Page 88 of Counterpoint
Dom toyed with his own glass. “What do you want to be doing? I mean, if you could pick?”
Adrian looked out into the dining room, brow furrowed. “Something creative. Web design. I love the freelance work I’ve done. I’d really like to come up with a better social media platform.” He looked back. “Honestly, anything’s got to be more worthwhile than fixing broken code for a corporate bank.”
Okay, so Dom did want to know more about Adrian, too. Learn what made him tick. But spiraling him into sadness was not exactly what Dom had planned. “Financial services institution,” he murmured.
Adrian’s eyes widened, and he laughed. “Right.”
Dom grinned back. “What about your friend?”
“Jackson? He’s probably going to take a massive pay cut to go work for a startup that’s full of people of color and developing apps for queer kids.” Adrian’s face fell a little. “He has more integrity than me, to be honest.”
Now look who was beating himself up. “Hon, it’s okay to make a living.”
Adrian arched an eyebrow. “Hon?”
Dom dropped his voice. “I guess Mish is wearing off on me. She calls us all hon.”
A smile. “The bassist.”
He nodded, trying hard not to glance around, but failing. Wouldn’t that be something? Domino Grinder, nerd extraordinaire, secretly out with his boyfriend.
Adrian reached his hand out across the table. “We’re far enough away from everyone else. One good thing about some expensive places, they don’t pack us in so you’re sitting on your neighbor’s lap.”
Dom slipped his hand into Adrian’s. “I know. It’s just... I kinda live in fear.”
The smile dropped away again. “Yeah, figured that out recently.”
He tried not to flinch. Failed.
“Babe, it’s okay. I get it now.” Adrian squeezed his hand.
Maybe he did. “Tell me more about your job. Or, like, what’s going wrong?”
Arched eyebrows. “You really want to hear about that?”
“Yeah, I kinda do.” He ran his thumb over the back of Adrian’s hand. “I want to talk like a normal couple. So...tell me about your week?”
Adrian laughed, loudly enough to turn a few heads momentarily, but once he quieted, the other diners looked away. “Dominic, are we gettingdomestic?”
Maybe Dom had been reading those BDSM books a little too much, because what came out of his mouth was, “Spanking isn’t really my thing.”
And, of course, that’s when the server brought the food.
Adrian dissolved into another bought of laughter, while the server impeccably and unfazedly laid down their meals.
“Don’t mind me, I’m just going to shrink into this chair.” Dom’s cheeks were hot.
There was a slight smile on the server’s lips, but he didn’t say anything except,“Bon appétit.”
Across the table, Adrian sighed, but it was a happy sound. “This is exactly why I’m falling in love with you.”
Heat and joy and embarrassment all blazed through Dom at the same time, and he looked into his wine.
Adrian clicked his tongue. “You’re witty and wonderful and my world is so much brighter.”
Was that what Adrian thought? Dom looked up—and there was nothing but love and admiration in those eyes. “I—Thanks.”
A nod, and a different blaze of heat at Adrian’s approval.
