Knight didn’t take me straight to the gay club. First, he drove us to a nice tavern called the Black Sheep. The interior was dimly lit with a polished wooden bar that curved along one side of the room, matching booths, and a scattering of tall pub tables. A chalkboard to our right announced the specials, including shepherd’s pie, smothered pork chops, or lobster mac-and-cheese.
“Will, there’s no spicy food,” I teased. “What will you order?”
He chuckled. “This date is for you, Angel. I’ll suffer through it.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a spice jar of red pepper flakes. “For emergencies.”
I laughed. “Oh no. You didn’t!”
“Always be prepared, right?” he said with a wink.
That made me wonder what else he might be prepared for. Perhaps in that nightclub back room, like the night we met?
My pulse spiked, and Knight smiled knowingly.
The hostess arrived to seat us at one of the booths, and weboth settled in to order. I ate light, thinking about what else the night might hold. I encouraged Knight to go all in on the foods he wanted.
He had plans for this date night, but so did I. Plans that made my palms sweat. Plans that twisted my stomach with nerves, but the good kind.
We talked while we ate—not about anything serious, but about our favorite movies and music, our hobbies, and our vices. It was first-date type stuff. Things we’d missed by living together as former hookups, instantly close without having to get to know each other as strangers would have.
“You have an unhealthy obsession with coffee,” Knight said as I ordered my second espresso martini with dinner.
“Says the man adding his own red pepper flakes into the Cajun chicken Alfredo.”
He grinned. “I know my vices, Angel. You’re the biggest of them all.”
I pretended to gasp. “Are you suggesting I’m bad?”
“You’re very bad,” he said. “But also very good.”
I tapped my lips. “I don’t know if you can have it both ways.”
“That’s too bad, because I intend to have exactly that tonight.”
I squirmed a little at the thought. Cleared my throat. “Ready to get the check?”
He smirked. “Eager for the rest of the night?”
“Aren’t you?”
“Fuck yeah. I’m not even going to pretend otherwise.”
“Good.” I finished off my martini and sat back. “Maybe you can redeem yourself for insulting my television choices.”
“Hey, I’m not shaming,” he said. “You want to watch reality trash, you do that. Anything that helps you relax is good with me.”
“Are you saying I’m not relaxed?” I challenged.
“Well, yeah. I know you, Aiden. You’re incredibly focused on your work, and you’re an amazing doctor, but you barely give yourself permission to breathe.”
I wanted to argue, but he wasn’t wrong. I’d been pushing for so long to be the perfect brother, the perfect doctor, the perfectsurvivorthat I didn’t know any other way to function.
At least, I hadn’t before I met Knight. Before I moved to Riverton and got closer to my brother. Before I started to see all the ways that I was containing and trapping myself in a prison of my own making.
The server arrived with the check, and Knight handed off his credit card. When they’d gone, he reached for my hand.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean it was a bad thing. You’re perfect just the way you are.”
I blinked hard. “I’m not perfect, Will. I try too hard to be. You’re not wrong. For such a long time…”
