Page 21 of Back to You
“Sure. I think I’m just gonna get hot cocoa, though.” I was jittery enough without caffeine.
“No prob. What size?”
“I can get—”
“What size?” he repeated. “I’ll grab it. No biggie. Think of it as penance for the other day.” His gaze slid down the front of me, as if he hadn’t thought to get a good look before. When he met my eyes once more, there was a smile there. My heart practically threw itself against my ribcage. Did he like what he saw? “Really. I insist.”
Okay then. “Medium salted caramel, no whip, please and thank you.”
He moseyed over to get in line. I sat down at the table and shrugged out of my coat. It was a little too hot in here, or maybe that was my anxiety talking. Dane returned with foam cups in both hands. He slid into his seat, then handed me my cocoa.
“Here you go.”
“Thanks.” I cleared my throat. Might as well get the awkwardness over with. “So, uh. It’s been awhile, huh?”
He glanced down at his hands, still cupped around his coffee. “Yeah. A lot has changed.”
“Tell me about it?” I offered. “How’s your mom? Let’s start there.”
Dane’s shoulders jumped in a silent chuckle. “Okay, fair enough. She’s doing good, really good. It was kind of rough there for awhile, after…you know, but yeah. She remarried.” He took a sip and grimaced. “Too hot.”
“Married?”
“Last summer, actually, but she and Daniel had been dating for almost two years. They met at support group, of all places. Struck up a conversation and the next thing I know, she’s getting all fancied up for a date. Daniel’s perfect for her. He has two little boys and they’ve really helped brighten up Mom’s world. It’s nice not to have to worry about her.”
“And you?”
“I’m still me,” he murmured. “Didn’t go to college. I was too messed up, but Brock—you remember him, from computer class? The tech guru who helped me with that virus freshman year? He got me some information on some online courses, the kind you can do at your own pace. I needed an outlet, so I started learning graphic design. Taught myself how to code and now I’m building websites for a living. I’m doing okay.”
“I’m glad.” My throat grew tight. “Dane. I’m sorry. I should’ve been there, and—” I took a deep breath. “I… I want to thank you for saving me that night, for not letting me throw it all away. You were my guardian angel. I regret not being that person for you, but I couldn’t deal with the grief. I wasn’t emotionally capable of it, and I’ve felt like an asshole these past few years, but Iamsorry.”
“I know. I get it.” He leaned forwards in his chair, putting his arms on the tabletop. “So tell me about yourself, your life here. It’s been awhile.” Relief flooded me. He was giving me an out and I’d be damned if I didn’t take it.
We talked about a little bit of everything until Dane glanced at his watch. “Crap, I have to go. Sorry to cut this short. It was good seeing you.”
“No problem. It was. Thanks for not just writing me off.”
His lips quirked. “Thanks for not calling me out for being an asshole the other day.”
“Guess we’re even, then.”
“Guess so,” he agreed.
He stood to leave. I followed suit and pulled my coat on, feeling lighter now that we’d cleared the air. When he turned to me, though, he had his arms out for a hug. Emotion bubbled up inside of me as I let myself be folded into his embrace. It was as warm and kind as it’d always been.
“Can I see you again?” he asked when we broke apart.
“Yeah, totally. We can hang sometime, play games, like the good old days. You have my number.”
His face flushed. “No, like… Can I take you out sometime?”
Out. On a date. Was this real? Had I slipped into a coma in my sleep or something? I gaped at him for a moment. “I… You’re not straight?”
He shook his head, a weird little smile playing across his face. The sunlight streaked through the front window and the stubble on his chin glinted a coppery red. “You remember that night we got drunk on Mom’s wine?”
The kiss. The groping. The blowjob. Heat crept up my neck. “Yeah. How could I forget?”
“I wanna see where it goes.” He sucked his lip ring into his mouth. The metal clinked lightly against his teeth. “Let me take you out this weekend. Maybe we could pick up where we left off?”
