But you’re glad he wasn’t.
Patrick struggled to contest the thought, but the butterflies in his stomach and his fluttering pulse propped it up.
“Here.” Derek motioned to a booth by the window and took a seat across from Patrick. “What do you want to drink? Soda? Coffee? Something else?”
“Uh… soda,” Patrick mumbled.
“Pepsi?” Derek smiled.
“Yeah.”
The waitress came over and Derek ordered two Pepsis. “Are you hungry?”
“Not really,” Patrick said.
“Just the drinks for now,” Derek told the waitress. A few minutes later, she brought their order and disappeared again.
Patrick stirred his drink with the straw, so nervous he felt queasy.
“I’m really glad we got to do this,” Derek said. “I have to admit, I was pretty bummed when you didn’t show up at six.”
“I’m sorry.”
“No need to be. You told me you might not make it.” He cocked his head, a half-smile tugging the corner of his mouth… kicking up Patrick’s already rapid pulse. “Are you disappointed I was still here?” When Patrick hesitated, Derek chuckled. “Ouch.”
“No… it’s just…” Patrick stirred his drink some more as he watched the ice swirl inside the glass. His voice shook a bit. “I-I promised Brian I wouldn’t go out with you.”
“Mm.” Derek sipped his drink and nodded. “You told him about me, then. Guess he didn’t like what he heard?”
“It isn’t that,” Patrick whispered. “He… He looks out for me.”
“Good friends are like that.” Derek smiled.
Images from the pamphlet and the video clips flooded Patrick’s mind. “What… what are your friends like?”
“Ah, man, they’re great. The one you saw me with yesterday—Lucas—he can be snarky, but he’s a good guy, has a great heart. And Mickey and Marcus… uuuh.” Derek pressed his hand to his heart and sighed. “They are the most affection, loving creatures you’ll ever meet.” He rested his elbows on the table, his smile stretching as he gazed at Patrick. “And they wouldadoreyou.”
The two boys on the cover of the pamphlet jumped to mind. Patrick had no idea if they were the two Derek was speaking of, but it felt right. “What do they look like?”
“Mickey and Marcus?” Derek chuckled and his eyes lit up when he talked about them. “Both blond, kind of dainty. We call them thetwinsbecause they look so much alike, but they’re not actually related. Talk about two real-life angels. I haven’t met anyone yet who can resist their charms. Sweet as honey, those two.”
The video clip of the “twins” played through Patrick’s head and he remembered how it seemed they weremaking loveto their third partner more so than justsexinghim.
His cheeks warmed and he tried to flush the images from his mind—especially the ones ofDerek.It wasn’t easy sitting here talking to the guy when he’d viewed himnakedand engaging incarnalactivities.
“How long have you known Lucas?” Patrick murmured.
“A few years now.”
“Oh.”
Derek smiled. “We’re just friends. Our relationship isn’t at all romantic. He has a boyfriend, Bailey, who’s an EMT. Really great guy.”
“You… you mentioned your boss yesterday. What does he do?” Patrick sat tensely—afraid to hear him say it out loud even though Patrick had seen the evidence himself.
“Gideon?”
Gideon’s Angels.
