Chapter Three
chapter three
HUDSON
I try to play it cool when I see the hostess leading Cal back to the table. I’m not sure if I manage it, but I try. He’s even more good looking in person. That photo didn’t do him justice at all. His eyes are so expressive. When they land on me, they go wide and I can see the twinkle in appreciation. I feel my cheeks heat and I duck my head.
Awkwardly, I hold the flowers out to him and he smirks as he takes them. That’s not weird, right? You’re supposed to bring flowers to dates, right? The last first date I went on was almost four years ago. I don’t remember the protocol.Oh fuck, is this even a date? I’ve been so nervous about meeting him that I didn’t even stop to think if it was a date or if we were just meeting as friends.
Bringing the flowers to his nose, Cal breathes in and smiles. “I’m Callum. Did Rachel tell you that tiger lilies were my favorite?” God, his voice. So deep and smooth. I could listen to him talk all day.
Realizing he asked me a question, I shake my head. “ No. They’re my favorite too. I was hoping you’d enjoy them.”
“Have a great evening, gentlemen,” the hostess says, snapping me and Cal out of our conversation.
His cheeks turn pink and it’s the most adorable thing I’ve ever seen. “Sorry about that. Thank you,” he says to her and she walks away.
We sit and Cal gives me a smile. “Did you bring Rachel and Vic flowers too?”
My face scrunches in confusion. “Sorry? Bring them flowers?”
“Well, yeah. It’s rude if you only brought me flowers. Where are they anyway?” He glances around the restaurant, trying to locate them.
Before I can answer him, Cal’s phone pings and he apologizes as he pulls it from his pocket. His eyebrows dip further and further as he reads, then he scoffs and tucks his phone back into his pocket.
“Everything okay?” I ask, worried that he got some bad news.
“Rachel. She told me to have fun on our date and she’s sorry she lied.” Guess I have my answer on if it’s a date or not. He looks up at me and shakes his head. “She does this. She sets me up with people, in the hope that I’ll find my Prince Charming and live happily ever after in a tower with spun gold for hair.”
My lips quirk up slightly and I say, “I think you mixed up your fairytales.”
I watch his lip twitch for a moment before he breaks out into a full smile. “Yeah, well, I do like gold and towers so I don’t have to talk to people. Sign me up.”
We hold each other’s gaze for a moment, then we both break out into laughter. I’m not sure why it’s so funny, but it eases the tension that drifted over Cal because of Rachel’s text.
After getting our laughing fit under control, Cal shakes his head. “I’m not upset to be here, so don’t think that. But this is a terrible habit of Rachel’s. She thinks it’s her job to find me a man since I introduced her to Victor. And if you know my best friend, you know she’s a bulldog. I’ve been telling her for years, after many failed attempts, to give it up, but she doesn’t listen.”
I nod, though I can’t say how Rachel is or isn’t when it comes to relationships. She put forth the offer and I said yes. I have a feeling she didn’t ask Callum at all. I shouldn’t be happy she’s so pushy with her best friend, but it landed him in the seat across from me and I’m happy with what I see so far.
Cal runs a hand down his chest, smoothing his impeccable suit. “So. Hudson. Tell me a little about yourself.”
God, I hate that question. I have an extremely hard time talking about myself. It always sounds like bragging, even when you just want to tell someone about who you are as a person and maybe some of your accomplishments. I try to keep it short. “I’m Hudson Perry.” Cal sits forward more, giving me his undivided attention and I feel my face heat. I’m not sure why. Maybe it’s the fact that those green eyes on me seem to see right through me as well as taking all of me in. It’s disconcerting and thrilling.
Clearing my throat, I continue. “I’m thirty-six, a Capricorn.”
Cal barks a laugh and I love it. It’s soothing, like a balm I didn’t know I needed. “I’m a Virgo. Does that mean we aren’t compatible?”
I shrug, enjoying this game. “I don’t know. How will we know we’re compatible?”
Sitting back in his seat, Cal smiles and smells his flowers once more. “Well, we have the same interest in flowers, so that’s a point in your column. Who’s your favorite James Bond actor?”
“Easy, Sean Connery.”
“Damn, minus that point. Hands down, it’s Daniel Craig.”
I shake my head solemnly. “And here I was thinking you were a learned man.”
He smirks and says, “Well, it’s only one way to know if we’re really compatible.”
“Oh yeah?” I ask, leaning toward him, grinning like a fool. I’m not sure why this is so much fun or this game so easy. It almost feels like we’ve known each other for years instead of minutes. The playful banter is the most fun I’ve had on a date in a while. “What would that be?”
The glint in Cal’s eyes has me intrigued and I wonder what’s going on in that pretty head of his. “Well,” he moves forward, peering around and dropping his voice, “in order to know for sure, you have to tell me … your favorite Disney movie made after 2010?”
“Oh, tough question.” I pretend to think, rubbing and tapping my chin. “Well, I’ll have to go with Big Hero 6.”
“Okay, we’re compatible. You almost had me there. Excellent choice.”
I pretend to wipe sweat from my forehead. “Glad I passed the test.”
“Oh, you did. The animation in that movie is amazing. Wish I had worked on it myself.”
Mouth agape, I stare at him to see if he’s kidding. “You’re an animator?”
Cal tilts his head, assessing me. “What did Rachel tell you about me?”
I’m not sure what the right answer is here. Truthfully, all she told me is he’s queer and is the male version of her. Which I can see. They both give me the same carefree and friendly vibe, talking things as they come and not letting life overwhelm them. I like it a lot.
Pulling at the collar of my shirt, I try to come up with an acceptable answer. “Well … she didn’t … I mean, she said … umm …”
That twinkle is back in his eyes and he smirks at me. “Did she give you the ‘he’s the male version of me’ line?”
I blow out a deep breath. “That’s exactly what she said.” I reach for my water, wishing it was wine, but our server hasn’t come yet.
“Well, it’s not a lie. People often think we’re related because we’re so much alike. I wish she would tell people something else. I have better qualities. Like I’m an animal in bed.”
I’m in the middle of a sip when he says that and I end up choking. I hastily put the water back on the table and cough into my napkin, tears brimming. Cal comes over to me, patting my back and chuckling. “I’m sorry about that. Small joke. Should have waited until you were done drinking.”
Shaking my head, I wave him off and he sits back at his side of the table. When I’m able to talk without hacking up a lung, I rub at my chest. “Well, I guess that’s something else I know about you now.” I give him a smirk and his smile blinds me. How is this man single?
“So, you’re an animator, a Virgo, and wild in bed?” I ask, giving him a wink. “Tell me more.”
The more Callum tells me, the more I like him. He wanted to be an animator since he was a child so he could make characters that are queer like him. He beams when he tells me the character he just finished drawing is a gay superhero. I can see how much it means to him to have worked on the project that he longed to do. Our server finally comes and we order a few appetizers to split.
He tells me that he and Rachel are childhood best friends—neighbors in fact. “Our parents would go on and on about how we’d end up married with a house full of kids.” His laughter is light and happy, face glowing. “Imagine their surprise when I came out when we were fifteen.”
“Were they upset?” I ask, hanging on to his every word.
“No. Both our families are really supportive. We’re all still very close. I don’t think they minded since I was being who I was. I came out to Rachel way earlier and didn’t even know it.”
“How’s that?”
Again, his smile. I’ll get lost in it, I know it. It makes his whole face glow. I can’t look away, even if I tried. “She told me she thought Jared Greyson, a kid in the fifth grade with us, was cute. I told her I thought Bud Thomas was cuter. Rachel thought it over and agreed.” I laugh, entertained by his story. “Tell me your big coming out story. Did your parents support you? Best friends?”
I shrug. “My parents were supportive as well. My dad died when I was seventeen, but I came out to them a year prior. He said to be careful because the world wasn’t kind to queer men, but he wanted me happy. My mom has been holding out hope that I would find someone before she got too old to play with grandkids.” I roll my eyes and Cal smiles with sad eyes.
“I’m sorry to hear about your father. Tell me about him?”
“Really?”
“Of course,” he says, reaching across the table to squeeze my hand. “I’d like to hear more about you,” he tells me, putting his head down. “If you want to tell me.”
I want to tell him everything.