Chapter 6 Dex
DEX
Perhaps Dex should have canceled this date. Everything was different after the morning he’d had, like his world had been flipped upside down.
His insides were in knots as he reached the park by the river. He’d managed to de-puff his eyes and didn’t think it was obvious he’d spent the day crying, so at least there was that.
Dex sighed and reminded himself of the reason he hadn’t canceled: he didn’t want to miss his chance with Luc.
Getting his life back seemed more important than ever.
He wanted to hope, not wallow. But he wasn’t sure he could talk to someone normally after finding out magic and the afterlife were real.
Dex’s steps felt disorientingly light, given the mess inside him, almost like he’d drift away. Was that good or bad? God, everything was just so strange right now. Like a dream.
A cool breeze came off the water and caressed his overheated body.
The park was quiet. Most of the benches were empty, as were the play structures, noticeably absent of children.
Most of the people here were clustered around an ice cream truck parked at the far end, the smell of fresh waffle cones filling the air.
Luc stood with his back to Dex, leaning against the stone wall lining the riverbank. He was dressed more formally than Dex, similar to how he’d looked at Dorthy’s. His dark gray slacks hugged his ass, and his dress shirt fit him like a glove.
As if he sensed Dex staring, Luc spun around. He ran a hand through his night-black hair, pushing the waves out of his face, and smiled.
A pleasurable thrill wound down Dex’s spine, and the knots constricting his insides unraveled.
“Good evening.” Luc approached, his strides graceful. The sleeves of his dark red shirt were cuffed at his elbows, the neck unbuttoned, revealing a few wisps of dark chest hair.
“Hey.” Dex suddenly had no idea what to do with his hands.
Luc towered over him. He had to be well over six feet tall, maybe even a full foot above Dex’s five-foot-seven, if that was possible.
Dex’s pulse picked up. What a man like this could do to him. If he asked nicely, would Luc chase him down, pin him to the ground, and—
“How was your day?”
Dex cleared his throat and banished the erotic images flooding his mind. Hopefully, his flaming cheeks passed as a reaction to the warm night. “My day was kind of draining. How was yours?”
Luc’s lips twitched downward. “It was all right. Would you like to go for a walk before dinner?”
“Sure.” Dex didn’t know where they were eating, but he could easily be talked into skipping the meal altogether.
“Let’s head along the water.” Luc placed his hand on the small of Dex’s back and steered him toward the path that ran along the river, heading upstream. “How about an ice cream?”
Dex glanced at the bright pink truck. “Yeah, sounds good.”
They detoured to stand in the small line.
Dex swore he caught a whiff of campfire smoke as Luc bent to speak in his ear. “What’s your favorite flavor?”
“Mm, anything with caramel or fudge.”
Luc turned to the menu posted on the side of the truck. “Should we get salted caramel?”
“That’s what I’m getting. You’ll need your own.”
Luc chuckled. “All right. I’d like tonight to be my treat, but I know these things can be tricky on dates. Would you be comfortable with me paying?”
It was considerate to ask rather than assume paying would be fine, and Dex found he was comfortable when he wouldn’t have been otherwise. “I don’t mind you treating me.” Especially if it pleased Luc as much as his smile suggested.
“Excellent,” Luc said in a low rumble.
Something seemed to sizzle between them, and renewed heat flooded Dex.
Did Luc feel it, too? The gleam in his eyes had Dex thinking he did.
Luc ordered a scoop of strawberry in a waffle cone, and Dex got his salted caramel. “I figured we could share,” Luc said once they both had their cones.
“Did you?” Dex grinned. How cute.
“If you want.” Luc’s attention traveled from the ice cream to Dex. “Or I can taste it off your lips. I’m fine either way.”
Dex’s heart skipped. “I like your thinking.”
Mischief lit Luc’s expression. He licked his ice cream, tilting his head as his tongue wrapped around the scoop. He hummed, closing his lips over the tip. “Tasty.”
Fuck, Dex’s mind was back in X-rated territory. “Careful. If you treat that ice cream any better, you’re going to need some privacy.”
Luc’s eyes seemed to flash in the low light, reflecting the red of his shirt for a split second. “This is nothing, my dear Dex. But I like where your head is at.”
Dex’s stomach swooped, and he almost lost his footing. “Can’t wait for you to deliver on that promise.”
Luc chuckled. “Waiting certainly won’t be easy. Oh, careful. Yours is about to drip.”
Dex quickly licked his ice cream. Thank fuck he hadn’t canceled this date. Being around Luc was exactly what he needed after the day he’d had.
They ambled slowly along the path, eating their ice creams, and every time he looked over, Dex caught Luc eyeing him.
Dex stopped at a small lookout nook with a bench and leaned against the wall. “Here, let’s swap.”
He held out his cone to Luc, urging him to hand his over. Dex held Luc’s stare as he licked the ice cream, the strawberry a fresh burst of sweetness on his tongue.
“You’re beautiful,” Luc murmured, the caramel ice cream forgotten.
Dex sucked his bottom lip between his teeth. “Right back at you.”
Luc was wearing his subtle red lip stain again. It suited him perfectly, even without any other makeup. He shifted closer to Dex and swiped ice cream from the corner of Dex’s mouth. Bringing his finger to his lips, Luc sucked it slowly.
Oh, dear god. Dex was ready to get on his knees.
“Why was your day draining?” Luc finally tasted the caramel ice cream and hummed, considering the flavor.
His question brought Dex’s heated thoughts to a halt. It wasn’t what he’d expected Luc to say after licking his finger like that.
Was he not trying to seduce Dex? Was the whole you’re beautiful and sharing ice cream not a move?
Could this be how Luc acted normally? Fuck, that made it hotter, and made his question seem sincere.
Like he wasn’t asking why Dex’s day was draining out of social obligation, but because he’d considered it and wanted to know.
“I’ve had a draining week, to be honest.” Dex had another taste of Luc’s ice cream. “Actually, a draining month. I’m selling my condo.”
“Is that stressful?”
“Yeah. I’ve never dealt with anything this major. The money will go right into buying a new place, but still. I didn’t buy the condo myself, so I don’t know what I’m doing.” The financial transaction was out of his depth, that was for damn sure.
Luc swapped their ice creams back. “Do you have anyone to help you?”
It was sweet of him to ask. “I found a good realtor and got advice on the financial stuff. I have it under control.”
Luc nodded in approval, his tone serious. “It still sounds like a great deal to handle. Are you moving away from the city?”
“No.” He’d never do that. Dex had a bite of ice cream before continuing, “I love living here. It’s my condo that I can’t stand being in any longer.”
He’d never said the words out loud, not even to Ollie. He’d always danced around how bad it had gotten.
Luc’s brow furrowed. “Why can’t you stand it? Is it unsafe?”
“Not at all. The building is great. Way better than anywhere I’d normally be living at my age.”
“That’s good.” Luc seemed relieved, though his concern remained. “What upsets you about it?”
“It’s my parents’ place. They died four years ago, and I’ve been living there by myself. And I mean, it’s a privilege to even own a condo. I know that. But I hate it.” Dex’s throat tightened.
He’d never let himself acknowledge how true that was. It was time to move out and move on, yes, but it went deeper. It was painful sitting amid so many reminders. Hate summed it up perfectly.
Luc shifted subtly closer. “Why have you stayed if you hate it?”
“I didn’t always. It helped me feel connected to my parents for a long time. Sometimes, I wish I could get that back, and other times, I wish I’d left years ago, but that feels like a betrayal.”
Luc placed a hand on Dex’s shoulder. “You can grieve however you want. It’s not a betrayal to move on and look after yourself, or change your mind.”
“I realize that now. Selling is the right thing, even if it’s exhausting for reasons beyond having to deal with open homes and legal shit.”
“They say nothing worthwhile is easy. Though I think that’s stupid. Suffering doesn’t make something superior, and easy can be a sign that you’re on the right track. But not in this case.”
A shaky laugh bubbled out of Dex. “Was that supposed to be comforting?”
Luc shrugged, surprisingly bashful. “Not really. I was thinking out loud. Sorry.”
“Don’t be. I wasn’t planning on saying any of this. Guess you can say it’s been on my mind.”
Luc ran his hand down Dex’s arm. “We can talk about it. Would you like to tell me about your parents?”
Butterflies surged through Dex, and he took another bite of his ice cream to give himself a moment to think.
This had gotten personal fast. Maybe that’s what Dex liked about it, even if the butterflies seemed to set off a twisting discomfort deep within.
He laughed unsteadily. “My family doesn’t feel like the right topic for a date.”
Luc seemed disappointed, his face falling. Fuck, it was like he actually cared. “Is it not a good topic because you don’t want to talk about them or because it isn’t what the arbitrary rules of dating tell you to do?”
“Damn, way to call me out. The second one.”
“I wasn’t calling you out.” Luc’s expression softened. “We don’t have to follow a script or censor ourselves. I’d like to hear about your parents if you’d like to talk about them.”
A soothing feeling replaced the butterflies and knots inside Dex. “All right. Let’s keep walking.”
Luc fell into step beside him, finishing off his ice cream, and Dex did the same. “I’m guessing you were close to your parents?”
“Yeah. I don’t have any siblings, so growing up, my parents and I had lots of fun. They were genuinely supportive people, and not just when I did what they wanted. They listened when I told them how I felt.”
Luc made a surprised sound. “I can’t say the same. My parents, like many, I’m sure, supported what aligned with their vision for my life, and nothing more. I’m glad you weren’t raised that way.”
“Yeah, I was lucky. When I was younger, I didn’t understand why my friends complained about their parents controlling their lives.
I assumed they were upset they had to follow rules and curfews, and I wondered if I was a goodie-goodie.
But then they were forced into careers they didn’t want, doing degrees they hated, and I got it. ”
Different parents wouldn’t have supported Dex’s pursuit of art, and that was depressing.
Yeah, making and selling pottery was a less stable career than others, but Dex loved it.
He loved working at Seaside Coffee and never tolerated anyone looking down on his choices because he hadn’t been brought up by people who cast those kinds of judgments.
And yes, Dex was probably romanticizing his family, remembering the best parts and turning his parents into more perfect people than they’d been, but that seemed natural when he loved and missed them as much as he did. The fact remained—they had been good to him.
As they reached the end of the path, a smaller park marking its conclusion, Dex told Luc how his parents had encouraged his artistic side, and how they’d turned creativity into a family endeavor. He admitted, “I was devastated when they died. I’m only starting to move on now, to be honest.”
Knowing his parents weren’t gone forever lit the path to his future when it had been dark and murky for so long, but finding out he’d see them in the afterlife one day didn’t erase his grief. It didn’t make not having them around any easier.
Luc was quiet for a long moment. He seemed to be mulling over everything Dex had said, but it wasn’t awkward. No one had ever put so much effort into listening to him.
“Your love for your parents is refreshing. Even if it hurts, it’s a beautiful thing. I’m sorry you lost them.”
Dex couldn’t believe he’d shared so much. Even with Ollie, he’d avoided talking about most of this for years. “Thanks. Refreshing is a good word. For this, I mean.” He gestured between the two of them.
The heavy emotions he’d been carrying around all day—all year—seemed to filter through a positive lens, highlighting what he’d loved rather than lost. It was a shift in perspective he wouldn’t have had on his own, and he was grateful.
This was how today of all days should end.
Luc took Dex’s hand. “I’m glad you think so.”
The touch was warm, the heat welcome even on a summer evening. As if he couldn’t stop now that he’d started, Dex added, “I regret holding back so much after they died.”
Luc squeezed Dex’s fingers. “What do you mean?”
“I’ve gotten paranoid.” Dex swallowed. Fuck, this was not the kind of thing you shared on a first date, but Luc didn’t seem to judge, and that was so fucking rare.
“I worry about things happening to my friends all the time, and that gets in the way of doing things. Today, I saw my best friend and he had some news. I immediately panicked, positive he was dying.”
“Was it bad news?”
“No. Not even close.” Dex rolled his eyes and glanced away. No way he could tell Luc what the news actually was, but that was all right.
Luc brought his fingers to Dex’s chin, delicately nudging him until they were face to face. “How does worrying get in the way of doing things?”
Dex fidgeted under his gaze. “I don’t date much.”
Luc’s furrowed brow softened. “I’m glad you put your fears aside to give me a chance.”
Dex’s cheeks flamed. “Same. I’d have regretted it otherwise.”
“Me too.” Luc’s fingers tightened on Dex’s chin, his voice painfully earnest. “I have more regrets than I can count, but you won’t be one of them. I promise.”
Fluttery warmth bloomed in Dex’s chest. “Yeah. No regrets.”
Luc hadn’t promised that nothing bad would happen—he couldn’t, no one could—and that still scared Dex.
Having to grieve someone, especially a boyfriend, would be crushing.
Knowing an afterlife waited wasn’t the same as having someone in your life.
It would still be a loss. But living a life ruled by fear was a loss too. And Dex wasn’t letting that happen.
Not anymore.