“Cheers. And thanks again. This is incredible and very unexpected.” I smiled as I twisted the pasta around my fork.
“You’re welcome. You sounded anxious, but you said we’re cool. Are we?”
“Of course.”
Rory tilted his head and shot me a challenging look. “Then kiss me.”
“Um…now?”
“Yeah, now. The other night could have been a fluke. Instead of wondering, let’s get it over with. One kiss should be enough to tell. C’mere,” he commanded, leaning sideways.
I set my fork down and met him halfway until our noses brushed. Then I waited for him to make the next move. He stayed stubbornly still. When I couldn’t stand the growing tension, I pressed my lips to his. And wow…amazing.
Rory was a great kisser. He had the simple art of give-and-take down to a science. He molded his mouth to mine and gently pushed his tongue inside. The connection was sweet but bold. It was more about discovery than possession. I hummed as I snaked my arm around his neck, pulling him closer. He sucked my tongue, then bit my bottom lip playfully before pulling back.
“Definitely not a fluke. Eat up, baby, and tell me about your day.”
“You don’t want to hear about my day,” I assured him.
“Sure, I do.”
I cleared my throat and willed my heart rate to return to normal before I replied. “It was boring. I had two classes and two practices, and now here I am.”
“You sounded frustrated or flustered on the phone. Something happened. What was it?”
“Are you my therapist?”
“If you want me to be,” he said around a bite of fettuccine.
I studied his profile thoughtfully. “Okay. Well, I’m up to my eyeballs in stress. Between school, football, my dad’s law school campaign, and the new twist in the Max and Sky circus, I can’t keep up. It’s like I have the world’s longest to-do list and five minutes to get everything done. Add you to the mix, and I’m super confused.”
“Sounds serious. Let’s break it down. Are you struggling in any class besides stats?”
“No.”
“Then scratch that off your list. You’re going to be fine. I’ll make sure of it. Football is your thing, so I doubt it’s a worry for you. Your dad might be more complicated, ’cause family is that way. But ask yourself if you’ll be happy sitting at a desk in a law firm ten years from now. And remember, it’ll be your ass in that chair, not his. If it’s not your passion or you just need time to decide if it’s what you want, be honest. It’s not a crime to have your own dreams. Where was I?”
I stared at him with a dopey grin on my face before refocusing. “Um…Max and Sky.”
“Right. What about them?”
I briefly filled him in on my roomie saga as we ate. His incredulous expression was borderline hysterical. He swallowed what was in his mouth before busting into hearty laughter.
“Sounds like a soap opera. Do you think Max jumped in your bed to make his boyfriend jelly?”
I snickered, then dabbed at the corner of my mouth with my napkin. “No, that’s not Max’s style. He hates being alone. It might be why we didn’t make it. We play different sports and we have different schedules and—”
“Whoa. Back up. You and Max were a couple?”
I reached out to smooth the crease at the bridge of his nose impulsively and immediately pulled my hand away. What the hell was wrong with me?
“Yeah. We were together for five years.”
Rory gaped. “You’re twenty-two! Five years is a fucking eternity at your age! Are you sure this isn’t a mind game to win you back?”
“Yeah right,” I huffed sarcastically. “Max doesn’t know how to play mind games. He also doesn’t know how to communicate. And to quote Taylor Swift, we’re never getting back together.”
“That’s very gay,” Rory deadpanned.
I chuckled and raised my hand. “Guilty. I’m very gay.”
“Good to know. And as your therapist, I have to ask.…How do you feel about this gay stuff?”
I regarded Rory for a moment, then picked up a piece of bread before twisting slightly to face him.
“Gay is good,” I replied with a lopsided smile.
“Keep going,” he prodded.
“I like how I feel when I can be myself. I like it when I don’t have to pretend I’m someone I’m not. And I love the sex.”
I ripped the bread in half and winked. I noted the lusty slide of Rory’s Adam’s apple with a perverse sense of satisfaction. I was the world’s worst flirt, so I couldn’t help feeling proud that I got to him even just a little bit. And yeah, there was something heady about the way he looked at me like I was his new favorite dessert.
Rory let out a ragged sigh as he adjusted himself in his workout shorts. “This Sky dude sounds like he’s lashing out. He’s insecure in his relationship and with himself, and his family just made it a million times worse by not supporting him. Been there, done that. He’s probably questioning his decision, but it gets better after a while.”