Page 14 of Morning Walks & Midnight Talks

I handed him one of the beers, and as soon as his fingers wrapped around it, he clinked it against mine.

His eyes gleamed with that teasing spark he had shown me so often tonight. “To opening my mind—andsomething else.”

Our laughter echoed through the room, causing Pounce to lift his head with a lazy blink. When he saw that we were just beingridiculous, though, he flopped back down and tucked his nose into the dead-tired Sora.

We made our way to the couch, where I turned on the gaming console and TV.

Matt's face lit up at the chime of the start-up screen with an excitement that warmed my heart. Maybe it meant something. Maybe it was just a nicer ending than usual.

Only time would tell.

For now, it was enough to press start.

As with therest of the evening, the night hadn’t gone as I had anticipated. No matter how many combos I tried, I didn't winanyrounds ofAlly Fighter Two. Matt didn't go home either. When we were both tired, I half-jokingly offered for him to stay, and, to my surprise, he agreed. But then, wedidn'tfuck again. We didn't even cuddle in bed. There was a brief moment when we woke up and our hands touched, lingering longer than they probably should have. But a yip from Sora, demanding to go out, stopped us before anything else could happen.

When we stepped out, the town was barely awake—no wonder, given the dark gray sky and the slick streets from an early-morning drizzle. Our breaths made faint clouds in the cool air as we walked side by side, the dogs leading the way with more energy than either of us could muster.

We grabbed coffee fromThe Morning Pup. Luckily, the owner was too busy fighting the coffee machine to notice our shared yawns.

During our entire walk, neither of us said much—just the quiet shuffle of feet, the occasional slurp of coffee, and the tug ofa leash. Every once in a while, though, one of us would start to chuckle, and the other would follow suit.

It only took small, stupid things to set us off: Sora hopping into a puddle and immediately regretting it, Pounce trying to intimidate a pigeon, and me nearly tripping over a crack in the sidewalk. It wasn't even funny, but we couldn't stop laughing. Every glance brought back memories from the night before. Every smile reminded us of the secret we were now keeping.

At least Pounce was reliable. He led us to the bench where Matt and I first met, when I'd mustered the courage to talk to him while he struggled with a tangled-up Sora.

I sat down first, holding the coffee close.

Matt followed my example with a sigh and rubbed the back of his neck as if something was on his mind. “I can’t believe I’m thirty-three and just now figuring out how open-minded I should’ve been.”

I glanced sideways at him. “Others go through their life without ever getting that far, so... better late than never?”

He smiled softly. “Yeah.”

We sat in silence for a moment longer, sipping coffee and watching the dogs sniff around the grass together.

“Trivia Night is every Friday,” he said out of nowhere. “You should come over again. We’re a good team. Next time, we'll definitely come out on top.”

I gave him a sideways grin. “I knew you just wanted me for my trivia skills.”

“Hey,” he shot back, bumping his shoulder against mine. “I...” His gaze locked onto the dogs briefly before he glanced at me. “I enjoyed our night out together. All of it.”

His words warmed me more than the coffee, but I still expected a‘but’to follow. I tightened my grip on my cup. “Me too.”

My heart raced as I sat there, watching Matt’s face for any flicker of hesitation. But he just smiled at me, light and easy, with no sign that he wanted to undo or backpedal anything that had happened.

I let out the breath I hadn’t realized I was holding in. “I’d like to come again,” I added. “To the trivia night, I mean.”

“Drinks are on me.” His voice hitched slightly as he spoke, a rough edge slipping through his usual smoothness before he chuckled. He dropped his head to his chest, then tipped it toward me as if he wanted to lean on my shoulder. Just before it touched me, though, he stopped, as if holding himself back, unsure whether I would approve.

I playfully nudged Matt with my knee. “But you’ll have to let me win the nextAlley Fighterduel.”

“I’ll let you win when you beat me fair and square. Or if you manage to mod the game to your favor.”

“That’s just as easy said as done.”

We sat there chuckling for a few more minutes until Pounce and Sora tugged on their leashes, indicating they were ready to leave. Exchanging a glance, Matt and I pushed to our feet, groaning in unison like old men instead of guys in our thirties.

The rest of the walk was filled with easy chatter about weekend chores and errands—nothing that pinned us down or carved out a next time.

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