“Wait.Never?”
Ryan poked at something in his bowl with his chopsticks. “Not for a while, no.”
Fabian was intrigued. “Are you, like, not into casual sex? Or sex at all? It’s cool if you aren’t. I have friends who—”
“I like sex,” Ryan said, this time looking Fabian right in the eyes. There was an intensity there that made his stomach flip.
“Oh. So...”
“I’m just bad at talking to people.”
Fabian nudged Ryan’s foot under the table. “You don’t seem so bad to me. I like talking to you. If this were a date I’d say it was going very well.”
Ryan looked back at his soup. “Thanks.”
They ate in silence for a bit, and Fabian used to time to consider the new information he had gathered from Ryan. He liked sex but didn’t have it very often, he didn’t go out much, and he maybe didn’t like traditionally masc guys? That would actually make sense, given the way Ryan had obviously appreciated Fabian’s flamboyant stage outfit the other night.
Fabian didn’t have any particular type. It was actually wild to think that, just over a week ago, he had woken up with Claude in his bed. And now he was having dinner with a man who was the opposite of Claude in almost every way. Fabian found both men attractive, but he almost certainly had more in common with Claude. In theory, Fabian really shouldn’t have much to say to Ryan.
“Do you like to dance?” Fabian asked.
“Sort of. I’m not good at it, and I usually feel stupid doing it, but I like it sometimes.”
“My friends are going out to celebrate Tarek’s birthday in a couple of weeks. It will be fun. You should come.”
Ryan’s brow furrowed. “Me?”
“Yeah!” This wasn’t a terrible idea, was it? “We’re going to Force, which is the biggest gay nightclub around. It’s very loud and busy, but you are guaranteed to see hot men in every flavor. And if you don’t want to dance, that’s cool, but you should come.”
“Um. Maybe.”
“I’ll remind you closer to the date. I haven’t been to Force in ages. I’m excited.”
“I’ll bet you’re a good dancer,” Ryan said.
“Oh god, I’m the best. Totally amazing. Just wait.”
Ryan laughed. “I’ve always admired your confidence.”
“Really? Even when I was a grumpy teenage shit?”
“Yes,” Ryan said earnestly. “Even then.”
“Huh.” Fabian was honestly pretty touched by Ryan’s words. He hadn’t thought of himself as particularly admirable when he’d been a teen.
“Are you supposed to eat everything in the bowl?” Ryan asked. It was a clear attempt to change the subject. “I still have a lot of corn left.”
“I think only the most hardcore ramen eaters clean the bowl,” Fabian said. “So what do you have planned for this evening?”
Ryan set his chopsticks on the table and pushed the bowl away. “Go home. Rest up for tomorrow.”
“Are you actually going to rest, or are you going to start worrying about your flight the moment you’re alone?”
Ryan sighed. “Probably that second thing.”
“Well then...” Fabian leaned in. “How about I distract you some more?”
Okay. He could admit that was just blatantly flirtatious, but he wasn’t actually suggesting anything...untoward.
