Page 54 of Austin

“He squeals like a girl.”

“I’d love to see that.”

“What animals are you afraid of?” I ask.

“Baby, I ain’t afraid of anything.” He smirks.

I just look at him with an unconvinced glare.

He shakes his head. “Snakes.”

I lean across the center console and give him a kiss on the cheek.

By the time we reach Castro Valley, Austin and I have told some embarrassing stories from grade school, which includes a trip back from the girls’ restroom with my skirt tucked inside my underwear and him having a love letter he wrote to his first girlfriend read in front of the entire class when the teacher caught him passing it in class.

“I would never have taken you as a romantic,” I say as we pull into a Sonic drive-through.

“Play your cards right, and you just might bring it out in me. Case in point, your dinner.” He dramatically waves a hand at the brightly lit restaurant.

We place our orders in the call window—cheeseburgers, fries, and chocolate shakes—and then we sit back and wait.

“So, you do eat like a normal person. This is our second meal, and it’s our second cheeseburger,” I say.

He laughs. “Yes, I suppose this was poor planning on my part. And this one won’t be as good. I mean, not every meal is a thirty-dollar cheeseburger.”

“That burger was thirty dollars?” I say in shock.

“You loved every bite,” he declares, and I can’t argue.

“I did, but this is the last of the junk food for me. My roommate already told me I was getting a fat ass.”

He mock lifts me up, as if trying to get a good look at my backside. “That’s a mighty fine ass if you ask me.”

I swat him away and then turn to face him more, bringing my knee up to my side. “We can’t keep this up, you know. I don’t have enough time to work off these calories.”

His eyes light up like it’s a challenge. “One, I will give you the best workout of your life once we cross the finish line, and two, I just want to spend some alone time with you, and this is the only place where it makes sense to eat in the car.”

Ignoring his first comment, I settle on the second. “Do you spend alone time with a lot of women? I mean, do you date often?”

“Depends on what you consider dating. I’ve been out with women, but I haven’t wanted to be with anyone like this.”

“What is this?” I ask.

He stills for a moment and looks down at our hands, which are conjoined again. “I don’t know, but I like it.”

I run my thumb over the top of his hand. “I kinda like it, too.”

When our food arrives, we eat and talk some more. On the drive back, we roll down the windows and listen to Kings of Leon. It’s crazy late, and the world is asleep, except for us. We’re two souls cruising in the night, trying to find the balance between secrets and realities and a new kind of living.

At my building, he parks at the curb in front of my apartment, and before he says anything, I ask, “Walk me to my front door?”

“Stay right there,” he says with a slight grin.

When he opens my door, I step out and take his hand, letting him walk me home like a real date would.

“So, you’re a gentleman now, but are you expecting me to invite you in?” I ask when we reach the entry to my building.

He looks up at the window that’s my bedroom. “As much as I’d love to go upstairs with you, I want to take things slow.”