A knock on the door interrupted his spiraling.He didn’t look at it as he yelled for the person there—no doubt his brother—to come in.He continued staring at the clothes until Seth opened the door and walked in.
He seemed surprised, which Thomas had expected.“I didn’t expect you to be home early,” Seth said.
Thomas turned to him.“I have a date, and I don’t know what to wear.”
Seth blinked.“You have a date?”
“Yes.With Rowan, my boyfriend.We’re together, but we’ve never been on a date, and I have no idea what to wear.He said I needed to be comfortable, but I also want to look good, and I have no idea what makes me look good.It’s never been a priority, you know?Rowan said jeans and a t-shirt would be great, but he sees me dressed like that every day at work, so maybe a shirt?Or would that look like I’m trying too hard?We’re going to watch a movie, so it’s not like he’s going to be able to see me much, but I want to make a good impression and look good for him.”
Seth raised a hand.Thomas sucked in a breath, telling himself not to panic.This was Rowan.They might not have gone on a date yet, but they were together.Rowan had seen Thomas at his most vulnerable, when he was in his rabbit form.He knew about Thomas’s past on the street and about his family, which was the most important thing in his life.Everything would be fine, and he needed to stop freaking out.
Unfortunately, that was easier said than done.
“I’m not angry that you didn’t tell me anything about this sooner, but I have to say Iamcurious, especially because you just said that Rowan sees you every day at work.”
Thomas realized he hadn’t told Seth about Rowan, possibly because in his mind, Rowan and studying for the GED were linked.He swallowed and looked down at his bed again, hoping his brother wasn’t too disappointed.“Well, Rowan started working at the sanctuary a little while ago.I was initially afraid of him because he’s a wolf shifter, but we became friends, and now, more.”
Seth nodded.“I can see that.What did you say you were doing for your date?”
“Rowan mentioned watching a movie.”
“Then jeans and a t-shirt are good.Maybe wear those light blue jeans.”
Thomas wrinkled his nose.“They’re a little tight, aren’t they?”
“Thomas, that’s the point.Are they tight to the point that you’re uncomfortable?”
“No.I can wear them the entire evening, and be fine.It just feels a bit much.”
“Not if you’re going on a date.”
Since Seth had more experience than Thomas, Thomas decided to accept his suggestion.“All right.I’ll wear those jeans.”
Seth grinned.“Good.”His smile softened.“I understand why you’re freaking out, but I really don’t think you should be panicking.If Rowan decided to take you on a date and you’re already together, there’s no reason for you to be.”
“I’m just nervous.Usually, we spend time together at work, but this is different.”
“It is, but that doesn’t mean it’s different in a bad way.Give yourself a chance to have this.And when you come home tonight, or maybe tomorrow, depending on how late you are, we can sit down, and you can tell me about him.I’d like to know more about him if you two are together and if it’s something you want to share.”
Thomas’s heart squeezed when he realized just how much distance he’d put between himself and his siblings since the GED mess had started.“Yeah, I do want to tell you about him,” he murmured.
“Good.Now get dressed and go and have fun.You deserve it.”
Thomas really did, didn’t he?He deserved to have something good, someone like Rowan, in his life.It didn’t matter how nervous he was.In the end, everything would be okay.This was just a phase, and he was sure that once he got over the nervousness, the date would be great.He and Rowan meshed together perfectly at work, so why wouldn’t the same go for them outside of it?
* * * *
EVEN THOUGH THIS WASfar from being Rowan’s first date, he was still nervous.Most of his previous dates had been with women because he’d known it would be unacceptable for him to date a man.His heart hadn’t been in it, no matter how much he’d liked them.He’d been dating them to make his parents and his alpha happy, but that wasn’t whatthiswas.No, dating Thomas was makingRowanhappy, which was all that mattered.
That didn’t mean that Rowan wasn’t afraid he’d mess things up.Thomas was important to him.Now that he knew a bit about Thomas’s life, Rowan wanted to make things perfect for him, even though he knew it was impossible.He could make them as close to perfect as possible, though, which was what he was planning on doing.He hadn’t been lying to Thomas when he’d mentioned they would watch a movie.He’d been looking into what they could do for their first date for a while, and he’d found the perfect thing.It was a classic, and hopefully it would help keep Thomas from being too nervous, but there was a twist.Rowan was pretty proud of himself for coming up with this and hoped Thomas would like it.
He was a little nervous as he drove into pack territory.The only thing that told him that he was there was a sign on the side of the road.No one tried to stop him.No one demanded to know who he was and why he was there.Just as Thomas had said, he could drive in, and no one seemed to find it strange.
It was easy enough to find Thomas’s house.Rowan parked in front of it, then hesitated.Should he text Thomas to let him know he was there?Or should he go up to the door and knock?There was a chance that Thomas’s brother or his boyfriend would open, and Rowan wasn’t sure how Thomas felt about that.They’d talked about Thomas telling his family about Rowan, but Rowan wasn’t sure he’d had time to tell them what he’d be up to tonight.He didn’t want to create trouble for Thomas before they even went on their first date.
Thankfully, he didn’t have to wonder for long.The front door swung open, and Thomas walked out, turning back as he spoke to someone inside the house.Rowan saw who it was when they leaned out the door to watch Thomas climb down the porch steps.
“Stop being a mother hen,” Thomas called out.“I’ll be fine, and I promise I won’t be home too late.”
