Page 44 of Tongue-Tied
I perk up at this. It might be a first. Or he’s just a good con man. “That’s nice. I’ll hope for the best.”
Back at Poli House, I shower, change, and pace around the room, deciding on what to wear. I’m never like this with hookups, but I somehow switch into serious-dater mode when it comes to Austin.
“Plans tonight?” Milo asks.
“Yep, with Austin.”
He nods, and I’m glad there’s no retort about us dating.
“Where to?”
“An LGBTQ+ mixer at the Love Shack.”
“Sounds fun.” There’s a wistfulness in his tone, and I wonder if he’s missing his ex-girlfriend, who attends college across the country. He only briefly mentioned that they broke up, but he does scroll through his photos app a lot, not that I’d call him on it.
“It should be.” I don’t mention the color-coded thing because the whole top/bottom discussion outside of the community can sometimes turn uncomfortable. Besides, I have no idea if that’s even on the agenda tonight. “How about you?”
He hitches a shoulder. “Might just hang around here.”
I feel guilty but not enough to cancel on Austin. No doubt a few of the other housemates will be around tonight, and there are enough video consoles and television sets to keep everyone occupied if they’re searching for distractions.
I head toward the door. “See you later.”
I walk downstairs to wait for Austin. Ian is in the living room, playing some sort of survival game, which proves my point.
“You had a great turnout today,” Ian says, referring to the fundraiser.
“We did. Bet they were surprised how much stuff we dropped off.”
Ian is pretty charitable himself, so he gets how fulfilling it can be. “And grateful.”
I smile. “True.”
A knock startles me, despite knowing it’s Austin.
“Hey there!” I say as I swing open the door.
What I didn’t expect was for him to be holding a Bean Necessities cup. “Thought I’d bring you a coffee. After a day like today, you could probably use it.”
I notice the red heart on the sleeve as he hands it to me. It’s a coffee shop promotion, but it still warms my stomach.
“God, thank you.” I sip the coffee, not realizing how much I’ve been craving some caffeine. “First food, and now a drink? Best. Friend. Ever.”
He beams. “And don’t you forget it.”
Austin has his hair styled away from his forehead, which makes his freckles more prominent, but I won’t tell him that since I know he’s not fond of them. He has on a different shirt than on our last date, and I notice the pulse point at his neck, which tells me how nervous he is.
“I like the heart,” I say, pointing to the cup.
“Didn’t, I…I mean…I didn’t mean anything by it.”
“I’m hurt,” I tease. “You don’t love me?”
“Ugh, you suck.” He stares at his shoes. “You know I do.”
“Aw, thanks. I love you too.”
Our eyes meet and hold for one awkward second.