Page 43 of Snapping the Ice
Nodding, I said, “Oh, that makes a huge difference.”
The server set our drink on the table, a blue bowl with two straws, a few orange slices wedged on the lip, and an edible purple flower in the middle.
“Wow, that looks amazing.” Leaning forward, I sipped the sweet drink.
As Lucas took a sip, his gaze met mine. “This is fun, isn’t it?” A wide smile swept his lips.
“It is. I can’t remember the last time I relaxed like this.” Certainly not with Tate. It was time to stop thinking about him. I needed to know more about Lucas. “Hey, so tell me, what sort of relationships have you had?” I’d start there.
Tilting his head, he rimmed the bottom of the glass with his finger. “I’ve dated a lot, but never anything serious. Except for high school.” His gaze swung to mine. “I dated a girl for a whole six months at the start of my senior year.”
“Yeah? What happened?” I narrowed my eyes. Had he been in love?
“Hockey happened.” He winced. “About four months in, she was making me choose between extra time in the rink and in the gym or her. I picked the former, and she finally broke it off with me.”
“When you have a passion for something, the person you’re with needs to be on board or it’ll never work.” Even though Tate complained about my long hours and lately, the subject ofmy photo shoots, I never let him take away my dream. Once more, that fucker was on my mind.
“You’re right,” he said, eyes widening. “We understand each other, right?” He sipped more of the blue drink.
“We do.” I thought about next week. While he’d travel, I’d work as much as possible. Then when he was home, we’d have time for each other. God damn, I was outlining a life with him already and we’d just started. Unwrapping my chopsticks, I asked, “Lucas, how are you feeling about being bisexual?”
He ticked his brows. “Fine. I’ve accepted it.” He laid his napkin in his lap. “I spoke with my brother again today.” Pink flamed across his cheeks.
“You did? About me?” My mouth quirked. He was so cute when he got embarrassed.
“About us.” His attention drew to me, and he drank more of the cocktail. “It was an interesting conversation. I thought I’d be talking to him and his husband about sex, but it was more about dealing with being queer.”
“Yeah?” I studied him. So, I’d been right about his emotions. “Tell me more.” I shifted in my seat and then sipped our drink.
“I don’t want you to think I’m experimenting. I guess my brother’s friend had a guy who did that to him and broke his heart.” His breath caught as his jaw dropped. “I’m not trying to say you’re in love with me or anything.”
I let a chuckle roll through me. He was so careful. It meant a lot. It meant he was willing to make things work. “That’s good to hear. It’s something I wondered about, if you were ready for this.”
“I’m ready. Like I said, there’s something about you that’s, fuck, irresistible.” His face flushed a second time.
“Really?” I chuckled. “I find you irresistible too.” I looked him over, the fine angle of his jaw with the darkstubble, the stark blue of his eyes. “It’s why I took extra pictures of you.” My chest pinched. Tate was right. I had to give that to him. I’d been looking, no, admiring Lucas. If I had been fully invested in Tate, Lucas wouldn’t have mattered. I would have broken it off with Tate eventually, even if he hadn’t hit me.
“Thanks.” His cheeks reddened further.
The server and a food runner set down our plates of sushi. “Enjoy.”
“Oh, my, would you look at this?” Lucas yanked his chopsticks apart. “Let’s dig in.”
I mixed wasabi into soy sauce in a small square dish. “What else did your brother say?” Obviously, Lucas had come out to him.
“Oh, he was happy as hell.” Tutting, he picked up a roll and dunked it in his sauce. “I think he was happier to hear that I’m queer than he was when I got my NAPH contract.” He snickered.
“He sounds like an awesome brother.” My chest squeezed. His parents would probably be fine with it, too. His family was nothing like mine. “When do you think you’ll tell your parents?”
He held a roll to his mouth, his gaze far away. “Don’t know.” He focused on me. “After we’ve been dating for a while?” The edge of his lips quirked.
Nodding, I ate a roll. I wasn’t the only one thinking we had a future together. It was new, but we’d already created a solid bond. Was having a common enemy the reason? Shit, it’s what he was used to. Sports teams bonded over a common enemy, didn’t they?
His brows lowered. “Ezra, you’re close with your sister, right?”
“Very.” I dunked a salmon sashimi slice into my sauce. “She’s always been on my side. My parents kicking me out devastated her.”
“I still can’t believe people react like that.” He rested his hand on mine on the table. “Do you ever think you’ll see them again?” He bit the end of his chopsticks.
