Cross the Line

“Are you sure about this?” Running my hand through my hair, I stared at him.

His reply was instant. “Yeah. I should’ve done it sooner. Way sooner.” He gave me a crooked smile, stepping closer and putting his arms around me. “You’re pretty fucking special to me, Golden Boy, and it’s about time people around here were aware of just who you belong to.”

It took me a while to formulate a reply, the lump in my throat too big to swallow around. I lowered my forehead to his, my arms sliding around his waist. “You’re everything to me.”

His grip on me tightened, and he blew out a heavy breath. We stayed like that for a moment, just enjoying the closeness between us, before he released me. “I feel like a weight’s been lifted, y’know?”

“I know.” I turned in the direction of the locker rooms. “I’m proud of you. And happy. You make me so happy, Kian.”

His eyes shining, he took my hand and squeezed it lightly, before tugging me towards the locker rooms.

“So this is how we celebrate making things properly official, huh?” Smiling, I looked down at Kian’s hand clasped around mine, as we came to a stop at the end of the boardwalk that stretched out over the sea.

“Maybe I’m trying to romance you before I take you back to mine and do bad things to you.” He shrugged, a grin playing across his lips.

“Oh, baby, you’re so sweet.” I pretended to swoon, batting my lashes at him, and he hit me in the bicep. I glared at him. “Hey! That was uncalled for.”

“You’re a dick,” he said, laughing. “Good thing I like you so much.”

“Says the guy who just punched me.”

We grinned at each other, and I savoured being out here in the open with my boyfriend. No more hiding away, no more having to walk next to him without being able to hold his hand. Now, everyone could see that he was mine and I was his.

“Is this okay for you, being with me, in the open? Do you feel uncomfortable?” I ran my hand down his arm, feeling his hard muscles flex under my touch.

He took an unsteady breath. “It feels…new. But good. Really good.” Taking a step closer, he grasped my chin in his hand, running his thumb over my jaw. “I have no regrets about any of this. I promise.”

“Good. But I want you to tell me if you ever feel uncomfortable, okay?”

In response, he nodded and lightly nipped at my lower lip. “Speaking of romancing you…” A flush appeared on his cheeks, and he shuffled his feet. “Do you want to go out with me? For a meal or something?”

A wide smile spread across my face. “Are you asking me on a date?”

“Yeah. I know we’ve probably done things the wrong way round…okay, we definitely have, but I want you to know that you’re important to me. I want to be seen with you. Would that be alright?”

“Hell, yeah. It’s more than alright. I’d love to.”

He smiled back at me, his eyes sparkling, and I kissed him.

We fell silent, his arm against mine as we leaned against the railing. I breathed in the salty tang of the sea air, memories of my home on the Connecticut coast flooding back as I stared out to sea.

“Do you miss it?”

Kian’s voice broke through my thoughts, and I turned to see him studying me intently from under his lashes, his dark hair windswept from the sea breeze. Damn, he was gorgeous. How did I get so lucky?

“Huh?”

“America,” he elaborated. “You’ve got that distant look in your eyes, like you get when you’re thinking about it.”

“You noticed that?” I stared at him in surprise, and he gave me a small smile.

“Yeah. I dunno if you’re aware, but I notice a lot about you, Golden Boy.”

My heart skipped a beat. I cleared my throat before replying. “Me too.” He gave me a soft smile, which didn’t mask the question in his eyes, and I gave him my full attention, turning to lean sideways on the railing so I could face him properly. “I do miss it. Sometimes it’s like a physical pain, an ache deep inside. It’s…it’s my homeland.”

A sadness stole over his face that he tried to conceal with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. I tugged him into my arms. “You know what, though?” I waited until he looked at me, and I continued, telling him my truth. “I’m happier now than I ever have been.”

“Yeah?” His voice was a croaky whisper.