Candy Hearts, Vol. 2

Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6

OSCAR

Oscar’s nerves had anxiety he was so wound up about his big date with Sam. Most places were fully booked for Valentine’s Day, but that didn’t stop Oscar, who was forced to improvise when he couldn’t get a table at any decent restaurant.

Luckily, he was good at thinking on his feet and came up with what he hoped was a good plan. Everything was ready; now he just had to go get his date. Oscar checked the time and decided that if he left now and drove slowly, he wouldn’t be too early.

He stopped by the bathroom on the way out and gave his appearance a final onceover. He’d bought new charcoal slacks and paired them with a new sweater in a soft dove gray. Oscar had splurged on the sweater. It wasn’t something he normally wore, but the salesman had convinced him to at least try it on.

Underneath the sweater, Oscar wore the shirt Sam made him. The seize the day slogan never failed to make him smile. Sam’s joke had initially surprised Oscar, but then he felt proud that Sam was comfortable enough with him to make the joke in the first place.

Oscar flicked the bathroom light off and headed out the door. Even with driving snail-speed and taking a detour, he was still ten minutes early. The recent cold front was letting up and the night air wasn’t as biting as it had been lately. A few fat flakes started to fall, but they were so infrequent that Oscar could dodge them on the way to the doors of Sam’s building.

He buzzed Sam’s apartment number and a second later a familiar voice crackled over the intercom.

“Hello?”

“It’s me. It’s Oscar.” He winced at how dumb and flustered he sounded. The security doors buzzed and Oscar slipped into the building, taking the stairs up to the second floor instead of the elevator. Sam’s door was right next to the stairwell and it opened as Oscar arrived.

Sam was dressed in a pair of dark skinny jeans and a red button-up that fit his slender form, highlighting his elegant build. Sam was lean and trim, but instead of being all sharp lines and angles, he was fluid. Grace. Sam had to be an angel, Oscar thought, with the way he seemed to float.

“You’re early.” Sam’s smile was soft and welcoming. He started to step forward like he was thinking about going in for a kiss, but stopped himself.

Oscar didn’t.

He took that step forward. Telegraphing his every move so Sam could tell him to fuck off if he wanted, he was relieved when Sam leaned into his touch and slid his arms around Oscar’s waist, no reluctance evident on his part.

“I couldn’t wait another minute to kiss you.” Oscar made good on his words and gently pressed his mouth to Sam’s. Sam’s lips were soft and warm, and he kissed Oscar back.

Oscar felt like a swarm of butterflies had erupted under his skin. Unfathomably light, Oscar floated away as they deepened the kiss. His tongue found its way into Sam’s mouth and, for a blissful moment, they were dancing together. Lips and tongue and hands all moving like a symphony.

Then Oscar remembered that he’d come there to take Sam out on a date. Not to suck face, as hot as it was.

“I should let you finish getting ready,” Oscar said when he pulled away.

Sam let out a breath. “That’s a good idea.”

He disappeared around the corner and came back with Ace on a leash. Handing the other end to Oscar, he smiled. “Hold this for me.”

Oscar took the leash and glanced down at Ace, who was busy watching his owner. Sam slipped into a jacket and wound a scarf around his neck. He shoved his feet into a pair of boots and pulled the zippers up on the sides. Oscar couldn’t get over how cute Sam was and how intensely lucky he felt to be with him.

Sam retrieved the leash from Oscar and grinned. “Ready.”

It dawned on Oscar that he hadn’t been the only one eagerly anticipating their date. Suddenly he felt like an asshole for not planning better and getting a reservation somewhere as special as Sam deserved to be taken.

Oscar’s embarrassment continued to snowball the closer they got to their destination. “I hope it’s okay, but everything was booked unless I wanted to take you to a drive-thru.”

“I like drive-thrus. It’s not often I get to make use of them, after all.” Sam glanced back to check on Ace, who had the whole back seat to himself. “For obvious reasons.”

“I’ll have to remember that for our next date.” A knot of nerves loosened and Oscar’s shoulders relaxed. That lasted until he turned the corner onto the street where he lived and pulled into his parking space.

“I couldn’t get reservations anywhere. So I… would you like to come in and have dinner with me?” By the time Oscar was able to look at Sam for his answer, Sam had his seat belt off and was reaching for the door.

“Are you going to turn the car off, Oscar?”

Oscar fumbled for the keys and killed the engine. Sam retrieved Ace from the back seat and let him sniff some snow as Oscar went ahead and unlocked his door, hanging around on the steps while he waited for Ace to finish up.

Once he was done, Sam met him at the door with a smile. “There, now he’ll be good to go for hours.”

The promise of hours made Oscar’s heart sing. He opened the door to his unit in the fourplex and ushered Sam and Ace inside. The snow was starting to pick up now.

“It smells great in here,” Sam said as he stripped himself out of his winter gear and unhooked Ace from his leash.

“Thanks. I hope you’re not allergic to anything. I should have asked about allergies beforehand.” Oscar wished he was one of those guys who were adorable when they were flustered. Mostly, Oscar felt like a bumbling oaf when he got tied up—and Sam had him in knots.

“If I was, I’d have let you know. I’m no amateur when it comes to looking out for my wellbeing. I like your place.” The segue wasn’t smooth, but it endeared him to Oscar all the more.

“It’s not much. The landlord lets us paint whatever colors we want, which was a big selling point, to be honest. After years of off white walls, I might have gone a bit overboard.” Oscar thought about the yellow paint on his kitchen walls, the way he’d carried it over into the living room. The bathroom, by startling contrast, he’d painted navy blue, but the bedroom—which he hoped Sam would see eventually, if not tonight—was a deep forest green.

“I like the yellow. It’s very cheerful. Very you.”

“Can I get you a drink? I’ve got coffee, tea, wine, and water. Does Ace need water?” Oscar was the opposite of smooth. His nerves still hadn’t settled down and he was beginning to think they never would.

Then Sam was in his space, his arms around Oscar’s neck. He slanted his mouth over Oscar’s and kissed him. They’d kissed before—Oscar would never forget that first one. But this was their first real kiss. The first one that Oscar could sink into and lose himself.

Sam ran his fingers through the short hairs on the back of Oscar’s neck, making him shiver with delight. Arousal was a living creature waking inside him, sliding through every cell, lighting him up. It was electric, the connection between them. Easy and immediate. It was more than Oscar could have hoped for, but everything he’d dreamed of.

When he pulled away, he was light-headed and everything felt soft around the edges, like it would in a dream.

“That was…” Sam gave him a gentle, shy smile.

“That was the best kiss in the history of kisses.” Oscar leaned in and stole another one. Just a quick peck this time. They still had to eat dinner after all. “Alexa, play my Valentine’s Day mix please.”

Alexa indicated that she would do as instructed and started the music.

“Dinner is ready. I just have to plate it. I didn’t want to spend the evening with you and have to mess around at the stove all night. So I made it ahead and kept it warm.”

Oscar went to the fridge and poured them each a glass of ice water. He filled a dish from the tap for Ace, then escorted Sam to the table he’d set up in front of the patio doors. It had taken a bit of creative furniture arranging to accommodate the table, but he’d made it work.

“Have a seat.” Oscar set their drinks down, then pulled out a chair for Sam. Ace padded over and flopped down at Sam’s feet.

Oscar plated the food. It wasn’t anything overly fancy, but he’d pulled a favor and asked Christian what Sam’s favorite dinner was. So instead of any kind of elaborate meal that Oscar might have planned on making to try and impress Sam, it was a simple shrimp and rice casserole.

Before carrying the food to the table, Oscar gave Alexa one final command. “Alexa, mood lighting.”

Oscar had spent half the afternoon outside stringing lights up. In the darkness, with the snow falling, the lights made it look magical. Ethereal. And still it paled to how beautiful Sam looked.

“You went to a lot of trouble.” Sam’s gaze was intense.

“It wasn’t any trouble. Besides, you’re worth it.” Oscar set Sam’s plate in front of him. “I heard from a friend that this was your favorite.”

Sam looked at the plate of lasagna and garlic bread and shook his head. “You seem to have the advantage here. Christian has apparently told you all about me.”

Oscar settled into the chair across from Sam. “I’m an open book. What would you like to know? Favorite color? Favorite movie? Favorite song?”

Sam picked up his fork, stabbed a piece of shrimp. “Everything.” He popped the bite into his mouth and held Oscar’s gaze while he chewed. Bliss washed over his face and he let out a little moan that made Oscar’s cock twitch. “Tell me everything.”

“I was born on a dark and stormy night.”

“Maybe skip forward a few years.” Sam laughed and went for another bite, reminding Oscar that he was also supposed to be eating. Even though all he wanted to do was stare at Sam all night.