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“See?”
We both laughed, and I glanced at Elliott at the same time that he glanced at me. His breath hitched, and I found myself longing to feel his lips against mine, licking my own at the thought. He moved closer. Or I did. I wasn’t sure who moved first.
“Get a room!” someone shouted at us from one of those ridiculous yellow tourist cars as it whipped around the corner at the crest of the hill.
It broke the moment, and an adorable blush pinked Elliot’s cheeks. He cleared his throat, and we continued on in silence until we stood at the base of the one hundred-foot tall spire Goldsworthy had constructed out of diseased Monterey cypress trees culled from the park. Like almost all of his work, it was designed to decay over time. This one would be replaced by the ring of cypress saplings that ringed the installation. I loved that about Goldsworthy’s work, how they weren’t designed to be static but to call attention to the forces and rhythms of life and nature.
The location was beautiful too. From the hillside, you could see the Bay and San Francisco’s famous skyline, but somehow, Elliott and I ended up looking at each other. He stepped closer to me. “I’d really like to kiss you, Luc,” he said.
I swallowed and nodded. “I’d really like that, too.”
And, oh my God, he did. It started soft, the warmth of his lips touching mine, but then he cupped the back of my head with his free hand and drew me closer. His tongue played with the seam of my mouth, and I opened to him without hesitation, moaning a little as my whole body began to respond. It was everything a first kiss should be. When we broke apart, we were both panting, I could feel that both of us were hard.
“Wow,” Elliott whispered, and it was my turn to blush.
I couldn’t keep my eyes off his or find enough breath to speak, so I nodded, then moved in for our second kiss. When we parted this time, I kept my arms wrapped around his waist, thrilling at the firm muscle beneath my hands. I thought about Mrs. Castellano’s words earlier in the week, about bringing my next guy around so she could size him up, and before I could stop myself, I said, “You know, there’s this amazing bakery just down the street.”
“Castellano’s?” Elliott asked and laughed when I nodded. “I’ve known them since forever. My grandmother lives in the neighborhood. I love their galaktoboureko.”
I stared at him and a smile spread over my face, just as Elliott said, “You’re the vet tech, aren’t you?”
Laughing, I nodded. “I knew Mrs. Castellano has been telling guys about me. She’s been trying to get me to meet this doctor for the past six months.”
“Well, I have no idea who he is, but…” Elliott moved in or another kiss. This one was soft and familiar and went on and on until we both needed to breathe. “He’s just going to get used to disappointment because I’d like to see you again, Luc.”
Elliott was a bit taller than me, but I stood on my toes so I could rest my forehead against his. “You know, I just had this epically clichéd breakup. Since we’ve had this amazing meet cute, you can’t break up with me in some boring way.”
I felt Elliott smile in response.
“What if we don’t break up?”
My breath caught, but I managed to nod. “It would be better that way. Pretty sure Rothy won’t want to be with anyone else after he falls in love with me.”
Elliott laughed. “I thought he was dog loyal with plenty of love for everyone.”
I shrugged. “I’m a special case.”
“Yeah,” Elliott said as he moved in for another kiss, “I think you might be.”
When we broke apart, Elliott reached for my free hand and interlaced our fingers. Together, we walked out of the park and down Arguello until we got to the bakery where we paused to debate who should go in and who should stay with the dogs.
We needn’t have worried. As soon as Mrs. Castellano saw us, she started clapping her hands and pointing at us. Everyone in the bakery turned around to stare at us, which was only slightly unnerving. I waved at them, then picked baby Bey up and waved his paw at all the people.
In the meantime, Mrs. C had left the counter and was heading for the door, two plates of what looked like galaktoboureko in her hands.
“You sneaky boy. You found him!” she cried as she stepped outside, but I couldn’t tell which one of us she was addressing. “See. I told you. You with that malákas,” she gestured at me. “And you with that kólos.” She nodded at Elliott. “Six months, I’ve been waiting for this.”
Which is when the penny dropped for me. I looked at Elliott. “You’re the doctor?”
“Yes. Yes,” Mrs. Castellano nodded. “The doctor.”
“But you said—"
Elliott shook his head and kissed the older woman on the cheek. “I have a doctorate, Mrs. C. I’m not a doctor. I’ve told you this.”
“Doctor. Doctorate.” She waved her free hand in the air. “What does it matter? You’re here now. Both of you. Sit. Eat. Yannis will bring you coffee. And then we’ll plan the cake and sweets for your wedding.”
Both Elliott and I laughed, but as we sat on opposite sides of the little café table, and Elliott took hold of my hand, I couldn’t help but wonder if maybe Mrs. Castellano was on to something. I might have had the most clichéd breakup, but this date was turning out to be epic, and I didn’t want it to end any time soon. And, I was hopeful, it wasn’t going to.
