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“Not helping.” I couldn’t help smiling while I chided him. “We’re going for dessert after this. Just us.”
“Good.” Liam nodded. “You deserve this, E. I haven’t seen you this excited about someone since…” He trailed off. We didn’t need to discuss Marcus, someone I’d eventually have to tell Andre about.
“That’s part of what scares me.” I traced a pattern on the tabletop with my finger. “This kind of spark is something I haven’t experienced in years. The way my heart races, how a simple touch excites me. But what if I’m making too much of it? What if he’s not as interested? Or if it’s just a summer thing?”
“First off, there’s nothing wrong with it being a summer thing if you both agree to it. And…” He paused and leaned in even closer. “What if it’s a lot more?” His whisper gave the idea a reverence I hadn’t expected.
“Then there’s an even bigger problem. I have to go back to Seattle.” The thought made my chest ache. “I’ve already been through trying long distance, and that was with someone I’d been with for a couple of years. Starting something new with that hanging over everything…”
“Listen.” Liam leaned forward. “You’ve got a couple of months and that’s plenty of time to figure out if this is something worth more than a summer.”
“Since when do you have so much romance advice?”
“I watch a lot of rom-coms. Those have taught me that being afraid of what might happen keeps you from experiencing what could happen.” He smiled and sat back, looking satisfied. “Look, man, you owe it to yourself to see where this goes. But you need to talk to Andre. Make sure you two are in the same place.”
I glanced over at Andre, who was laughing at something Sarah was saying. As if sensing my gaze, he looked over and our eyes met. He winked at me and I swooned.
“Yeah,” I said softly. “We definitely need to talk. Thanks for listening.”
“Always.”
Andre headed our direction, looking happy. He dropped into the booth next to Liam. “This was good. I’m glad we did this for everyone.”
“Is this in the festival budget?” I had to ask, knowing how much the event had grown.
“Mickey gave us a discount, and I’ll just sort it out later.” Andre sounded less than convinced that he’d be able to sort it.
“Let me take care of it. No need to add more to the budget.”
“No, I can’t.”
“Yes, you can,” Liam and I said together.
“See, he thinks it’s a good idea too.”
Andre sighed and then smiled. “All right. Thanks. It’ll be good not to have to discuss this unexpected expense with the committee.”
“Are you ready to get out of here?” The talk with Liam had me even more ready for alone time with Andre.
“Yes, please.” Andre stood and Liam and I did too.
“Thanks, man.” I extended my fist to Liam, and he bumped it.
“Have fun, you two.”
As we left, I stopped by the counter where Mickey was talking to some of the tent crew. I quietly told him to add everything to my bill.
“Will do.” He looked between Andre and me and nodded. “Hope you two have a good night.” He followed that up with a clap on Andre’s shoulder. I figured he and Liam would trade notes once we were gone.
Was the entire town trying to make this happen between us?
We walked to Special Blend in comfortable silence, our hands occasionally brushing. Each touch sent tingles through my fingers, up my arm, and straight to my heart. When I gathered the courage to briefly take Andre’s hand and squeeze it, the warmth of his skin against mine made my breath catch.
Part of me wanted to intertwine our fingers and never let go while another part held back, wondering if I was setting myself up for heartbreak by feeling too much too soon. But the smile I caught out of the corner of my eye made those doubts seem unimportant, at least for now.
Special Blend’s windows glowed warmly in the twilight, a Pride flag crafted from painted coffee beans hanging alongside Happy Pride! painted on the window. Small multicolored twinkling lights around the window shimmered. There were only a few customers inside. Ideal for a private conversation.
The bell chimed as we entered, and the familiar scent of coffee and maple welcomed us. The cafe’s lighting was softer than during the day, with small lamps on each table creating intimate pools of warm light.
