Page 46 of Rebound

“They like to take their time with things. Savor them.”

“Is that true? Do I take my time?”

Ben cleared his throat. “You’ve been thorough when allowed.”

“When allowed?”

“I think that things between us have been developing under false pretenses,” he said. “Both of us trying to pretend that there wasn’t anything between us when there was. Now that things are more out in the open…”

“Now I can stop and savor,” Thomas said.

“Hopefully,” he rasped, voice cracking.

“What about you?”

“Gin and tonic,” he answered.

Thomas reeled back, eyes still heavy with tease, but now colored with a flash of surprise. “You didn’t strike me as the type.”

“No?”

“What do they say about a gin drinker?” Thomas asked, reaching under the table and settling his hand on Ben’s thigh.

“That I’m stubborn as a mule.”

“And are you?”

“Clearly not, because we’re here.”

“You say that like it’s a bad thing.”

“It’s not bad,” he corrected. “It’s just…obviously not what I had planned.”

“Speaking of plans, we’re both tested, so does this mean…”

Ben’s throat flushed warm at the implication in Thomas’s half question. “We can forego condoms. Yes.”

“And does this also mean we’re dating?”

Ben leaned back in his seat with a sigh. That was the question of the hour. He’d admitted his interest in Thomas, and Thomas had shared his view of whatever was happening between them, but dating felt like such a big and scary thing for him. Even though he knew in his gut that Thomas wasn’t ready to be in a relationship with a man, he couldn’t say no. He didn’t want to continue to deprive himself of the things he wanted or enjoyed out of fear of losing them.

“Did you want to date me?” he asked. “Like, are you sure you’re ready to be in a relationship with a man?”

“I’m ready foryou,” Thomas said, his face looking as confident and sure as it had when he’d told Ben he drank scotch.

“Then, yes,” he said. “We’re dating.”

CHAPTER16

THOMAS

Thomas studiedhis reflection in the mirror, wondering if going on a date with Ben was a mistake. Not that he wasn’t interested, because he was. It wasn’t that he was nervous about being out with a man, because he wasn’t. The problem was his age. He wasn’t an old man, but he was much older than Ben, who was closer to Dakota’s age than Thomas’s own. In his gut, he knew if his age was an issue for Ben, Ben wouldn’t have been interested in dating him, but it was still a hard feeling to shake.

The date was also a departure from what they’d gotten used to. There would be no walk to the other’s apartment and no trip to the gelato shop. Ben had planned the date and it involved nice clothes and a car ride, and all of the nerves Thomas could contain in his chest without imploding.

His phone buzzed on the counter with a text from Ben letting him know he was five minutes away, and then immediately buzzed again with a phone call from the absolute last person he wanted to talk to.

Thomas frowned and accepted the call, leaving it on speaker.