Finishing what’s left in my glass, I refill it, moving to do the same with his. “Do you like it? I know living with people can be hit or miss.”
He holds my gaze as he seems to relax into the chair a bit. It’s the first time I’ve seen him look anything less than tense since he got here. “Yeah, we’re all close friends. It’s not bad.”
I’m wondering how many questions I can get him to answer before he goes back to being his broody self. “And you all met in college, I presume?”
He nods.
“What do you like to do for fun?”
Staring at me, deadpan, he sighs.
“Something the matter?” I can’t help but laugh. Getting under his skin shouldn’t be as fun as it is.
“Not at all,” he grumbles, tone full of sarcasm.
We make noncommittal small talk—or rather, I ask questions, and he answers them in as few words as possible—until the food comes. Just like last time, he mostly picks at the food, shoving it around the plate, and taking tiny bites here or there. By the time I’m finished with my entire meal, he’s takenmaybethree bites.
“Your food taste alright?” I ask, wiping the corners of my mouth with my napkin.
His eyes lift to mine, the brilliance of the ice-blue staggering. “Yup,” he replies, setting down his fork on the plate. “It was great. I had a big lunch, though, so I’m not too hungry. How was yours?”
It’s the first real question he’s asked me all evening. That fact is not lost on me.
“It was delicious,” I reply honestly. “You know, I don’t think I told you this, but you look very handsome tonight.”
Watching his pale skin radiate heat across his neck and cheeks is amusing. “Th-thank you. You shouldn’t say things like that, though.”
I lean forward, elbows on the table, because table manners be damned right now. “Why not, Bodhi? It’s nothing but the truth. You’re fucking beautiful and deserve to be told as such.”
He squirms, face flaming red. “We should go.” The words tumble out quietly, anxiously.
“Sure. Let me pay the bill.” Catching the eye of our server, I ask for the check. On bated breath, I ask, “Can I see you again?”
Based on his body language alone, I already know what he’s going to say, but I’m asking anyway. There’s nothing more I want than to see him again. To maybe even be able to touch him. Kiss him. The way he’s been nibbling on his bottom lip all evening, kissing him has been in the forefront of my mind, but I know that’s not going to happen.
Letting out a deep breath he seemed to be holding, too, he meets my gaze for a split second before glancing away. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Why not? Treat it like work. That’s what this is, isn’t it?” I’m grasping at straws here. “Let go of the moral qualms and treat it like I’m any other client.”
Bodhi’s body tenses, the muscle in his jaw clenching. “You aren’t any other client, Jules, and you know it,” he hisses.
The server brings the bill, and I sign it in silence. It isn’t until he stands, pushing in his chair, that I stand as well, speaking again. “I’ll walk you to your car.”
“I don’t ne—”
“Bodhi…” Bodhi is clearly stubborn and used to being independent, but if I do nothing else tonight, I’ll sure as hell be walking him to his car. Rounding the table, I stop a few inches shy of him, the difference in our heights immensely noticeable. Slowly, he drags his gaze up until our eyes connect, his throat fully exposed from the angle he has to look up at me. “Trust me, you’ll know when I’m asking you a question, and this wasn’t one. Didn’t you learn last time? I will be walking you to your car. Understood?”
Biting down on his full bottom lip once more, he nods.
I reach up, pinching his chin between my fingers, forcing his lip to pop out from under the scrutiny of his teeth. “Unless it’s my teeth you want tasting that lip, I suggest you don’t do that again.”
Without another word, I make my way toward the front of the restaurant, not bothering to see if he’s following me. I know he is. I clench and unclench my hands at my sides as I stroll out of there. My body feels amped up on adrenaline, probably from my need to get him to drop his guard and let me in. I want him to give me something—anything—to let me know I’m not alone in this feeling.
The humid evening air wraps around me as we step outside, the sky looking cloudy like it may storm at any minute. It takes no time at all to spot his car. It’s ironically parked a few spaces over from mine. Not that he would know that.
We stop in front of it, and I step aside. Right before his hand reaches the handle, I move. Both hands rest against the roof, boxing him in as he twists his body until he’s fully facing me.
“Wh-what are you doing?” His voice shakes as he backs up, resting against the driver’s side door.
