“Okay, let’s go to my place. I’ll cook you dinner.”
“Why don’t we just get some food to go?”
I looped my finger into his jeans. “You really want me to cook.”
“Do I now?” His smile was slow and delicious in a way that made my stomach do a little flip.
I could feel eyes on us. Gina was rudely staring and I was absolutely done with that. I turned Rory around and pushed him toward the door. “Bye, Gina.”
“Bye. Remember raincoats.”
“Ugh.”
Rory glanced over his shoulder. “Do I want to know?”
“I’m sure you can infer.”
He gave me that winged brow. “Lovely.”
“Better than the alternative.”
“That is for certain. Not that I don’t think you’re clean as a whistle.”
“Yeah, yeah.” The bell above the door made its usual jingle, but it still seemed weirdly loud. As if it was ushering me out the door and into a huge change.
“It was more the kid thing.”
I suddenly wanted to yank my arms into the huge sweater and hug myself. The kid thing. He’d said it with such derision.
Instead of the full withdrawal, I just hid my hands. “No kids, huh?”
“I’m not the family sort.”
“That’s it? Just not the family sort?”
He shrugged. “I didn’t have a bad home life or anything.”
“And yet still no?”
He shoved his hands into his pockets. “I just don’t think I’m suited for it. You have to be very selfless, and I’m definitely not that.”
“Selfish people aren’t usually that aware, LC.”
He sighed. “Don’t you think this is kind of a heavy topic?”
“Agreed. That’s not what today is about, right?” I pushed the little bit of wistfulness down back where it belonged. Maybe it was all my own issues popping up. Not sure why it was happening around this man.
Okay, that was a lie. It was because we had connected during naked time.
At least I had. I wasn’t quite sure how he was feeling. As soon as he was touching me, he was all in. Otherwise, he could be standoffish.
I really didn’t know what to make of him or us.
Hookups in college were one thing. The next day, you went to class and maybe you saw the dude again at a party.
This?
Weird.