Page 20 of Love in Mission City

I snagged his hand and guided him back to the living room. I grabbed my phone, hit a few buttons, and soft music began to play through the speakers. “I thought we could replicate the scene where the guys are dancing.”

“Uh, I don’t dance.” Henry glanced at his feet. “I’d step on you.”

“Well, why don’t we start with just swaying to the music?”

“Sure.” He might’ve stuttered that.

Slowly, I drew him into my arms.

At first, unsurprisingly, he stiffened. As I held him, though, he slowly relaxed.

When I gently drew my hand down his cheek, he leaned into the touch. When I scratched his beard, he grinned. When I leaned in for a kiss, his eyes drifted shut, and he gave himself over to me.

Chapter Six

Johnson

Henry and I had several moredatesat each other’s houses before we ventured out into the wide world of Mission City.

Christmas Eve, I took him for an early dinner at White Spot. I’d made certain to reserve a booth in the corner, but I needn’t have worried. As I gazed across the table at him, I suddenly realized the anniversary of Mark’s departure had passed without me noticing.

Kristen, our server, offered us a wide smile. “Small crowd tonight. Would you like the turkey dinner or something else?”

Henry’d studied the menu as if there was going to be a test, and I wondered, not for the first time, if he’d ever been out. I was certain his mother must’ve taken him out, but that would’ve been a long time ago.

“Turkey, please.” He offered our server a shy smile.

I added my order, picking the same thing, and handed my menu back to her. When she’d left, I tilted my head. “Have you ever been here before? It’s been here a long time, right?”

Henry nodded. Then shook his head. “Yeah, I think it’s always been here. Mom used to take me to Fifties.”

“Oh, the diner? I love it there. We could’ve gone there, if you’d have preferred.”

After a moment, Henry placed his hand on mine. “This is perfect.”

“We’ll go to Fifties another time. Oh, maybe the morning after New Year’s.” I might be making an assumption we’d still be together in a week, but I was slowly making comments like that. We’d kissed a few more times, and Henry always settled into those intimate moments.

“Yeah, New Year’s.” He blinked. “Do we have plans?”

“I hadn’t thought that far ahead. My ex used to love to party, but I kind of like hanging at home and watching the ball drop on television.”

“Could we, uh, watch that movie again?”

We’d watched several over the past couple of weeks. “Oh, the gay one?” We’d seen several gay ones, but I suspected I knew which one he wanted to see.

“Yeah.” He cleared his throat. “I was so nervous that I wasn’t really paying attention.”

“Were you waiting for me to make a move on you?”

His cheeks turned that endearing red. “Yeah, kinda.”

Go for it. “Do you want to stay over tonight? I mean, I have to call my parents tomorrow morning, but I don’t want to be alone…” Like I’d been last year after Mark’d left me. And I’d be okay on my own again. Marginally less lonely because I had Zeus and the knowledge I’d see Henry on—

“Yes.” He ducked his head. “Yes, please.”

Oh.

Oh.