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He winced. Then he slumped in his chair and sighed. “Oh God. I’m going to a club, aren’t I?”
“Yes, you are.” I nudged him again. “Come on! It’ll be fun!”Even if it’ll be absolute torture for me, especially if you and some rando start making out on the dancefloor and— I cleared my throat. “Tell you what—try the hookup apps this week. Put yourself out there. See if you have any luck. And if you don’t reel anyone in by Saturday night?” I grinned and sing-songed, “Then we go dancing!”
Matt looked at me like I’d suggested we go get drug-free root canals for funsies. But little by little, he seemed to surrender to the idea. He didn’t warm up to it, but he didn’t fight it.
“Okay. If I don’t have any luck, then…” He let his currently unoccupied shoulders sag. “Then I guess we’re going dancing.”
I grinned triumphantly, but beneath the surface…
Oh, holy hell.
What did I just sign up for?
“I’m telling you,” Andras declared. “Make. It. Sluttier.”
Naturally, that had Raziel ranting and raving yet again about how respectable and dignified was the way to go. They shouted back and forth, waving arms and wings, while Matt pinched the bridge of his nose and probably imagined tasing both of them.
I lowered my phone, which I’d been using to get some photos for his various profiles. We’d been at this for all of twenty minutes in Matt’s living room, and he looked absolutely miserable, which definitely didn’t do his photos any favors.
Then… inspiration hit me.
I cleared my throat. “Hey, I’ve got an idea.”
The angel and demon turned curious looks on me. Matt watched me, his face screaming of desperation to get out of this situation.
I motioned toward the windows. “The lighting outside is perfect. Maybe if we go over to that park behind the movie theater, we can get some better shots?”
Matt lifted an eyebrow. “It’s, um… It’s usually a little crowded this time of day, isn’t it?”
“On a Sunday afternoon? Absolutely.” I shrugged. “But I’m sure we can find a spot up against the trees or something.”
He studied me. Then understanding seemed to dawn, and for the first time since we’d returned to his apartment, something like relief filled his expression. “I’ll get my keys.”
Five minutes later, we were in the park along with dozens of people, dogs, and bicycles. There was noise and activity coming from everywhere, and we both nearly got run over by children and bikes as we crossed over to the hedges surrounding the park’s garden.
And despite all the activity and moving hazards, Matt already seemed a million times more relaxed than he’d been in the apartment.
“It’s a little chaotic out here,” I told him, “but I figured being out in the open with people, you wouldn’t have to deal with… you know…”
He pushed out a breath and rolled his unoccupied shoulders. “It was a great idea. Another minute or two, and I was going to…” He pursed his lips. “Hell, I don’t know what I was going to do. But the flyswatter was sounding more and more tempting.”
I snorted. “I can still Amazon Prime the electric one.”
“Might not be a bad idea.” He glanced at me with a lopsided grin. “I’ll pay you back if you order me one.”
“Hey, don’t threaten me with a good time. I won’t even make you pay me back as long as I get to zap one of them.”
The way he laughed almost made me stumble. He’d been understandably wound tight all day, and seeing him break through that and laugh like he did when we were hanging out and relaxing? Oh my God. Shame I didn’t have my phone up in that moment. That photo would’ve had so many people swiping right that it would probably crash all the apps.
I muffled a cough and gestured at the hedge. “Think this will work for a backdrop?”
Matt paused to give it a look, and he scanned the rest of our surroundings too.
While I was hardly God’s gift to photography, I recognized beauty when I saw it. And in that moment, as a ray of warm, late afternoon light landed on the side of his face while his gaze was fixed on something, Matt was absolutely gorgeous. I might’ve missed that moment of unrestrained laughter breaking through like the sun piercing a storm cloud, I was fast enough to get my phone up and focused this time.
The snap of the camera turned his head, and he peered at me. “What?”
“Nothing.” I shrugged, pretending my heart wasn’t suddenly and inexplicably going way too fast. “Just, uh…” I gestured with my phone. “Not every photo you use needs to be posed, does it?”
