Page 17 of Hooking the Captain
Hayden snorted on the other end of the line. “I guess you should be properly introduced now. When are you coming back to Boston?”
“A few weeks,” I replied. “Maybe more.”
I had planned only to stay a few weeks but now that I’d met Ford, I was considering staying longer to get to know him better, depending on how long he stayed.
“How about you hit me up when you’re home and we’ll do dinner or something?” Hayden suggested.
“I can do that.”
“You’ll have to let me know if you’ll be bringing a guest.”
It was on the tip of my tongue to tell my friend that Ford attended college where Hayden taught, but since Ford seemed not to want to talk about school, and was still in the closet, I wasn’t sure if it was a good idea or not. So, I said, “I’ll let you know. It’s still new.”
“I know, but really, I’m happy for you.”
“Thank you.”
After I hung up with Hayden, I sent a text to Ford:
Are we still on for dinner?
While I waited for his response, I went inside and headed to my room to grab my things for a shower.
Yeah. What time?
Me: 6?
That works
He included his address in the text. I jumped in the shower and got ready for the dinner date I had in mind, except while I cleaned up, I realized I wasn’t sure what type of food he liked and needed to know before our date.
BTW, any food you don’t like?
I slipped into my jeans, and he texted back:
Not a fan of sardines and mushrooms but everything else should be ok
Awesome. See you soon and dress comfortable
I finished getting ready by pulling on a white polo shirt and then grabbed my lightweight blue jacket in case the night turned chilly. After placing an order at a Mediterranean restaurant, I loaded the truck with everything we would need, grabbed the NDA, and said my goodbyes to my parents.
While I headed toward the address Ford had given me, I started to sweat a little. We had hiked the day before, but dinner felt more like a first date since it included food. What would the night entail? The place I planned to take him was secluded, similar to where we’d ended up last night where Ford had given me head in his car. Would we do that again? Would I return the favor? Maybe more?
When I pulled up to the two-story house, my nerves were still running wild, but I was able to take my phone out and text Ford that I was in front of his grandparents’ place. A few moments later, he came outside. When we smiled at each other, my anxiety melted.
“Hey,” he said, sliding into my truck.
“Hey. Have a good day?” I asked as I pulled away from the curb.
“Not bad. Helped my grandpa fix a part of his fence. You?”
“Well …” I took a deep breath and grabbed the folded paper from the center console. I handed it to him. “I wrote this up and if you agree, could you sign it?”
“And if I don’t?” he asked.
I lifted a shoulder and grimaced. “Then I guess we’ll just be two bros having dinner in my truck.”
He looked over the two-page document as I drove us out of town. All the good places to stargaze were about an hour away, and while I wasn’t ready to be out in public at a restaurant, I felt like what I had in mind was romantic and could provide a good first date vibe.
