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Snagging a padded wooden chair at the bar, he settled in and placed his keys on the seat beside him for Robby. He ordered two glasses of water from the bartender and zoned off, staring at the rays of a rising sun painted on the far wall.
He nearly jumped out when Robby whispered in his ear. “This seat taken?”
Robby’s smile took his breath away. Matt transferred his keys into his pocket and gestured for Robby to sit. “I’m starving. Do you know what you want?”
Robby opted for queso quesadillas while he got the enchiladas he’d been craving. They kept it light as they waited for their meals, chatting mostly about the build at the center and whether guacamole counted as delicious or disgusting.
Delicious, obviously.
When the food did come, talking stopped altogether for a few minutes, and the calories fortified him enough to venture out of neutral territory. “Saturday night was…amazing.”
Robby blushed in the freaking adorable way he always did. “For me too.” He said it looking at his dinner, but it still counted as a win.
“I, um, wanted to ask you some questions, and I feel…” He swallowed. “I feel kind of awkward, but—”
Robby’s gaze shot up and his shoulders tensed like he was preparing to run a gauntlet. “Ask.”
Well, shit. He hesitated. The need to avoid the strained, rigid look Robby now wore was the reason why he kept so many questions to himself.
“Ask.”
“What are we to each other?”
Robby tilted his head to the side and set his fork on his napkin. At least he no longer looked ready to take a punch.
“It’s stupid—and I’m not trying to put you on the spot—but I’ve never really been with anybody. I mean, I’ve never been in a relationship with anybody before, you know, if we’re in a relationship right now.”
Oh God. He might be sick.
Robby blinked. “Are you asking me if I’m your boyfriend?”
Stomach now churning in earnest, Matt covered his mouth with his hand as he nodded.
“Hey. Just breathe.” Robby put a hand on his back and rubbed in slow circles. “I would love to be your boyfriend. In fact, I can’t think of a single thing I would love more. But only if it’s what you want too. I can’t tell if you’re freaking out because you want to be a couple or because you don’t.”
Matt closed his eyes and silently counted to ten, willing his anxiety to step down a notch. It helped a little. “I do,” he whispered. Unsure what he’d see in Robby’s expression, he chanced a look at his face.
Praise be. A smile. It calmed him better than trying to wrestle his fears under control. “When I got to the center this morning, I realized I didn’t even know how to say hello. Obviously, I know how to say hello, but everything feels different now, you know?”
Robby’s hand stilled but didn’t leave his back. “Different good or different bad?”
“Different good.” He turned to face Robby fully, their knees bumping together between the chairs. “I am all-in, Rob. If you’re in this too, you can stamp your name on my forehead if you want.”
“And ruin your gorgeous face? Not in a million years.” Robby’s right hand, the one closest to the bar, squeezed his thigh. “When you say you didn’t know how to say hello…how did you want to say hello?”
He laughed a little. “Honestly, I wanted to touch you. Not like in some grand, passionate…whatever. Well, maybe a little, but not just a wave or a nod. But I didn’t know if you wanted the same thing or even whether you wanted your friends to know about us. Or if we’re supposed to be different at work.” None of this was coming out right.
“Brick and Kane will flip their lids when we tell them.” Robby chuckled.
Why was it funny? “It’s not funny,” Matt groused. “They’re your best friends. I thought they liked me, at least a little.”
“They do like you.” The megawatt grin Robby sported should’ve been illegal. “They’re gonna flip because they’ve known about my inappropriate, almost stalker-level crush on you for months now.”
Matt gaped.
“They tried to let me down easy. Gave me tons of pep-talks. Ha!” He slapped the bar beside his empty plate. “I should just plant a fat kiss on you right in front of Kane to watch him swallow his own tongue.”
Smiling despite himself, Matt sipped his water. “I’m not sure if I’m ready to go full-tilt PDA. Some things should stay private, I think.”
