Page 62 of Worth the Wait

Jack dropped a kiss against his forehead and opened the passenger door with a flourish. Callum jumped into the plush leather seat and smiled as Jack closed the door. He walked around the car and climbed into the driver’s side, keying an address into his nav without any indication to Callum as to where they were going.

“How was your day?” Jack asked, pulling into traffic.

“Anti-climactic,” Callum snarked.

Jack barked out a sharp laugh. “Good.”

“What about yours?”

“They made me an offer at the hospital.”

“That’s good!” Callum replied happily. “When do you start?”

“Next Monday.”

“That’ll be nice,” Callum replied conversationally before lapsing into an awkward silence.

Jack reached across the console and took his hand, steering with the other through the Los Angeles night.

“I’m sorry,” Callum blurted after a few miles. “I don’t know how to do this.”

“Do what, kitten?” Jack looked at him quickly before turning his attention back to the road.

“Go on a date with you.”

“Well, you’re sort of doing it,” Jack reminded him with a hint of tease in his voice.

“The whole point of dating is getting to know someone and I feel like I know you already. Do we really need to do this?”

“You know me, and you don’t,” Jack said, driving up a winding hill. “You know the things I’ve told you, the me I want you to know.”

He looked at Jack dubiously.

“Not to imply I’ve misrepresented myself, because I haven’t. But, of course, online you cherry-pick the things you share. You want to be your best self, and if this is going to last, Callum, if it’s going to work in the real world, then you need to know my worst self too.”

Jack parked and reached into the back seat, returning over the console with a picnic basket and a blanket.

“Are you taking me on a picnic?” Callum asked, unlatching his seatbelt and getting out of the car.

“I’m taking you on a picnic. I’m giving you the world.”

Jack took Callum’s hand with the one not holding the basket and that was when Callum realized where they were.

“Shit. Are you serious? The Observatory?”

They were only in the parking lot, but Callum tipped his head backward anyway to look up at the sky. Jack tugged his hand, leading him toward the public telescopes. Callum was giddy with excitement and he sidled up to Jack and leaned up to press a kiss against the side of his neck.

“Can we look now?” he asked, practically jumping.

“Let’s eat first.”

Jack set the basket down in an out-of-the-way spot and fanned the blanket out. He took a seat and patted for Callum to do the same. He helped Jack open the basket, finding wrapped meat and cheese inside, along with a loaf of French bread and some cans of sparkling water. There was even a package of brownies.

“You’ve thought of everything,” Callum praised, leaning over the basket for a kiss, which Jack gave him.

Jack unwrapped the meat and cheese, laying it out in front of them, then broke an end of the bread off and passed it to Callum.

“Are you excited about the new job?” Callum asked after taking a bite of salami and Swiss cheese.