“That’s not gonna happen, D. Is this unexpected as fuck? Yes. But is it all that shocking? I mean, not really. You yourself said, ‘A relationship shouldn’t be based on gender. It should just be with someone who makes you feel safe, supports you, and encourages you.’ Remember that?”
His jaw clenches in frustration at having his own words used against him. “I honestly had no idea that you actually listen to half the shitI say.”
“I don’t,” I say with a smirk. “I listen toallthe shit you say. I mean, of course I do. For the past three years, your words have been the only reason I got out of bed most days.”
Damon still looks skeptical as hell, and I know I’ll be spending the rest of our trip trying to convince him that this makes sense to me.Wemake sense to me.
“Come on, let’s drive into town for lunch. There’s this sushi place that’s supposed to be really good.”
I turn for the door, holding my hand out for him. When he doesn’t take it, I turn back around to see him staring at me, frozen in place.
“D? What’s up?”
“You picked a place to eat?” he asks.
“Yep. This place has great reviews, and I thought we should try it. Plus, it’s one of the best meals after a lift sesh because it’s like, all protein, good fats, and we can carb load with rice. Now, come on.”
Finally, he grabs my hand, but instead of trailing along behind me, he yanks on my arm and pulls me to him instead, wrapping his other hand behind my back.
“Sushi sounds perfect, Li. And you look good, too,” he says, looking up at me.
I’m so relieved he’s finally talking to me and not trying to protect me with his secrets that I lean down and kiss him simply because I can.
“I could really get used to that, you know,” I tell him.
His eyes shutter with sadness. “Don’t get too comfortable with it. It’s hard to kiss me like that from Boston.”
I smile because nowI’mthe one with the secret. I just need to look into a few more things before I’m confident enough in this plan to tell him about it.
We make the fifteen-minute drive into town and grab a parking space on the street. I can’t help but pay extra attention to everything Damon does now. Like parallel parking this SUV. He does it perfectly on the first try. I’ve always heard of a competence kink, though I think people my age are really too young to have much of that unless they’re professional athletes, but Damon is proving me wrong.
I grab the door before he gets there, and place my hand on his back like I did when we went out with Owen and Storm. This time, he throws me a smile over his shoulder, and my heart fucking soars because I’ve quickly come to realize that Damon and I were inevitable. We’ve always been together, and I’m going to ensure we always will be.
On our way to our table, a voice catches my attention.
“Liam? Is that you?”
I turn to see Hannah and Julie already seated at a small table.
What are the odds?
“Oh, hey, ladies!” Nudging Damon’s shoulder, I tease, “What’d I tell you? Great reviews. Everyone loves this place.”
Julie smiles at Damon, and Hannah pulls out the chair next to hers. “Um, you guys are welcome to join us if you’d like. We could pick up where we left off. Kind of feels like we never got to finish that evening,” she says with a twinkle in her eye.
Smiling widely, I smack Damon on the ass. “Sorry, Han, as it turns out, I’m into guys now. Wait,” I say, self-correcting, “that’s not right. I’m intoDamonnow.”
Hannah raises her brows, and I look over to see Damon biting back a smile as he rakes a hand over his face.
“What?” I ask.
“Nothing, Li. You’re perfect,” he says, leaning over to kiss my cheek before looking at the girls. “We didn’t mean to mislead you that night. This is…it’s new,” Damon explains.
Hannah’s wearing an expression of disappointment, while Julie’s eyes light up.
“Ohmygod, that’s so amazing! I hope you guys aresohappy!” When Julie turns to Hannah, she looks hopeful. “Isn’t that so sweet, Han? I mean, it makes sense. Your best friend is an obvious choice for a partner.”
“Yeah, Jules. It’s super sweet,” Hannah replies, making me think she’s missing something big, like I was. We bid them goodbye and continue to the table where our server is waiting.
