Page 31 of Glitter

The server inclined his head. “Certainly, sir.”

Henry shook his head with a wry smile. “Actually, I might have to make that two. My name is Henry, not sir. What’s yours?”

The corners of the server’s mouth tipped up ever so quickly before settling again. “Quinn, sir.”

Henry grinned. “Nice to meet you, Quinn. If you could call me Henry instead of sir, I’d really appreciate it.” He motioned to me. “This is Blue.”

Quinn’s lips quirked again, his rigid stance easing slightly. “Certainly, si—I mean, Henry.” He turned to me with a questioning look on his face.

Marveling at how Henry was chatting so easily with Quinn was somehow also making me feel at ease. “Like Henry said, you can call me Blue,” I said with a wide grin.

“Blue,” Quinn repeated with a tiny nod.

“Quinn,” Henry said, capturing both Quinn’s and my attention again. “Blue is a little nervous to be on our first date.”

Gripping Henry’s hand quickly, I felt myself blush at his words. This was the first time someone had so openly stated that they were out on a date with me. Most of the men who agreed to go on a date with me always seemed to make it sound like we were discussing business, especially when approached by the waitstaff.

“You make a beautiful couple,” Quinn said with an easy and warm smile.

I flushed even more and looked down at the table, embarrassed.

“Thank you,” Henry said. I could hear the smile in his voice. “As I’ll be the one paying the bill, would it be okay if I gave you my credit card to hold on to until we’ve finished our meal?”

My head jerked up, my eyes widening at his words. Henry simply shook his head ever-so-slightly at me and refocused on Quinn.

“Of course, Henry.”

“Thank you, Quinn.” Henry gently removed his hand from my grip and dug into his pocket for his wallet, all whilst studying the menu in front of him. Once he got the card he wanted out, he handed it over to Quinn. “Judging by the average price of each dish, can you please put through a three-hundred-dollar deposit now? I’m confident that we’ll go well past that, but if we don’t, consider the difference as extra gratuity. We’ll order when you come back with the payment slip for me to sign.”

Quinn’s eyes widened for a fraction of a second before he settled back into professional mode as he slowly took the card offered to him. “Certainly, sir—” he said before catching himself. “My apologies. Henry. Thank you.”

With my own eyes wide, I watched Quinn turn and head to the podium at the entrance. He spoke quietly to the host, nodding in our direction once before handing the card over. The host looked our way with intrigue before she shrugged ever so slightly and started tapping at the tablet screen in front of her.

“You didn’t have to do that, pocket bear,” I said softly as I turned back to Henry. “You and I both know our main meals won’t reach that.”

He shrugged. “I know, but it’ll make you feel more at ease. That’s all I care about.”

My eyes softened as I watched him, the tension I’d been feeling easing out of me. This kind, wonderful, thoughtful man. How the hell did I get so lucky? Maybe I needed to be a bit more openwith him. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “You can probably guess that I’ve been left with the bill before.”

He nodded slowly, a slight frown furrowing his brow. “I figured as much.”

We quieted when Quinn returned with the payment slip, which Henry duly signed, then asked if we could have a few more minutes to decide. Quinn nodded, promising to return soon.

I watched our server retreat to another table, then picked up the cloth napkin from the side of my setting and started twisting it. “I haven’t had the best track record with dates, let alone boyfriends.”

He tilted his head to the side. “Did you want to talk about it?”

I scoffed a laugh and shook my head, still mangling the napkin. “No, but you deserve to know what you’re getting into with me.”

His frown deepened. “Angel, I don’t deserve anything. Whatever you want to tell me is fine.”

Sighing, I let my frustration simmer. Why was he being so nice? Didn’t he realize that if he kept going like this, I’d never want to leave his side? “I’m broke, Henry. I’m barely making enough at Eckersley’s to cover my bills. Seeing the prices on the menu freaked me out because I’ve been out before where my dates have left me to pay for everything. Most men aren’t comfortable being seen with me. The last guy I was involved with… He ran up a ton of debt in my name and I’ll be paying it off for years.”

Henry growled softly, his fist clenching.

I stared down at the napkin that I was strangling. “Even though it was blatantly obvious that I was gay growing up, I was kicked out of home when I officially came out to my parents, and I was extremely lucky to get help from an LGBTQIA+ friendly charity to help me through the rest of my college years. I struggled to find work until Amy put in a good word for meat Eckersley’s. Everything I wear”—I said, gesturing at myself—“my clothes, my jewelry, my makeup—it’s all been sourced from charity and second-hand stores. No-one knows. Not even Amy.”

He inhaled so sharply that I thought he’d start coughing. “Angel—”

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