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Setting Pete down, I rest my hands on his shoulders. “I love you, too. I have for as long as I can remember.”

“Jesus,” he says, shaking his head. “We wasted so much time.”

I place a finger on his lips. “It wasn’t wasted. We spent that timetogether,Pete, and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”

Pete’s eyes soften. “This doesn’t feel real.” I pinch him just to be sure. “Ouch! Okay, yes, it’s real. What the fuck, Rodney,” he says but he can’t stop giggling. I understand because I don’t think I’ll stop smiling for the rest of the night.

“Just helping out.”

Pete pushes the center of my chest. “Go grab our pizza then let’s go home.”

I turn around and head over to the oven, grabbing the pizza from the top of the oven. We toss our aprons into the hamper and get into our coats and other winter gear. I already put Pete’s bike into the back of my truck, so we’re all good to go.

It doesn’t take long for me to clear my truck of snow before we’re jumping inside and heading home. The drive back to where we live is familiar, just like any other time I’ve come to pick Pete up. The only difference is the warm feeling of his hand resting on my thigh.

Somehow that tiny gesture makes a world’s difference. Everything is the same yetbetter. We’re still best friends, yet we’re so much more. I’m allowed to touch him. I’m allowed to kiss him. I’m allowed tohave him.

The drive home is slow and slippery but eventually, we’re pulling into our driveway of the home we’re renting together. I put the truck into park and turn off the lights but keep it on for a moment. After work, I know Pete usually likes to sit in the driveway for a bit to decompress.

Pete takes his seatbelt off and scoots closer to me. I unbuckle as well and put my arm around his shoulder, tugging him close. He lets out a content sigh that Ifeelin the center of my gut.

“I know you pinched me but this still doesn’t feel real. I’ve wanted this forso long, Rodney. I’m terrified that at any moment, you’ll realize you’ve made a mistake by kissing me.”

I turn him so he’s looking at me, those big brown eyes wide, not unlike a giant puppy. “Kissing you was the best thing I’ve done in a long time. I love you, Pete. I’ll continue to tell you how much I love you until the day we die if that’s what it takes for you to believe me.”

“You say the sweetest things,” he says with a grin.

“Youare the sweetest thing.”

Pete groans at my corniness, but doesn’t argue with me. Instead, he kisses me.

Will I ever get tired of this? Will the excitement of being able to kiss my best friend ever fade?

Our kisses before now have been soft, exploring, and chaste. This one takes a turn very quickly into something more.

Pete moans against my lips and a moment later, I feel his tongue caressing my bottom lip. I open for him, wanting to give him everything, needing him to take exactly what he wants. The moment his tongue touches mine, I am lost. I’m swept away inPete, Pete, Pete. My head floats into the clouds and the only thing that’ll bring me back down is my best friend.

My stomach quivers with equal parts affection and arousal as we make out in my truck. God, I feel like a teenager again only this is so much better because it’s Pete, the man I’ve grown to love so deeply, the other half of my soul. If soulmates are real, then I know without a doubt that Pete is mine.

I cup his face with one hand, the other finding its way to the back of his head, running along the short strands I find. Pete’s hand runs over my throat before moving lower, trying to get access to my chest from within my bulky jacket. He makes a frustrated noise as he pulls away.

“I want to touch you,” he says with a pout. “But your jacket’s in the way.”

“I’mnottaking my jacket off until we’re inside, that’s a boundary I’m not willing to compromise on.”

Pete just starts to laugh, his eyes so bright and full of joy. It steals my breath. He’s so fucking gorgeous and somehow, we’ve finally made it here. We can take all the time in the world going further than kisses because now that I have him, there’s nothing that will make me let him go.

“Let’s get our asses inside then,” he finally says, grabbing the pizza box and getting out of the truck.

I watch him run into the house, smiling to myself. I feel overwhelmed by just how fucking happy I am. When I left the house to make sure Pete would have a ride home, I never dreamed things would end up like this.

I turn off my truck and get out, making my way inside. The snow is really coming down and I wish, not for the first time, that we had a garage to park in. Hopefully by the time I have to leave again, the snow will be manageable.

As I step into the house, I hear Pete running through the hall. When the door closes behind me, he shouts, “take a shower and then meet me in my room!”

I take off my shoes, hang up my coat, and then make my way through the house towards my room. Pete has a bathroom attached to his room so I’ll use the shared bathroom to shower.

It’s quick work to throw my shit in my room and grab a clean pair of boxers and sweatpants. I turn the water to hot and jump in. Everything about this feels business as usual but at the same time, my chest keeps fluttering. Every time I remember that we’ve cross the line between friendship and love, another flutter goes through me. Nothing has changed, but at the same timeeverythingis different.