10. Gideon

I wouldn’t have called our dinner a success, but it went far better than I had hoped it would. Sure, the food wasn’t great. Kai basically smushed the broccoli and moved the fries around. He didn’t touch any of the sauce. But it wasn’t about that and never really had been. It was about the three of us connecting.

Dante was great. I really liked him… a lot. He was a nice guy who obviously loved and cared for Kai so completely. It was nice to see my mate had someone protecting him and comforting him during all of this. It must have been so confusing having all of this happening, especially while he was pregnant.

When we decided we’d try going on a date, just the two of us, I had a thousand ideas running through my head. It had to be perfect. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized I was putting so much pressure on myself, just like I had with dinner. And if I continued down this path, I’d probably end up with similar results, only instead of burnt veggies and hard meat, it would be a bad date and regrets.

Instead, I decided to do something a little more personal and a little less high pressure. I knew he didn’t want to be recognized while we were out, and that limited our options. His character might not be on the show anymore, but his fandom was running hard. There were petitions all over the place. They were trying to get his character put back on the show by writing the accident and subsequent season as a dream sequence on one and having it be a case where he was saved just in time and had amnesia in another. The character might’ve been gone from the show, but he was hardly forgotten.

I needed to keep him from having some of that pressure of being famous while we went on our date. I also had to keep in mind that he was pregnant and probably wouldn’t want to do what my bear was begging us to do—go to the mountains and swim in the lake and chill with my bear. That would have to wait for another day. After overthinking it to death, I opted to bring him to my favorite art gallery.

It rarely had people in it anytime I’d been there, unless it was an opening. It was one of those places where if they sold one piece a month, they made their quota and employee salaries and probably a car. That wasn’t 100% true. They did have some pieces that were more reasonable, but it was definitely a place where the elite went to spend their money.

I’d always loved art, even if I was as far from an artist as one could get. My stick figures needed work. But I understood art and loved being surrounded by it. One of my college buddies always had pieces at this gallery, thanks to his family being connected to the owners. And because of that, even though I wasn’t drowning in jewels and money, I was always welcome.

It took me circling the block three times before I was able to pull up to the curb so I could wait for Kai to come out. I’d have preferred being a gentleman and collecting him at his door, but he’d asked me to wait outside for him. I didn’t like it, but it made sense. This was his personal space, and having my scent linger there would potentially be an issue for him as he navigated this situation. I knew it was for me. All I could scent at my place was Kai and Dante. It left me perpetually hard and needy and lonely. I didn’t want that for my mate.

He came out and climbed in the car, buckling in right away. He didn’t quite meet my eyes. I cracked the window, his scent overwhelmingly fabulous.

“Hi.” He broke the silence.

“Hi.” I turned on the car and flicked the blinker to pull out.

“Where are we going?”

“I thought we could go to an art gallery I like and look around.”

“Okay.”

The conversation was hardly flowing, but at least there were words, right?

“Do you not like art?” I asked. “We can pick something else.” I wasn’t sure what, but we’d figure it out.

“No, I do like art… I just… crowds.”

“This isn’t that kind of place.” I explained all about the gallery and why I picked it. Each sentence had the conversation flowing better, and we reached that side of town fairly quickly, the traffic on my side for once. I found a parking spot with ease, and the two of us walked in. My hand itched to grab his, but we weren’t there yet. And maybe we wouldn’t ever be. I didn’t know. Only time would tell.

Just as I had hoped, we were the only people there when we walked inside. Aside from the owner, that was. He greeted me with a wave and a smile. He never spent much time with me when I was here unless I sought him out. He knew this wasn’t a place where I came to shop, and sometimes, I just came here to clear my head.

I’d told Kai about my friend on the ride over and was excited to show him his work.

“This one’s not for sale,” Kai noted.

“It’s a piece he made honoring his grandmother. He wants as many people to see it as possible. He tried a few museums, but they didn’t have space for it, and the owner here offered this spot.”

“It’s beautiful. Grandparents are…” He choked up, his body leaning slightly into mine, instinctively seeking my comfort.

“Yeah, they are, and it is.”

We spent the next hour looking at all the different pieces, from statues to paintings, from photographs to fiber arts. Each one told a different story, and when we were done, I asked him if he wanted to grab something to eat.

“I think, if it’s okay, maybe take me home,” he said.

I was confused because we were having such a good time, but I didn’t do anything but agree. If he needed to be home, that was where he would be. We had a nice time, and that could be enough for one date.

We were back in front of his place a half-hour later.

“Would you like me to walk you up?” I wanted to, but I wouldn’t push.

“I don’t think that’s…”

The next thing I knew, his lips were on mine, and he was kissing me. It was over just as quickly as it began. That didn’t stop me from thoroughly enjoying it, nor did it keep my bear from coming forward, begging me to make him ours.

“Sorry… I don’t know why.” He fumbled with the door.

“Oh, please don’t be sorry.”

I didn’t want him to be sorry. Anything but that.

“I gotta go.” And then off he went, out of the car and straight inside the building, leaving me more confused than I was when I picked him up.