Chapter 3 #2
After an inordinate amount of hemming and hawing, he finally settled on light-weight trousers and a teal button-down that Simon had bought for him and told him he looked amazing in.
And yes, okay, his sassy best friend might have said at the time that it would be perfect for a date, but this wasn’t a date; this was just Adam wanting to look nice since someone was taking him out for a meal.
When he’d texted to set everything up, Calder had suggested a late lunch instead of dinner so that Adam wouldn’t be up too late.
So many men he’d tried to date hadn’t wanted to accommodate him, like the fact that he got up at three thirty in the morning was his problem and not a requirement of his job.
He and Calder were meeting on Sunday, so he had Monday to recover, but the fact that Calder had taken his schedule into account anyway made a warm glow settle in Adam’s belly.
He grabbed a bus to get to the beach, and when he got off, Calder was waiting.
At least half of Adam’s anxiety melted away.
Calder was here, just like he’d said. His smile was amazing, lighting up his dark eyes and changing his somewhat stern expression into something completely relaxed and open.
His gaze never wavered from Adam’s. He was dressed in khaki cargo pants and a pale green shirt that made Adam think of sea glass. It set off his skin beautifully.
“Adam! Hello.”
“Hi,” Adam said, stumbling slightly, then tearing his gaze away so that he could watch where he was walking and actually arrive next to the man in one piece.
Sure, it sounded romantic to trip and fall into someone’s arms, but as someone who’d done that on more than one occasion, he could attest to the fact that it wasn’t romantic.
It worked in movies because it was scripted.
Accidentally tripping into someone’s arms could easily result in knocking them over or otherwise injuring them.
But it was totally fine, because Adam had watched his approach instead, and he made it all the way over to Calder without tripping.
“How are you?” Calder asked.
“Good,” Adam said, having to resist the urge to tug on his shirt and fidget. “I’m good. How are you?”
Because “awkward” should really have been his middle name.
“I’m wonderful,” Calder said, smiling at him. “I’ve been looking forward to this all week.”
“Me, too,” Adam confessed before it occurred to him that maybe he shouldn’t.
Did you say that sort of thing on a not-date?
But you know what? Why shouldn’t you admit to wanting to spend time with someone?
Adam squared his shoulders. There was every chance that Calder would decide what everyone else did after a while, that Adam was too much to put up with, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t enjoy all the time they had together until then.
“Where are we going?” Adam asked.
It wasn’t precisely that he didn’t like surprises, but generally, the unknown wasn’t really his friend.
Calder told him, “I thought we could grab fish and chips and eat them on the beach, if that’s okay.”
Adam blew out a breath in relief and beamed at the other man. “I’d really like that.”
Calder’s answering smile rivaled the sun, bright and contagious. “Wonderful.”
No formal place sittings, no chance of Adam knocking food, cutlery, or glassware off the table, and if any food fell, well, they were outdoors, and an animal would probably eat it.
So they strolled along to a fish and chip truck, which Calder confided to him was one of the best in the city. He’d sampled a lot of them, apparently.
“I bow to your expertise,” Adam said, laughing. “I appreciate just getting to slip in at the end and enjoy the spoils of your effort.”
Calder’s teeth flashed white against his tanned skin. “You can enjoy my spoils anytime you like.”
Adam swallowed thickly. He was seeing innuendo in everything because Calder was the hottest man he’d ever met and Simon had been putting ideas in his head. Yes, it was surely that.
Thankfully, their order was called out, and Adam could stop thinking about it—only then he managed to squirt ketchup onto Calder as well as onto his chips.
Adam tried to mop up the stain and succeeded in making it worse, smearing it over more of the man’s shirt, which felt like it was silk or another expensive material.
“Oh, I’ve ruined it! I’ll pay for it to be cleaned,” Adam said miserably.
Calder’s hand clasped Adam’s, making him suddenly preternaturally aware that his hand was pressed to the hard planes of Calder’s stomach. He’d been so focused on the stain that he somehow hadn’t noticed that he was practically groping Calder’s torso through a thin layer of fabric.
Adam could feel his face heating even more.
“It’s fine,” Calder assured him with an easy smile. “My clothes will wash. I’d much rather eat this meal with you while it’s hot.”
He looked… genuinely not upset. Adam had gotten pretty good over the years at seeing when someone said one thing but was just being polite. It tended to come out in a strain in their voice or extra lines around their eyes or mouth. But Calder looked… fond?
That couldn’t possibly be right, could it?