted his head to the side. “Not into hookups, huh? That’s as out of control as not being into relationships.”
