Page 27 of A Quiet Man

The two of them were very obviously on a date, and that earned them a few weird looks, but most people minded their own business or even seemed vaguely friendly. It was a pleasant surprise for Tomas, who'd had no idea what to expect on the homophobia front. He looked at the grinning guy beside him and smiled back helplessly. Maybe Auden was so cute, he repelled homophobia.

"Ready for a rest?" Auden asked, his breathing heavy, creating plumes of mist. Tomas nodded fervently. He liked to think he was in shape, but his calves were aching.

They sank onto a wooden bench overlooking the rink and caught their breath, watching other people skate with varying degrees of proficiency. Kids were cute when they skated, whether well or poorly. One fell, and his mother helped him up immediately. A little girl of nine or ten who skated better than Tomas did swooped through the middle of the rink, bending in one smooth motion to pick up someone's dropped glove, and swooped away with it, on a mission.

Auden slipped off one of his gloves and slid his hand shyly into Tomas's. "What are you thinking?"

Tomas could see his breath. The rink was brightly lit, an oasis of light after dark. He squeezed Auden's fingers. They were thin and chilly. "This is nice."

"Oh?" Auden leaned against him a little. With both of them muffled by coats, it wasn't a particularly cuddly experience, but it made Tomas feel warm inside anyway.

"All of it. Being here with you, mostly."Your fingers are so cold.

Auden's little sigh sounded happy. "Your hands are so warm. How?"

"I had them in my pockets for a while."

"Yeah, but I've been wearing gloves all night, and I'm still freezing. Brr."

Tomas put an arm around him. It felt easy, the natural thing to do. He wondered if he should say something about warming him up, but that didn't feel natural at all. It would sound like a cheesy pickup line when he didn't mean it that way.

Instead, he said, "This was a good idea. I haven't had this much fun in ages."

"You say the nicest things."

"Want to get cocoa?"

Auden was silent for a moment. "I'd like to just sit here with you."

"Okay." Now Tomas had no clue what to talk about. He watched his breath turn to fog. Why did that never get old?

Auden, still leaning against him, twisted around a little to get a better look. His smile was ruefully pleased as he watched. There was something possessive and affectionate about him tonight.

It unnerved Tomas a little how much Auden liked him. This wasn't all just him, or something he needed to sort out for himself — or talk himself out of. This was about both of them. If Tomas was falling hard, then so was Auden.

Tomas said, before he could really think it through, "Are we boyfriends now?" It sounded so juvenile, he was embarrassed. Quickly, he hurried on, hoping to blunt the vulnerable, unsophisticated sound of it. "I mean, two and a half dates — that's got to count for something, right?"

Auden's laugh was cute, even when Tomas was blushing. "Three dates. The farmer's market was definitely a date."

"Oh? Was it?"I thought we were just hanging out.

"You paid for my stuff and gave me a lift. We had milkshakes. Yep, definitely a date! And I had an amazing time." Auden straightened up and kissed Tomas on the cheek. "Definitely boyfriends — if you want to be."

Tomas finally noticed that he wasn't the only one blushing, that Auden's pink cheeks weren't just from exertion. He was vulnerable here, too.

Tomas held back a sigh, because now was when he'd have to try to explain his weirdness, and he didn't have the right words. He would probably stumble over them and get more and more flustered while Auden began to look at him first with surprise, then with disgust and shock.

"I'd like that," Tomas said in a muted sort of voice.

Auden took a quick, nervous breath, then said more firmly, "So would I. Although I only do monogamy when it comes to boyfriends. Is that okay?"

"Uh, yeah," said Tomas. The thought made his head spin. Had someone tried to date Auden before and called him their boyfriend while dating other people at the same time? The very idea that Tomas could find someone else to date at the same time made his head spin a little. Finding one person he liked this much was hard enough. And if it came to having sex — that would be even more unlikely.

"I'm not polyamorous," said Auden. "I'm not wired that way."

"Uh, me either," Tomas said, head still whirling. "I'm not sure I'm—"

"What?" Auden looked at him, alert now, a little nervous. "Did we put a name on it too soon? It's okay. We can—" He swallowed, looking like he was trying to push down his hurt.