“Exactly,” Izzy said, bouncing on his stool. “I worried that I had accidentally wired my body to only get off when the weird costume material was touching all my skin.”
My cheeks were definitely pink then because all I could think about was the different places his skin touched the costume.
I chewed carefully. It was relieving to talk about this in person. All the anxieties about it that normally banged around in my brain could finally get some air.
But it was also obvious that he was way more comfortable with this than I was. He’d been coming out of his shell slowly since we first reconnected, and I’d loved coaxing him and seeing more of his personality shine through.
So it made me feel like a real asshole that a voice in the back of my brain urged him to be a little more anxious and embarrassed right now.
“This whole thing can still be a secret, right?” I asked. “I’m not in a place where I’m comfortable telling other people that I had an anonymous online relationship. And I definitely don’t want anyone to know about the costumes. I’ve got the business and my professional reputation, and…” I trailed off as soon as I realized I was reaching for excuses. “It just all feels really private to me. Is that okay with you?”
Izzy ran his fingers along the side of his head. “Sure, Kai. Of course. I’ll make sure not to gossip about it with the flowers this week.”
I laughed, relaxed again by his joke. One thing I wasn’t confused about: Izzy was the kind of guy I could trust. If it had been anyone else, I probably would have changed addresses by now.
A knock on the door interrupted our breakfast. There were only two people who showed up unannounced, and after a wave of panic that they might have heard us talking, I considered dimming the lights and waiting until they went away.
“Are you going to get that?” Izzy asked.
“It’s Leo or River,” I explained. “I wasn’t expecting them.”
A second knock came, louder than the first. “I don’t mind if you want to answer,” he offered.
Not really having another choice, I tossed my napkin on the counter and hurried over. River and Leo were both there, and they walked in before I could even get a proper warning out.
“I have a guest,” I said.
A pair of sunglasses propped up on his head, Leo glanced between me and Izzy. “We were just coming by to harass you and get the details about your date last night, but I guess this answers the question.”
“Leo!” River scolded, pinching his husband on the side. “Hi, Izzy,” he called brightly. “It’s good to see you again!”
“Come in,” I deadpanned to their backs. “Would you like a coffee?”
“I’ll put a fresh pot on,” Leo answered, missing my sarcasm and striding forward.
I caught Izzy’s eye and mouthed an apology. There was a lot more we should probably have talked about, but it was also nice to have a distraction from the serious stuff, and by the way Izzy’s eyes danced around the room, I could tell he was happy.
And damn, it was nearly impossible not to indulge that guy when he acted all sweet and smiley like that.
“We’re meeting Cass and Shawn at the matinee later,” Leo said.
River plopped down beside Izzy. “You two should come!” he offered.
A movie actually sounded perfect. I wanted to keep hanging out with Izzy, but I could also use a break from processing our… thing. “Want to?” I asked.
His cheeks dimpling in a smile, Izzy raised his mug. “Sure,” he answered. “Sounds great!”
Chapter Seventeen
Izzy
Later that afternoon,I sat at a big round table in a local diner, with Kai on one side of me and River on the other and their friends sitting across from us. The two married couples were both delaying their honeymoons a few weeks, and unlike at the wedding, they were all dressed down and relaxed.
You almost wouldn’t know that they got married the week before, except that they kept beaming at each other like there were new worlds being born in their eyes.
“So that film series is part of your job?” I asked River. There was a full fish sandwich on the plate in front of me, and I was still figuring out how to eat without making a mess of myself.
“Not exactly,” he smiled. “It’s just a little thing my coworker puts on. The Film Fest is doing Indian films every weekend this month. You should let me know if you ever want to catch one with me.” He nodded toward his husband. “Jurassic Parkwas actually Leo’s pick. He suggested it to my friend the other night.”
