“What about you?”
I frowned.“What about me?”
“You’re no little fish.The second we walked in, all eyes were on you.”
Again, no false modesty in me, but, “You’re dreaming.”
He shook his head, dimple flashing.“I always imagined you were famous and I just missed it somehow.Now I realize you never needed to be famous to turn heads.”
I snorted, cheeks blazing.Once upon a time, I’d been young and romantic about acting, yeah.Now it was a little embarrassing, remembering how convinced I’d been that I’dmake it.“You don’t have to lay it on so thick.I’m not that hard to get into bed, and you know it.”
“I’m not.”He shook his head.Hesitated, brow furrowing.Then he said, “Actually, I was thinking… even if things do go well, and you do decide you wanna see me again…”
“You already know you wanna see me?We just got here.”But I was relieved he’d changed the subject.Why that had gotten to me, I wasn’t even sure; people who wanted to fuck me always told me I was hot.So what?
“Yeah, I do,” he replied, smile returning, just a little crooked.“Even if it’s not—I don’t know.Romantic or whatever.That’s what I want, but even if you just wanted to hang out and be friends, I’d want to know you better.”
That… made perfect sense and yet was not at all what I’d been expecting.“Oh,” I said stupidly.
“But I was thinking, maybe we shouldn’t hook up today.For once.”He bit at his bottom lip, as if he was afraid of what I’d say next.
And admittedly, my first reaction wasare you fucking joking?
But then, like before, I realized what he was doing and a warm rush of appreciation flooded my body.“Have we ever been alone and not hooked up?”I wondered.
He shook his head.“Including yesterday.”
I tilted my chin upward, looking at him anew.“Are you trying to prove something to me, Taran?”
He nodded.“One-hundred percent, absolutely, yes.”
I laughed even though I knew he was serious.Cheerfully serious, but serious anyhow.Which… felt… good but also not?Somehow?“It wasn’t the sex that bothered me.”
He snorted too, his ears pinking up.“Yeah, I know.But I just want to prove that I’m not that stupid kid anymore.”
I nodded, considering.It was sweet as fuck of him, but it definitely made something itch in the back of my mind.
He squirmed a little in his seat, took a long drink.Then added, “And it wasn’t just about the hookups, even then.I just realized it too late.”
It was way too fucking early in the day, and I had way too little alcohol in me for this conversation.I pushed down the ecstatic teenage Diego that still existed somewhere deep in my subconscious and promised him I’d let him out some other day.Preferably when Taran Kovacs wasn’t across the table from me, and I could unpack that reaction in relative safety.
“It’s a good idea,” I decided to admit.“I wouldn’t have thought of it, but I like it.”
He smiled and glanced down at his drink almost shyly.
“Really glad I didn’t try and jump you the second you walked through my door,” the incredibly perverse part of my brain made me say.
He laughed and looked up again, though, so it was worth it.
“You think I’m joking.I had a whole crazy plan for a second, where I was going to dress all slutty and grab you and insist that we fuck first.”But I was chuckling now too.Saying it out loud didn’t make it sound less unhinged, but it did make me feel a little better.
He shook his head, laughing even harder.“Really?”
“It’s what I do when I’m nervous.I retreat into the familiar.I mean, granted, I never bounced on it before, but I sure wished I had, so…”
He barked out an even louder laugh and hid his face in his sleeve.
I’d forgotten how loud he laughed when he really lost it like that.It was dorky and awkward and therefore wildly charming.
