Chapter 3
Chapter Three
CARLOS
“…was going to be a shitty week. But it got so much better,” Ned says, flushing slightly under his beard but meeting my gaze directly.
We’re finishing up dessert, and it’s safe to say this is the best date I’ve ever been on, no exceptions.
The conversation hasn’t faltered once, and I’m a tiny bit in love with him already.
It took him maybe fifteen minutes to get comfortable with me and move on from small talk, but his inner self is amazing.
“I’m glad to hear it. Hopefully we can make it better still.”
He swallows visibly, and my cock perks up. There’s something about his shyness that really does it for me.
A loud burst of laughter from the next table shatters the moment, and Ned picks up his water glass as someone declares, “It looked like an eight! I was so sure I’d won, but it was a stupid three with a smudge.”
One of his friends says, “I can’t believe the winner hasn’t claimed the prize yet. If I had a ticket and the news was constantly talking about a mystery winner, you can bet your ass I’d check it.”
Ned and I look at each other. There’s a mystery lottery winner? And… we have a ticket.
“I forgot all about it,” he confesses.
“I doubt we won,” I reason. I mean, what are the chances?
“Definitely,” he agrees.
Silence falls.
“But maybe we should check just so I can stop thinking about it,” he adds.
“Yes.” Because that thought that maybe we did, even just that ten bucks we talked about, is now filling my mind, and what I really want to be thinking about is Ned.
“We’ll stop somewhere after dinner and see if they have any of yesterday’s papers left.
” I look at the remnants of our dessert and then the anxious way Ned’s biting his lip.
“Let’s go now. We can have coffee at my place. ”
He releases his lip and smiles. “I’d like that.”
Out on the street, I turn in the direction of my place. It’s only a fifteen-minute walk, and the night is nice. We stroll along, murmuring about inconsequential things, our hands brushing against each other’s. I want to hold his, but I’m not sure if he’s comfortable with that or not.
Catching sight of a store just ahead, I nudge him in that direction. Hopefully they’ll have yesterday’s paper.
Inside, Ned glances around and then grabs my arm. “Uh, do we need anything here?”
I blink. Has he forgotten already? “Yesterday’s paper?”
“Oh, no, um… anything else.” A wave of color slowly rises behind his beard, and his meaning clicks.
“No, we’re good,” I assure him. I want to tease, but the poor guy’s embarrassed enough, and I don’t want to risk having him change his mind. “I’ve got what we need.”
He nods. “Great. Good. I’m just gonna…” He gestures toward the chips, and I let him go. He’s so freaking adorable.
We’re the only customers in the store, and the clerk looks up with a bored expression when I approach the register.
“Hey, do you have any of yesterday’s paper still?” I ask.
She sighs. “Lottery numbers?”
Oh-kay, guess we’re not the first people with this idea. “Yeah.”
She hits a key on the register and tears off some of the receipt roll, then picks up a pen and writes down the numbers. Or at least some numbers.
“Here you go.”
I take the paper and look at it doubtfully. “Uh—”
With another sigh, she picks up a folded newspaper from beside her and holds it up. “You can compare them, but this is my last copy, so you can’t have it.”
“Oh, thanks.” I glance at the date first, then the lottery numbers, and yep, they match what she’s written down. “Sorry about that, it’s just—”
“It’s fine. Good luck.” She looks over my shoulder. “Can I help you?”
I turn as Ned comes up beside me, looking low-key panicked by her question. “Uh, no, I mean… yeah? We’ll have… this.” He grabs a couple of candy bars and slaps them on the counter, then digs out his wallet.
The clerk rolls her eyes as she rings them up, but I keep my mouth shut until we’re back outside. Then I laugh. “What was that?”
Ned shrugs good-naturedly, grinning. “I felt kinda bad. She’s obviously had people asking all day.”
“You’re so cute.” I give in to temptation and take his hand. He doesn’t pull away, so I give it a little squeeze. “Now hand over the chocolate.”
He laughs and shares his candy with me.
Back at my place, the phone is ringing.
“Damn, let me get that,” I say. “It’s probably my mom. Here.” I shove the scrap of paper with the lottery numbers at him, and when he takes it, I go in search of the phone.
It is my mom, who heard about my date from Rico and is super excited that I might have a boyfriend at last. When I first came out, she was a little uncertain about the gay thing, but now that I’m in my thirties and still single, she doesn’t care who I date, as long as I settle down.
I promise to call her tomorrow and hang up while she’s midsentence, which I’m definitely gonna pay for later.
I’ll blame it on the handset going flat.
“Sorry about that, but if I didn’t answer, she would have called out the National Guard,” I joke as I rejoin Ned. “Can I get you a drink?”
He doesn’t answer, staring at the scraps of paper in his hands.
“Ned?”
Slowly, he raises his head and looks at me. His eyes are wide, unfocused.
“Can you—” He clears his throat. “Could you please have a look at this? Please?”
“Sure, what—” I freeze midstep when I realize what he’s holding.
“I-Is that the lottery ticket?” Oh my god.
He can’t really mean… This has to be a prank, right?
I’ll look at it and the numbers will be completely different, and then we’ll both laugh.
I’ll get him a drink, and we’ll talk and kiss and fuck.
Maybe he’ll stay over, and tomorrow we can have breakfast together and plan our next date.
Already smiling at the thought, I take the papers from him and read the numbers.
My smile drops.
“Holy fucking shit,” I whisper, squeezing my eyes shut and then looking again. My hand starts to shake.
Ned inhales deeply, the breath catching in his throat. “I think we won the lottery.”