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“I think you might be jumping the gun a bit there.”
“I don’t think so. I saw the way he was looking at you—and, for the record, the way you looked at him. Mark my words, you will be a couple within the month.”
I looked at him as he stood in front of me. Had it been that obvious?
“Are you jealous, Bruno?”
He let out the biggest laugh at my words. I loved that we could have this banter. It was one of the only reasons I came in here. He made me feel comfortable, but not as much as Daniel.
“Get over to your man. I bet you kiss him by the end of the evening. Here are your drinks, and I want a full update when I see you next.”
I watched as he walked over to serve another guy at the end of the bar, then turned and walked over to Daniel, who had made himself comfortable in the booth. I placed our drinks down on the table and slid in next to him. I couldn’t explain what it was about this man that made me feel so comfortable. Inside, I was a nervous wreck, but just being close to him almost sent a calmness over me. Deciding that for once,Iwas going to strike up the conversation, I spoke.
“So, let me guess. You work in the city as a stockbroker?”
I could see from the look on his face that he was surprised, which meant I had hit the nail on the head with his profession.
“Correct. Let me guess, the suit gave me away?”
“You could say that.”
Or you could say that the few years of working as a private investigator gave me an eye for working things out.
“And I reckon you work with computers. Some form of an analyst.”
It was my turn to be impressed. Although I suspected my shy demeanour gave me away. Most people who immersed themselves in computers were quite shy and reserved. Working behind a screen allowed you to hide who you really were. I had been doing exactly that for the past eight to ten years. Well, that and hiding behind my mum, using her as an excuse not to get out into the real world.
“Not quite. I’m involved in computer investigation work. Looking for fake transactions, or people trying to hide money.”
He looked impressed when I told him what I did. I left out the part that I worked for a private investigator, which often led to suspicion, I had realised from past experience. Most people I had told automatically assumed that I would look into their background or something and so would clam up and wouldn’t tell me anything. I didn’t want that to happen with Daniel. I was desperate to get to know him better and explore where we could go with the relationship.
We sat there for a while, just chatting about ourselves, our jobs, and everything in between. I could feel my nerves start to disappear and I became more relaxed the longer I chatted with him. I even started to wonder whether Bruno had been right. Had I just found the man of my dreams? Could I hope that by the end of the evening, his lips would be on mine?
As our conversation progressed, I found myself moving closer to Daniel, almost craving his touch. I knew I only had to move my hand slightly to the right and I would be touching his leg. I looked over at him and smiled. It was then that I noticed how his eyes wandered to my lips. I was getting a distinct feeling that he liked me as much as, if not more than, I did him. From out of nowhere, I felt a boldness that I had never felt before.
Lifting my hand, I placed it on his leg and immediately felt him flinch. At first, I thought it was because he didn’t want me to touch him. I started to internally panic, my heart rate picking up immediately. Had I just made a huge mistake? Or would he think I wanted more out of this relationship? I did, but I had never been this intimate with a man before.
I felt myself start to shake and I was about to remove my hand when Daniel placed his hand over mine and gave it a slight squeeze. I felt a calmness come over me as soon as he did it. I didn’t know what it was about this man, but he made everything seem right in the world. I looked over at Daniel and saw a smile come over his face. He almost immediately went to take his hand away, as if thinking it would make me uncomfortable leaving it there, but he was doing the exact opposite. I wanted to stop him, so I spoke.
“Don’t. Leave your hand there. It calms me.”
I relaxed as soon as he placed his hand on top of mine again.
“Thank you.”
I didn’t know what else to say. No man I had spent this little time with had ever made me feel like Daniel did. I was insanely attracted to him, but I wasn’t sure how to approach him. How to tell him how I was feeling. This was the closest I had ever come to approaching the subject, and now that I was there, I didn’t know what to do.
As if sensing my own internal struggle, Daniel gave my hand another squeeze and smiled at me. “I really like you, Romeo. I’m hoping this means you like me too. I’m guessing you’re quite inexperienced when it comes to men, at least that’s the vibes you’re giving me. I would love to explore a relationship with you, and we can take it as slowly as you like. I’ve been where you are, so I know how frightening and exciting it can be. I’d like to help you get over your insecurities, if you will let me.”
Was I really that transparent, that a man I had only known for a couple of hours could see right through me and know almost everything about me? It would obviously appear so.
Was that why so many men before him had run away? Not wanting to spend the time to get to know me and teach me how to love another man?
It wasn’t that I didn’t know how, of course. I did. It just seemed so much more difficult to approach a man than it did a woman. Daniel raised his other hand and placed it on my face. Instinctively, I leaned into his warm and tender touch. I wanted everything with this guy, but I knew it would take me a while. I was speechless as he looked at me with adoration in his eyes. My pulse had shot up, and if I wasn’t careful, so would something else if we sat here much longer like this.
“You do realise you are beautifully handsome, Romeo? I’m not sure I have ever had these feelings toward another man in my life.”
I could feel myself start to blush. No one had ever spoken to me in this way. I didn’t know how to react or what to say. I took a deep breath, trying desperately to calm the nerves I was feeling. I spoke, hoping I wasn’t about to make a complete fool of myself.
