Page 19 of Love in Mission City

All questions I didn’t have answers for.

But I could satiate one curiosity.

“Have you ever gone out with someone?”

Henry appeared startled, those beautiful green eyes going wide.

“Uh, no.” He whispered those words, not making eye contact.

"So, you've never been on a date?"

"No. I didn't want to. I was too shy around people when I was younger." He continued stroking Zeus’s back.

"What about now? Do you want to go on a date with someone? Like maybe Denise?" I tried for casual, yet felt anything but.

"No." Clear and definitive.

"What about someone like me? Would you like to go on a date with me?" I held my breath.

Henry gazed at me. "I kinda thought I already had."

“Oh.” I met his green gaze. I replayed our every encounter, seeing them in a new light. Had we been courting? Was that how he’d seen our time together?

Slowly, clearly telegraphing my movements, I reached for his hand. When our palms touched, I interlaced our fingers. Funny, to see how small and delicate mine were in comparison, yet he was the one who did the intricate work. “Would you like me to kiss you?

“I kinda hoped you would.” His eyes sparkled in the low light. “But what about Zeus?”

“Zeus, buddy, would you like a bone?”

Predictably, my pooch leapt off the couch and his tail wagged so hard, his body shook.

I snagged our ice cream bowls and headed into the kitchen. After putting the bowls on the counter, I grabbed a small soup bone from the freezer.

Zeus yipped.

Henry chuckled.

Startled, I stood, knocking the freezer shut at the same time.

This time, Henry actually laughed.

Zeus whined.

“Would you like to give it to him?”

Henry nodded enthusiastically.

“Okay, make him sit.” I showed him the motion for sit.

After taking the soup bone, Henry replicated the motion.

My pooch dropped his ass to the ground in a heartbeat. Then he took the bone Henry offered and made his way over tohis bed. He plopped down and started chomping on the bone, breaking the marrow into edible bits.

“He’s, uh, loud.” Henry cocked his head.

“Which is why we’ll head back into the living room. This’ll keep him occupied for about an hour.”

“An hour?” He might’ve squeaked that.