Page 72 of ILY
I scoff. “Dating anyone. You are my first man though.”
His eyes widen. “So you were serious about that?”
I snort and shrug, dragging my fingers over his as I sit back and fold my arms. “Yes, I was serious about that. Not everything was a lie. Most of it was the truth. The moment I set eyes on you, something…I don’t know…felt like it unlocked. Or shattered.You were out of your mind, and all I wanted to do was kiss you until you calmed down.”
He stares for a second. “We did a lot more than kiss.”
I laugh again. “Yeah, we did. And it was amazing.”
“And you’re not having any bi-panic?”
“Oh, you’ve given me bi-panic,” I confess. “But not the kind that makes me want to run away. I think…” I trail off, drumming my fingers on the table. “I think I’ve always kind of known I was into guys but just dismissed the way I felt. I think it’s probably obvious that being out and proud in law enforcement isn’t something that’s widely accepted.”
Leaf says nothing, and that tells me his opinion on what I do. I don’t blame him. I’ve been disillusioned for years.
“Anyway, you make me panic, but in good ways. I’ve liked everything about you so far.”
“Even when you thought I was some deranged killer?”
“That’s where most of the panic came in.”
He laughs and rolls his eyes. “Shut up.”
“You can shut me up later when we get out of here.”
His cheeks go a little more ruddy, and he takes a breath to say something else when suddenly there’s a commotion at the table beside us. I turn quickly, just in time to see Denver yanking his arm away from the guy he’s at the table with.
He looks furious. And a little afraid. I’ve seen him look like this once, years ago. It was just weeks after my official diagnosis, and he was my distraction from dealing with everything I knew was coming.
My hackles go up, and I stand as the guy takes a swipe at Denver.
“I don’t fucking think so,” I rumble loudly before realizing there’s a good chance the man can’t hear me.
He does though. He stiffens and turns. “What the fuck is your prob—” Then he sees me, and his jaw snaps shut.
I looked up at Denver. ‘You OK?’
He shakes his head no.
‘Stalker?’
“Excuse me?” the guy bellows. “Stalker?”
Leaf is on his feet now, and he walks over, extending his hand to Denver. ‘Come on,’ he signs with his free one. ‘Empty seat.’ He points to our table, and while this is not how I anticipated our date going, I’m not going to let any bullshit slide.
Denver shuffles over, and the guy looks like he wants to throw an actual toddler tantrum. But he doesn’t. Not with me watching. He digs into his pocket, pulls out a wallet, and throws cash on the table before looking back at Denver, who is now sitting down.
‘Can we talk?’
Denver flips him off.
“You have your answer,” I say, then sign so Denver can understand. “Fuck off.”
The guy stands there like he’s going to cause a scene, and then after a tense few breaths, he turns and stomps out. The air in the room is thick. We’re now being watched by customers and staff.
I sink back into my chair and look over at Denver, who isn’t quite shaking, but he’s definitely pale.
‘Thank you,’ he signs to me. ‘What are you doing here? A case?’
