Second Nature (His Chance 2)

One final evening alone here with Gabriel would have been heavenly. But it was Will and Lorenzo’s last day in San Francisco, and they’d invited us to join them for a night on the town, along with some friends they’d made among the cast and crew. They meant a lot to us, and we didn’t want to let them down.

When I got home from work, I took a shower and did the best I could to get dressed up for our night out. That meant a black button-down shirt, jeans, and my ever-present leather jacket. Everyone was meeting up at a restaurant in the Castro, then going out dancing. I knew Will would be dressed up because he always was, but I hoped everyone else kept it fairly casual.

Now I was just waiting on Gabriel, who was still getting ready. And my God, was it worth the wait. He joined me on the balcony a few minutes later dressed in his high heels, a pair of slim-fitting black pants, and a cropped black sweater, which showed off about three inches of skin and the little silver ring in his belly button. He’d also applied a perfect line of liquid eyeliner along his upper lashes and added a bit of mascara and red lipstick. I loved the fact that he was feeling confident enough to let his feminine side shine.

I murmured, “You look beautiful,” as I drew him into my arms.

“Thank you. I should have let you do my makeup, though. It took me three tries to get this liner right.”

“It’s perfect, and so are you.”

“Hardly.” He kissed me, and then he grinned and ran his thumb over my lower lip to remove a smudge of lipstick. “Do you think our friends will notice if we sneak out early? I really want to enjoy our last night alone in this apartment.”

“I was just thinking the same thing. They’ve invited a bunch of people, so we’ll probably be able to slip out after dinner. Not that I wouldn’t love to dance with you, but we can do that right here, in private.”

“Exactly.”

After a few moments, I ventured, “Have you thought about what we’re going to do when we leave here? There are only three weeks left on my contract, and if they fly by as fast as the last three, we’ll be heading back to Southern California before we know it.”

“I want to be wherever you are,” he said. “I know we could still date if you’re in L.A. and I’m on Catalina, but after these last three weeks together, I’d really hate that much separation between us.”

My heart started to race, but I tried to act casual as I asked, “Would you maybe want to move in with me?”

“I’d love to.”

“Really? You don’t want some time to think about it?”

“I’ve been thinking about it for days. I know I want to be wherever you are, and it’s not like we just met, so living together just makes sense,” he said. “There’s no way we’ll both fit in your studio apartment though, so we’ll need to look for a one-bedroom when we get back to L.A.”

“I don’t know if I can afford a bigger apartment.”

“I can. I have enough in savings for the deposit and the first couple of months’ rent, and it should be pretty easy to find a job in a hotel now that I have some experience.”

I asked, “Won’t you miss Seahorse Ranch and your friends?”

“Definitely, and I want to visit them often. I’d rather be with you, though.”

I met his gaze and said, “This sounds perfect, except for one thing. You need your savings for your lingerie company.”

He shook his head. “That isn’t going to happen.”

“You don’t know that.” Even though Gabriel wouldn’t like it, I wanted to tell him I’d met with Roger the week before, and that he’d promised to get back to me with some reliable contacts in the apparel manufacturing industry. But Roger had been evasive when I’d followed up with him, so I really didn’t know where any of that stood. For now, I just left it at, “It’s too soon to give up on your dreams.”

“I’m not giving up. I still would absolutely love to sell my lingerie someday, but at this point in my life, it’s just not realistic. I’d much rather use my money on a nice apartment for you and me, instead of throwing it away on a half-baked idea.”

“But maybe there’s another alternative. What if I apply for a job at the resort? If I get hired, it might come with room and board. Then you and I can live there together while we build our savings and work on getting your company off the ground.”

Gabriel caressed my cheek and said, “There’s no way I’m letting you trade your dream for mine. You’re a brilliant makeup artist, Riley, and it’s just a matter of time before you land the perfect job. Just look at all the new followers you gained on social media after you posted the fantasy makeup photos.”