“Well, no matter what I want or don’t want, it’s going to be to Finley’s benefit, so that’s great.”
“I agree that it is.He’s going to be very happy with you.”
Rowan reached for Thomas’s hand on the table and squeezed it.He should probably release it, but instead, he kept his hand there, letting Thomas decide what he wanted to do.
Thomas’s cheeks turned pink, but he seemed pleased.Rowan decided that was good enough for him.
“I really like you.”
Thomas blinked.“Yeah?”
“Yeah.I know you’re busy right now with your GED and your family, but I thought that maybe once you’re done with all that, we could go on a date.”
“You want to take me on a date?”
“Yes, Thomas.When you’re ready.”And not one second sooner because Rowan wasn’t going to fuck it up.Thomas was important to him, and he didn’t want to scare him or freak him out.They would do it at Thomas’s pace.
It wasn’t like Rowan was in a rush.Everything in Mayport was new for him, so taking things slow would probably be more comfortable, anyway.
“I think I’d like that, later,” Thomas said.“But I don’t want to make you wait.”
“You’re not making me do anything.I’ll wait for you because I want to.I think you’re worth it.”
Thomas’s cheeks turned completely red.The flush went down to his neck, and probably his chest, too.Rowan wanted to find out, but he wouldn’t for a while, and that was okay.
“This just seems too good to be true, you know?”Thomas murmured.
“I get it.From what you told me, your life hasn’t been easy.You’re not used to having good things, but I want to be one of the good things in your life.I want things to be easy between us.I know they won’t always be, but we can take it as slowly as we can, right?”
Thomas nodded.“I think that would be for the best.”
“So we’ll focus on your GED, and we can talk about this again once you have it.”
Thomas’s lips curled into a smile.“You’re convinced I’ll get it.”
“Why shouldn’t you?You’ve been studying hard, and you’re smart.You’ll do well.I’m sure you’ll get it on your first try.”And when he did, he could stop freaking out about telling his family.Rowan suspected that would help Thomas relax a lot.He didn’t like hiding all of this from his siblings, but he felt like he had to.Rowan understood why, but at the same time, he didn’t think it was necessary.It was none of his business, though.If Thomas wanted to keep his secret, then he would, and Rowan would keep that secret.Thomas knew his family better than Rowan since Rowan didn’t know them at all.
But he suspected that he would.He was in this for the long term, and he thought that Thomas was, too.Of course, that might not mean anything because both of them were young, but Rowan didn’t want to start thinking like that.What would be the point?He wanted to believe that he and Thomas would be together forever, and hopefully, they would be happy, which in the end, was all that mattered.
His happiness was the main reason he’d left his pack.He’d known he could never be happy there, and now that he’d met Thomas, he was glad he’d followed his heart.He’d made the right decision, even though he’d been terrified.He was sure that he was making the right decision now, too.
He reached for the pile of books with his free hand and took the first one.“All right.Let’s get to work.”
Thomas pouted but let go of Rowan’s other hand.“I’m almost a hundred percent sure that my brain is going to explode one of these days.It’s going to start leaking out of my ears and nose, and you’ll feel sorry for forcing me to study so much.”
“Do I have to remind you that you were the one who asked me for help?”
“I know.”Thomas sighed and picked up a pen.“This is no fun.”
“It’s not supposed to be fun.You’ll be glad you took this seriously once it’s over.It won’t be long now.”And once it was over, they’d finally be able to explore what was growing between them.
Rowan couldn’t wait.
Chapter Five
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THOMAS FELT LIKE HEwas about to throw up.He really didn’t want to because he was at work and he didn’t want to have to deal with that, but it was a good thing that he’d skipped breakfast this morning.
