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I pulled Brady’s chair out for him, and he grinned at me before taking a seat. I gave him a peck on his cheek before taking my seat. The woman—Amy? Mia?—had disappeared already, and I frowned, shaking my head at the shitty service.
“I’m so sorry about Amelia. She’s an old hag. My name’s Blue, and I’ll be your—Oh, hey, Brady!”
I turned to look at our server—a twenty-something person with short, spiky hair that was dyed blue—who apparently knew my boyfriend. Could I call him my boyfriend yet?
I hadn’t known I was possessive until I saw Brady grinning at Blue and felt a strange, acidic burn in the pit of my stomach. I looked between the two of them, wondering how they knew each other, when Brady started speaking. “Hey, Blue! I didn’t realize you worked here. Meet my partner, Charlie.”
I smiled at her politely as I waited for Brady to tell me how he knew her. I knew Brady had probably dated more than a few people in the past—unlike me—and I knew I had no reason to be jealous, either. But I still wanted to know.
“Charlie, Blue is a member of Voice Out. Actually, ze is a part of the support group I told you about.” My smile turned more genuine once Brady told me where he knew Blue from, and I immediately felt guilty for how I’d acted. I also noted the pronoun Brady had used for Blue, hoping I’d remember it correctly.
“It’s nice to meet you, Blue. I’m looking forward to the support group meeting.” I really was. I hadn’t been able to gather up the courage to go before, but now I felt like I could do it. I really wanted to meet more people like me, to know their stories and maybe make some new friends. I’d already met Jo and now Blue. I wasn’t sure how many members the group had, but I was looking forward to meeting them all.
“Oh, you should definitely come! It’s a lot of fun. But for now, please let me know once you’re ready to order. Also, I’m not out at work yet, so…” Ze trailed off with a shrug, and we nodded in understanding.
“Give us five minutes, please. Could I have some water in the meantime?”
“Same for me,” Brady added, and I remembered him telling me he wasn’t a fan of wine. Yep, me neither.
Once Blue had left, we looked over the menu, though I spent half the time wondering which of these dishes I might be able to make for the café before finally coming to a decision about what I wanted to eat.
“So, what are you getting?”
Brady grinned at me, his green eyes shining bright as he spoke. “I have a sudden craving for good ole lasagna, so I’m gonna go with that. You?”
“I’m gonna go with Panzanella. I wonder if I could make it at the café as a special one of these days?” I knew before I finished speaking what Brady’s reaction would be, and I grinned as his eyes widened, and he shook his head adamantly.
“Oh, no. You’re not bringing things like salads in my café. No way, no how,” Brady said with a dramatic flair, his face scrunching up at the wordsalad. I laughed at his over-the-top reaction, and he grinned once he realized I’d been joking.
“You peeps ready to order?” Blue asked. I hadn’t even heard zir approaching.
“Yep,” Brady said and ordered for us, making a face yet again when he placed my order and prompting me to roll my eyes.
Once Blue was gone, Brady turned to me with a soft smile and grabbed my hand into his smaller one and gave it a squeeze. “I’m so proud of you.”
He didn’t need to tell me what he was talking about because I knew already. Honestly, I was feeling proud of myself too, and I let it show in my smile as I thanked him.
We ate dinner while chatting comfortably, and I even managed to convince Brady to let me make a salad for him that I knew he would like. It was an Indian recipe, which included curd and a whole lot of things that would make the salad so delicious Brady would be licking his spoon and wanting more. I couldn’t wait to see his face when he first tasted it.
After dinner, we took a walk through the park, enjoying the cool breeze and the silence. We didn’t talk, just basked in each other’s presence. I loved every second of it. When it was time to go home, I was reluctant to leave. But then Brady asked me if I’d like to come over to his place before going home, and suddenly, I wasn’t so reluctant anymore.
“Hey, you,” Brady said, climbing up on the small couch and leaning over me with his knees braced against it. I hadn’t even heard him walk into the room, the sneak. He’d gone to take Cherry out while I waited for him on the couch, wondering what exactly he had planned for us. After all, it was his birthday. Who was I to stop him from taking whatever he wanted?
“Hello there,” I replied with a grin as he pressed forward and took my lips in a heated kiss. I opened up for him instantly, and he didn’t waste a moment before pushing his tongue into my mouth. I loved the way he always took control, the way he was leaning over me and had me covered with his small frame. The taste of peppermint enveloped my senses as my tongue explored his mouth, mingling with his own sweetness. I leaned up so I could explore deeper, wanting to taste every inch of his heavenly mouth, seeking the feel of his soft, warm skin against mine.
Suddenly, the warmth of his presence was gone, and a chill breeze washed over me, raising goosebumps all over my skin as I tried to pull out of the haze I’d fallen into. It took me a moment to realize what had happened as I sat up and glanced around before spotting Brady sprawled on the floor beside the couch. I took one look at his wide green eyes and plush red lips wide open in an expression of shock and started laughing. Oh my god. He’d fallen off the couch while making out.His face! He looked as if someone had kicked him in the balls and did a runner on him!
It took me a few minutes to get myself under control for long enough to extend a hand and pull him back up on the couch since he’d obviously been waiting for me to stop and help him as he’d crossed his arms over his chest and glared at me while I’d laughed.
But then he huffed at me, arms once again crossed over his chest as he snarked, “Oh, thank you so much for thinking about me so quickly. You’re such a caring partner,” and I was laughing again.
Once I’d finally,finallycalmed down, Brady straddled my legs, gripping the headrest on either side of my head and holding my hips tightly between his knees as he glared at me, “This. Never. Happened. Am I clear?”
I grinned at him, and apparently, that was the wrong answer because he pulled his right hand away from the headrest and gripped my chin tightly between his thumb and forefinger and leaned forward until we were nose to nose. He stared at me for a few moments, those green eyes of his heating up with want as they roved over me. I shivered as heat rose in my cheeks at the absolute lust in his gaze. I could see his want for me so fucking clearly in his eyes, and it was a heady feeling.
His lips hovered over mine as he breathed out in a sultry whisper, “This never happened. Are we clear?”
“Yes,” I whispered shakily, my body buzzing with a need to kiss him as I gripped his small waist and pulled him flush against me, my blood rushing south as he grinned at me and traced my bottom lip with his tongue, still not kissing me.
