Chapter Five
S ullivan had enjoyed the road trip. He wanted to spend more time with Matty, but he hadn’t gone back to pack territory yet. Someone was bound to notice if he was gone too often, especially for that long. The leaders wouldn’t care as long as he was there when they needed him, but one of their followers might think it was strange and start looking for him. Going on this road trip had been a gamble—one Sullivan didn’t regret—but he’d have to be careful in the future.
Especially now that he had Matty to think of.
Becoming boyfriends the way they had was odd, but Sullivan found it charming. When he’d told Matty’s father that he was Matty’s boyfriend, he’d only meant to annoy the man. He’d already been able to see what kind of person the guy was, and he hadn’t liked anything about him. He hadn’t expected Matty to go along with it, and he especially hadn’t expected Matty to reintroduce him as his boyfriend to his sister. That made it official as far as Sullivan was concerned, although he supposed that he and Matty really needed to talk.
Which was why they had a date tonight. Sullivan had wanted to see Matty sooner, but he’d decided to wait almost a week, just in case. No one had said anything about him not being in the house before, but that didn’t mean people hadn’t noticed, and he wanted to be sure they wouldn’t be too intrigued by his comings and goings. The last thing he needed was for someone to follow him when he drove to pack territory to pick up Matty.
Luckily, he and Matty had exchanged numbers. They’d talked every day, and they kept texting. Most of the time, it wasn’t anything important, just funny pictures or videos, but Sullivan felt that he was getting to know Matty better through them. He wanted to know even more, but there was only so much they could do through their phones. He couldn’t call this a long-distance relationship because they didn’t live that far away, but they couldn’t see each other, so in a way, it was.
But not tonight. Tonight, Sullivan was picking up Matty and spending time with him. He couldn’t wait, but he was also worried, like always when he did something forbidden. The coven leaders would kill him if they ever found out he was fraternizing with a shifter who belonged to Chance’s pack.
That was why he snuck down hallways and staircases that were seldom used. People were afraid of getting the attention of the leaders, so they were spending a lot of time in their rooms, which was lucky for Sullivan, even though he hated it. He wanted his people to be free, but instead, they were even scared to go to the kitchen and get food.
They needed to get rid of the coven leaders, and fast.
The last step creaked, so he skipped it and landed on his feet in the mud room next to the back door. He glanced into the kitchen through the glass of the inner door. The cooks were working hard, which meant they probably wouldn’t notice him sneaking out. He’d have to make sure to be quiet, but everyone in the coven knew how to do that.
The door creaked just a bit as it opened, but Sullivan didn’t stop to check if anyone had heard it. He stepped outside and closed it as quietly as possible, then turned to head to his car.
He froze when he saw Meredith staring at him. She was smoking a cigarette, and she arched a brow as she puffed out a small cloud of smoke. “Where are you sneaking to?”
Sullivan slumped against the wall. “You scared the shit out of me.”
“Good. You’re lucky I was the one who saw you. You know what would have happened if it had been one of their supporters.”
Unfortunately, Sullivan did. He really was lucky that Meredith was an ally. He didn’t want to have to explain himself because this had nothing to do with their fight, but it would be good for someone to know where he was. “I’m headed to the pack.”
Meredith frowned. “Why?”
“I’m seeing someone there.”
Her eyes lit up, and he briefly wondered if he was going to regret this.
“Oh, Michelle told me about him,” Meredith said, sounding delighted.
Sullivan groaned. He was going to kill Michelle. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Oh, but you know who I’m talking about. What was his name again? Matthew?”
“Matty.”
“So you admit he’s why you’re heading out?”
“Why am I friends with you and Michelle again?”
“Because you can’t afford to have more enemies.”
Meredith and Michelle meant well, so Sullivan wasn’t offended. Did he wish that Michelle hadn’t told Meredith about Matty? Yeah, he did, mostly because he had no idea what was happening between them yet. He’d clear that up tonight, though, and he liked the thought of people knowing that he and Matty were together.
“I’m happy for you,” Meredith said as she threw her cigarette on the ground and squashed it with her heel. “And I’m not saying you shouldn’t go out there and see your boyfriend, but you have to be more careful.”
“I know. I promise I will be.”
“Somehow, I don’t think you’ll keep that promise.”
“I don’t want anything to happen to me before I can be happy with Matty.”
Meredith nodded. “I get it. We’re doing this so that we can be free to be ourselves and love who we want.”
She was right, although only in part. Sullivan was standing up to the leaders because he didn’t want them to hurt any more people. Did he want to be free to be with Matty? He did, but that was secondary. The main reason to stop the leaders was that they were monsters.
Meredith squeezed Sullivan’s shoulder as she walked past him. He wrinkled his nose at the stench of cigarettes coming from her, but he couldn’t berate her for being stressed and trying to deal with it by smoking. Frankly, it was a miracle that no one in the coven had turned to anything stronger than tobacco. They were all miserable and terrified all the time.
“I’m happy for you, and I know Michelle and the others are, too,” Meredith said. “Go be with your boy and have fun for me, too, all right? I don’t have a cute man to run to when things get too much here.”
Sullivan reached for her hand and squeezed it. “You will eventually.”
“Or maybe I’ll find a cute girl.”
Sullivan winked. “There are plenty of cute girls in the pack.”
“I’ll definitely have to come with you sometime. Maybe once this mess is over, we can actually become friends with the pack.”
Sullivan thought they were already on their way to doing so, but it was hard when they didn’t know what would happen to the coven after everything. If everything went well, Braden would be the only leader left standing, and there was no way to know how many members the coven would lose. There might not even be enough of them to continue being a coven. Maybe Sullivan needed to talk to Chance about it. The people they were asking for help within the coven would want to know they’d have a safe place to land if they lost their home. If they didn’t, they might side with the leaders. They were evil, but they were an evil the coven knew, and that was easier to accept than the unknown.
But Sullivan didn’t want to think about any of that tonight. For now, his focus should be on Matty, and even though it was hard not to think about the situation he was leaving behind, he told himself that one evening wouldn’t make any difference. If anything, it would remind him what he was fighting for and what the future held for him.
He had to be alive when the dust settled. He wouldn’t have it any other way, not now that he had Matty.
* * * *
M atty couldn’t remember the last time he’d been so nervous. It wasn’t the same as when he and his family had first arrived in town. That had been fear and anxiousness. It wasn’t the same as when they’d first met Chance, either. Matty had been that terrified they were going to be killed.
No, this was nervousness because he and Sullivan were going on a date, and the last time Matty had gone on a date, he’d been seventeen. Living on the streets didn’t make for relationships, and Matty had been more focused on surviving than on dating. He had no idea where to start, but he was glad it was happening with Sullivan.
He missed the man. They hadn’t seen each other in almost a week, which was understandable considering Sullivan’s situation. He couldn’t afford for the coven leaders to suspect he was up to something, which meant not spending too much time away from the coven. From what he’d said, the coven members weren’t forbidden from leaving the house, but if he continued disappearing for entire hours like he had the day they’d picked up Sabrina, someone would notice, and he could end up in trouble. That was the last thing Matty wanted, so he’d been glad to keep this long-distance and communicate through texts and phone calls.
But tonight would be different. Tonight, they’d see each other, and Matty had a problem.
He didn’t know what to wear.
“I’m telling you, the first outfit was nice,” Sabrina said from Matty’s bed.
She’d settled into one of the guest rooms at the house Matty still shared with a few of his family members. Most of them had moved in with their partners, but a few had stayed, and Matty was glad. He wasn’t used to living alone anymore. They’d been each other’s everything while they were on the streets, and that hadn’t changed just because they had a roof over their heads.
“I thought it was too stuffy,” he said, eyeing the shirt and dress pants.
“It was elegant. Where’s Sullivan taking you, anyway?”
“In town.”
Sabrina wrinkled her nose and rolled onto her stomach. She kicked her feet up, looking completely at ease on Matty’s bed. Matty was happy about that. He’d been afraid that things would be awkward between them because they hadn’t seen each other in four years, but it was like no time had passed. Sabrina was still his annoying little sister, and he loved her as much as he had four years ago.
He’d missed her. He hadn’t allowed himself to think about it much, but he was glad he would never have to miss her again. The pack was her home now, just like it was Matty’s.
“Okay, I can see why that would be too elegant. There aren’t that many nice restaurants in town. Are you going to the diner?”
“I think so. He didn’t say, but we want to keep things casual.”
“Why?”
“I didn’t mean casual in the sense that we don’t want to be together. It’s just that with everything going on, he needs to be careful, and he has to be able to leave at any time if something happens. Besides, I’m not the kind of person who enjoys stuffy restaurants.”
“I don’t know. I think it would be nice for him to take you to one, but fine.”
Matty had explained to Sabrina what had happened between him and Sullivan once they’d gotten home the day of the road trip. He’d told her that he and Sullivan hadn’t actually been together until then, which she’d found hilarious. She’d been poking at Matty for how obvious his crush on Sullivan was, but Matty didn’t care. He and Sullivan were boyfriends. Of course Matty had a crush on him.
Matty also told Sabrina about the coven and what had happened recently. She was scared, but she hadn’t let that stop her from settling in. She behaved like she’d always been a pack member. She’d already made friends, and she’d be starting school on Monday.
Sabrina sat up and dragged Matty’s pillow closer to hug it against her chest. “You know, I didn’t think you would answer my message,” she murmured.
Matty frowned and turned to her. It wasn’t like he needed to continue staring at himself in the mirror, anyway. He already knew he looked fine with his sweater and jeans. “Why wouldn’t I?”
Sabrina shrugged and pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. “We hadn’t talked in four years. I thought that maybe you’d forgotten about me.” She sucked in a breath. “I didn’t think that maybe you’d ended up in trouble when they kicked you out. For a good year after you left, I kept looking around every time I was out of the house. I hoped I’d see you.”
“I didn’t stay in town for long. I couldn’t afford to.” Matty had tried finding a job, but there hadn’t been anything for him in the town he’d called home until his parents had kicked him out.
He’d moved to a bigger city, but even the money he’d managed to earn working in coffee shops and as a waiter hadn’t been enough. It was hard to keep a job when he didn’t have a home, and it was hard to have a home when he couldn’t keep a job. He’d been desperate until he’d met Theo and the others. Things had been hard even after that, but at least he hadn’t been alone. He’d had people who cared about him and who would do anything to help him.
That was what he wanted to be for his sister. It was what he was planning on being for her.
“I knew that something could have happened to you. I tried talking to them after they kicked you out, but they didn’t care. They said that you needed to learn to survive on your own and that if you couldn’t, it wasn’t their problem. I hated them for so long.” She snorted. “I can’t believe I didn’t think that they would do the same to me.”
Matty went to sit on the bed next to her and squeezed her shoulder. “You don’t have to worry about them ever again. You’re safe.”
“All thanks to you.”
“We’re both lucky to have people who care about us. It might not be our parents, but we don’t need them.”
“I’m still sorry that you had to go through all of that. I wish you hadn’t had to.”
“And I’m glad that you won’t have to.” Matty had been vulnerable on the streets, but Sabrina? As a woman, it would’ve been even worse for her. Matty had seen how people treated the women he considered sisters over the years. He never wanted that for them or for Sabrina.
He pressed a kiss on top of her head and got up. She smelled like peaches. “I know it’s hard to stop thinking about everything, but it’s all in the past. You have a brilliant future ahead of you, and I want you to focus on that rather than on the pain.”
Sabrina smiled. “I’ll do that.”
Matty would try to do the same. He was still anxious because of the coven and what might happen, but worrying about something he couldn’t do anything about wouldn’t help. He wanted to enjoy his life as it was now.
And he would.
His phone vibrated on the bed, and he snatched it up before Sabrina could. She snickered and rolled off the bed, winking at him when he glanced up to tell her that Sullivan was parked in front of the house. “Have fun, and don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” she said.
“Sabrina!”
Her laughter followed him as he made his way downstairs. He grabbed his jacket, checked that he had everything in his pockets, and opened the door to find Sullivan waiting for him, leaning on the porch railing. The smile Sullivan gave Matty made Matty’s stomach churn in the best of ways. He was still nervous, but he could do this.
“Hey,” he said, closing the door and moving toward Sullivan.
He was surprised when Sullivan hooked an arm around his waist and pulled him close, but maybe he shouldn’t be. After all, Sullivan was the one who’d introduced himself to his parents as his boyfriend.
The kiss was soft and quick, but it was only the first they would exchange tonight. Matty was sure of it.
“Ready?” Sullivan asked.
“I am.” Matty was ready for anything Sullivan could give him.
* * * *
S ullivan guided Matty toward the car even though he didn’t need to. He just wanted to touch Matty, and Matty didn’t seem to mind Sullivan’s hand on the small of his back. There was a small smile playing on his lips that made Sullivan want to kiss him again. If he did that, though, he didn’t think they’d ever leave pack territory, and he had plans.
From what he knew of Matty’s past, Sullivan couldn’t imagine he’d gone on many dates. He might be wrong, but either way, he wanted to take care of Matty. He wanted to spoil him and make him feel loved because that was what Sullivan felt.
Well, he wasn’t in love quite yet, but he definitely had a crush, and it wouldn’t take much for him to fall for Matty. He wanted to spend all his time with him. The only reason he wasn’t was that the coven leaders would hunt him down.
He didn’t want to think about them. It wasn’t easy because he kept wondering if Meredith had been the only one to notice he’d left, but it was only for a few hours. He’d be back at the house later tonight, and if anyone had noticed he was gone, he could just say he’d been on a date without explaining who it had been with. It wasn’t like he and the other mages were forbidden from dating outside of the coven. It wasn’t encouraged because the coven leaders preferred their mages to date and marry other mages, but with no contact with any other coven beyond fighting them, the coven had to make do with humans who lived in the area.
Or, in Sullivan’s case, with a cute bear shifter he wanted to spoil.
He opened the passenger seat door for Matty, who looked both flustered and pleased. Matty smiled before sliding into the seat, and Sullivan quickly closed the door and rushed around the car. He couldn’t wait to spend time alone with Matty, and even though most pack members seemed to tolerate Sullivan, he felt like someone was watching them.
He was right. Someone was watching them. He noticed that the curtain of one of the downstairs windows had been pulled aside when he looked up after closing his door. Sabrina was standing there, staring at them, and Sullivan hesitated. Should he wave?
Matty groaned. “This is so embarrassing.”
“What is?”
“There’s no reason for her to keep watch like that.”
“She’s probably worried about you.”
“Why would she be? She knows you. She knows you’re a good person.”
“Does she? I mean, I came with you when you picked her up, but that’s all she knows about me.” They’d talked in the car, but that hadn’t been enough to get to know each other in any kind of profound way. Even Matty didn’t know much about Sullivan. That was why they were going on dates.
“Fair, but it’s not like she can do anything. Watching us from the window isn’t going to help anything.”
Sullivan grinned and waved at Sabrina. She smiled back and waved, too, making Matty groan.
“Let’s go,” he said.
“I like your sister,” Sullivan commented as he turned on the engine. “She’s sweet.”
“I don’t know if I’d call her sweet, but yeah, she’s great.” Matty sighed happily. “I’m glad to have her back in my life. I missed her, even though I told myself that I didn’t.”
Sullivan didn’t want to push Matty to talk about his family after what had happened, especially not on a date, but he was curious. “You never reached out to her?”
“I wanted to, but I didn’t think our parents would allow me to. They expected me to survive on my own, and while I did, I knew it wasn’t in the way they wanted me to. No one wants their kids to be homeless.”
“They shouldn’t have kicked you out at eighteen, then,” Sullivan snapped before sucking in a breath. “I’m sorry. We should probably stop talking about your parents for tonight.”
“I don’t particularly want to talk about them, either.”
“Let’s not, then.”
“Why don’t you tell me about your family?”
“There’s nothing much to say. Both my parents and my siblings are coven members. My brother and my sister have partners and kids.”
“They’re who you were protecting when you went along with what the coven leaders demanded.”
“They are. The coven leaders love to threaten significant others, but until you, I didn’t have one. I’ve known for a long time that it would make me more vulnerable, and I didn’t want that. Them threatening my parents and siblings is bad enough.”
“It’s sad that you had to isolate yourself so people wouldn’t get hurt.”
“Hopefully, that won’t last for much longer.”
“I know I probably shouldn’t ask, but what’s going on? Have you and Chance made any progress?”
This wasn’t what Sullivan had in mind for their first date, but there was no ignoring the upcoming fight. Even when Sullivan didn’t want to think about it, it lurked at the edge of his thoughts, always ready to jump in when he lowered his guard. He was the kind of person who hyper-fixated—on food, books, or other things—and right now, he was obsessed with the fight and what would happen after it.
“For now, we’re gathering information and supporters,” he explained. “We already knew we wouldn’t be able to convince most of the coven members to help during the fight, but we really just need them to stand down. As long as they don’t fight for the leaders, we should be able to take out the mages who do.”
“The leaders have people who support them?”
“Unfortunately. There are bad people everywhere, and while I’m sure that some of their supporters are doing so to protect themselves and their families, some want what leaders are offering.”
“I hate this,” Matty murmured.
“We all do. A coven is supposed to be like a pack. We’re family, and we should support and protect each other. Instead, the leaders are hurting people. It’s not only dragons or other shifters. They’re hurting mages, too.” Sullivan tried not to think of Trevor, who’d barely left his bedroom since Deborah had punished him. He was terrified, and Sullivan didn’t blame him for that. Of course Trevor was afraid. After what Deborah had done to him, anyone would be.
“Why are they doing this?”
“They’re hungry for power and control. They were like that before, too, but when it was confined to the coven, it was easier to deal with. They want more of everything now, from land to magic, and one way to get both is to take over packs and clans. They don’t have respect for anyone but themselves. They view shifters as a means to an end.”
“They don’t think we deserve dignity.”
“Some of them don’t, but others don’t care. They would use anyone, even other mages. They do use mages.”
Sullivan was relieved when he found a parking spot. He loved talking to Matty, but this wasn’t the kind of conversation he wanted to have. They were on a date, and they’d only talked about the coven, what they were up to, and Matty’s parents. It was good that they could talk about things that were tough and awful, but it shouldn’t be all they had to talk about. Unfortunately, Matty’s life had been hard before they met, and while Sullivan had always had a roof over his head, he couldn’t say this had been easy. It made it difficult to find topics of conversation that wouldn’t lead them down the path of talking about things they didn’t want to talk about.
Sullivan parked the car and turned the engine off. He glanced at Matty, who was biting on his lower lip, not looking particularly happy. Sullivan sighed and reached out to take Matty’s hand. “Okay, so we talked about your parents and the coven. How about we agree not to mention either of those again tonight? I want to enjoy the time with you, and that’s not going to happen if we continue down this path.”
Matty looked relieved. “I was going to suggest that, but I didn’t know if you’d want it. I don’t want to talk about this again tonight.”
“We have a deal?”
“We do.”
Sullivan grinned and raised Matty’s hand to kiss his knuckles. “Let’s go, then. I thought we could have dinner and maybe go to the park after that. I’m curious about your bear.”
Matty blinked. “You want me to shift?”
Sullivan kissed Matty’s knuckles again just because he could. “Unless you don’t want to?”
“Oh, I’m fine with shifting. I’m just not sure why you want me to.”
“I want to see all of you, Matty. I’ve always been in awe of shifters. You have magic, too. It just manifests in different ways, and I find it fascinating. The fact that it’s you makes it even better.” Sullivan wouldn’t push Matty if he didn’t want to do it, but he hoped his boyfriend would. He hadn’t been lying when he’d said that he wanted to know all of Matty.
Matty wasn’t human. He was a shifter, which meant that knowing all of him meant knowing his bear, too.
* * * *
M atty hadn’t thought that Sullivan would dislike that he was a shifter. Sullivan had known from the beginning that Matty was one, and he’d seemed accepting. He’d even asked Matty what kind of shifter he was, and they’d briefly talked about the fact that being a bear shifter didn’t mean that Matty felt any more at home with the pack than anyone else in his family.
Matty hadn’t realized just how fascinated Sullivan was, though. He’d never really thought about how shifting worked—he hadn’t had the energy when he’d been focused on surviving—but now that he did, he wondered. Was it magic? It had to be. He couldn’t think of any other explanation, and since mages had magic, it made sense that shifters also had it.
There was also the fact that Sullivan wanted to get to know all of Matty. No one ever had, and while Matty’s chosen family knew him better than anyone else in the world, this was different. Sullivan wasn’t a friend or a brother. He was Matty’s boyfriend, and while opening himself up that way to someone he didn’t know well was scary, Matty wanted to do it. He knew that Sullivan wouldn’t use what he said against him. He just wanted to get to know him, and Matty wanted the same.
“I can shift,” he confirmed.
It was dark in the car, but Matty could see Sullivan smile as if Matty had promised him the moon.
Matty didn’t understand that. He and Sullivan barely knew each other. Why was Sullivan so eager to get to know him and spend time with him?
Probably for the same reason that Matty wanted to spend time with him. He could tell that if they gave each other a chance, they could have a relationship that not many people had. They could have love, friendship, and support.
If they both survived the upcoming fight.
But Matty didn’t want to think about that, and neither did Sullivan.
“Let’s go and get something to eat, then,” Sullivan said before opening his door. He rushed around the car like he had earlier, but Matty beat him to it, sliding out before Sullivan got there. Sullivan shook his head, amused, and Matty grinned at him.
“You don’t have to open doors for me. I’m not a damsel in distress.”
Sullivan hooked a hand around the back of Matty’s neck and pulled him close. “I never thought you were. I was just trying to make you feel cared for.”
Matty sucked in a breath. He hadn’t told Sullivan that was what he wanted, so he wasn’t sure how Sullivan had guessed. Maybe Matty was obvious? Not that it mattered. Sullivan seemed to enjoy taking care of him, and Matty liked being taken care of. They were well-matched.
“You do,” Matty told him as he pressed forward and kissed his boyfriend. “And if you want to continue opening doors for me, I won’t say no.”
Sullivan smacked a kiss on the tip of Matty’s nose. “Good. Now, come on. I don’t know about you, but I’m hungry.”
Matty was hungry, too. He’d been so nervous that he’d barely eaten anything for lunch, and while his stomach still churned almost unpleasantly, he was starting to relax. Sullivan was behaving the way he had during the road trip. He seemed interested in Matty, never hesitated to tell Matty how he felt, and seemed intent on taking care of him. There was nothing more Matty could want or need. How could he be nervous when it was so clear that Sullivan was the right man for him?
“Where are we going?” he asked.
“Well, there’s not much choice in town, and considering the circumstances, I didn’t want to be too far away from pack territory.”
Sullivan didn’t have to say why. Matty could guess that he wanted to be close in case they were attacked and needed help. He probably felt safer here, where almost everyone who lived in town belonged to the pack or was in some way linked to it. The coven could still do a lot of damage, but Sullivan and Matty would be protected. Matty hated that they had to think like that, but there was no way around it.
He didn’t want to stop living his life just because the coven might attack and hurt him. It was even more dangerous for Sullivan because he lived with the coven, but he was here and seemed intent on having a good time. The least Matty could do was give him that.
“That’s fine with me. As long as we’re spending time together, I don’t care where we are,” Matty said as Sullivan stepped away and linked their fingers together.
He used that hold to pull Matty down the sidewalk. Matty followed without hesitation.
“Good, because I was thinking we could go to the diner.”
Matty looked down at himself. He was wearing jeans, a button-down shirt, and a sweater on top of it. He’d wanted to dress well, not knowing where Sullivan was taking him, which meant he’d be overdressed at the diner.
Luckily for him, he wouldn’t be the only one. Sullivan was dressed the same way, but he looked better than Matty. Matty was slightly uncomfortable in his clothes, but Sullivan didn’t seem to be. He moved as if nothing and no one would stop him, as if he didn’t care what other people thought of him. Matty wasn’t sure he could ever be so confident, but maybe he didn’t have to be. Maybe he needed to focus on Sullivan and what was growing between them.
Matty had eaten at the diner several times since he and his family had moved into pack territory, so he knew what to expect. The place was crowded, and from the looks of it, he and Sullivan weren’t the only ones having a date. A couple was at a booth at the back, pressed so close together that it would’ve been impossible to slide a sheet of paper between them. Two teenagers were sitting at another table, staring at each other as they drank milkshakes. Their hands were on the table, their fingers linked as they softly talked.
There were families and people eating alone, too. It was homey, and Matty loved it.
The waitress gestured at them to sit at one of the tables that were still empty. Once again, Matty allowed Sullivan to take over. He didn’t mind it when it was easy decisions like where to sit or even what to eat. Hell, he appreciated it. Not having to obsess over that kind of detail made his life easier. He’d had to make life-or-death decisions almost weekly over the past four years. He was fine with someone else choosing his food.
They slid into their seats on one side of the booth Sullivan had chosen. They didn’t sit quite as closely as the other couple Matty had noticed earlier, but Sullivan never let go of Matty’s hand. He pressed it on top of the table as he reached for the menu.
“Have you ever eaten here?” Sullivan asked.
“I have.”
“Is there anything you’d recommend?”
“Everything I’ve eaten here so far has been good. It really depends on what you’re in the mood for. I’m hungry, so I’ll get a burger.”
Sullivan nodded. “Sounds good.”
Everything tonight—the dinner, the conversation, the walk in the park—felt almost like a dream, but Matty knew that his mind wouldn’t have been able to come up with a dream that was this good. Sullivan wasn’t perfect, but it was hard to remember that when he behaved like the perfect man. He listened to everything Matty said. He seemed actually interested, even though Matty knew that some people disliked his ramblings.
Not Sullivan.
Sullivan didn’t seem to mind that Matty didn’t eat his entire burger, even though he paid for it. He asked questions and made Matty feel like he was the center of his world. Matty knew that wasn’t the case, but if this was what he would have with Sullivan in the future, he wanted more of it.
He wanted more of all of this, including Sullivan.
Especially Sullivan.