Chapter Thirty-Eight

Andy

Then

Leo gave me a big, bright smile, his baby blue eyes twinkling under the fluorescent lights of the restaurant. I still couldn't believe that he had agreed to go out with me tonight. That were currently sitting in a booth, eating ice cream sundaes, while my fathers, their friends, and Leo's brother sat a couple of rows over. I could hear Dad giggling, probably at Pop, while I stared at the beautiful boy before me. I had been more than hesitant to ask Leo out, to take him skating, and then he let me kiss him. Right there in front of everyone.

"Andy." Leo's voice was soft and feminine when he spoke my name. His crystal blue eyes were lined with dark liner, his lashes long and thick. He blushed when I met his gaze, his cheeks blazing pink. "Thank you."

My brows dipped. "For what?"

"Tonight." Leo dug around in his ice cream with his spoon before he took a bite. "Taking me out on my first date."

My lips curved into a smile. "You're more than welcome, and it was my pleasure."

"Could we... Do you think...." He shook his head. "Never mind."

I dropped my hand onto the table, palm up. I hoped that Leo understood that I wanted him to place his hand in mine. That I wanted to feel the touch of his soft, warm skin. "Go ahead, finish what you were going to say."

"Could we do this again sometime?" Leo whispered, his blue eyes pinned to my palm. "You know, another date?"

I nodded. "Yeah, of course. I would love that."

I felt my heart slam against my chest when Leo linked our fingers together. He was so warm and fragile. I wanted to wrap him up in my arms so I could keep him safe.

"Cool." Leo beamed at me before he attacked his sundae again, his hand still tucked against mine.

It was cool. "Would you like to be boyfriends? I mean, be my boyfriend?" I blurted. I didn't want anyone else to try to steal Leo from me. Plus, I liked him. A lot.

Leo stared at me. It felt like he was trying to dig inside my brain to figure out if I was serious or not. I was dead fucking serious. How could he not see what a catch he was? "You want to be my boyfriend?"

"Uh, yeah. Unless you don't want..." I swallowed nervously. "Unless you're not into me. I don't want you to feel like you have to say yes."

Leo's mouth dropped. "I am so into you." His cheeks burned crimson. "And I would love to be boyfriends. We'd exclusively date one another. People would know. I mean, people at school." His voice trembled.

"Do you not want the kids at school to know we're together? That you're mine." I asked. There was a knot in my stomach that made me feel sick. I thought he liked me.

Leo shook his head. "No, Andy, I..." He squeezed my hand. "I'd be yours?" Leo murmured. "Does that mean that you'd be mine?"

"Yes, Leo, it does."

"But the kids at school would know you are, you know, bi."

I narrowed my eyes. "Is that a problem?"

"No, no, not at all. I want that." Leo leaned forward. "Sometimes kids aren't always nice to me. You know, because I'm different."

I tugged his hand. "Tell me who, and I'll make sure that they never bother you again." I wanted names. I wanted to know all the kids at school who had dared make fun of my boyfriend. "You're not different; you're perfect."

"I'm coming to sit next to you." Leo released my hand, slid out of the booth, and then climbed into mine. He pressed his small frame against mine as I reached across the table to pull his sundae closer. "So, we're boyfriends now."

I wanted to kiss him again. A proper kiss, one that involved tongue and teeth and lots of saliva. But as I glanced over at my fathers, I found Dad watching us. His green eyes were narrowed into worried slits. I knew he was concerned about me dating. That I might get hurt or do something stupid, but he had raised me better than that. I wasn't his biological son, but I was his son, nonetheless.

"Boyfriends. I like the sound of that." I smiled down at Leo, and he giggled happily.

He nudged my foot with his. "Boyfriends."

"You two kids having fun?" Dad dropped into the spot Leo had just vacated.

I rolled my eyes. "Don't go all helicopter dad on me."

"Is that Ezra's jacket?" Leo pointed to the furry white coat my father was now sporting. I hadn't seen him wear it before, but it looked nice.

Dad touched the fabric. "He let me borrow it because I was cold. Do you..." He coughed out a nervous laugh. "I should return it to him tomorrow. Do you think he would mind if I just dropped by?"

"Ezra would love that," Leo told him.

Dad chewed on his lip. "I'm sorry he ran off. I hope he's okay. He's fun."

"I'm sure he's fine," Leo assured him. I knew he had been worried about his friend when Ezra came down to say goodbye and left without an explanation. But he had Carson with him.

Dad nodded in agreement just as Pop came over to sit down. Awesome.

"What is this?" I asked, pointing my spoon between them.

"We're just being nosy," Dad answered, and when Pop hooked an arm around him, he sighed happily. "Do you think the two of you will do this again?"

I bristled. "Are you hoping we won't?"

"Hon." Leo's hand landed on my thigh, and my entire body lit up like a firework. "I think your dads are just being your dads. They're looking out for you."

Pop nodded in agreement. "If you want to take Leo out again, we're fine with that. We only want you to be happy."

"We're boyfriends," I announced. A little louder than I should have because a few people turned to look, but I didn't care. "And did you just call me hon?"

Leo lifted his hand, but I grabbed it and linked our fingers together. "If you don't like it—"

"No, I like it. I love it, actually." I grinned at him.

"Look at how cute they are, sweetheart." Pop dropped a kiss against Dad's nose. "Remember when that was us?"

I grimaced. "Don't be gross."

"I think it's sweet how much your dads love one another. How did you two get together? Was it like a meet cute?" Leo asked them.

Dad shook his head. "No, I mean, we were best friends first. And then Jax told me he wanted to kiss me."

"And you told me the same thing." Pop grinned.

I had heard this story numerous times, but the way Leo was staring at them, his eyes wide and a smile on his face, made me realize that my boyfriend—I really loved the way that sounded—was a romantic.

Dad stared up at Pop, his emerald eyes crinkling around the corners. "He was in love with me."

"Head over heels," Pop murmured.

I squeezed Leo's fingers, and he turned to stare at me.

"Your dads are totally couple goals. They're so adorable, and I love it."

"You want that?" I asked and watched a flush creep up over his neck, cheeks, and ears. "You want us to be telling our kids a story like this one day? How I kissed you on the ice, and we fell in love?"

Leo nodded. "Yes," he whispered.

I opened my mouth, only to be interrupted before I could speak.

"Leo." Noel appeared out of nowhere and interrupted us. This time, it was my turn to blush. "It's getting late. It's probably time we head home. You should say your goodbyes."

Leo let out a long sigh. "Fine."

"Why don't you two go outside for a little privacy?" Dad suggested, and I was pretty sure my jaw landed on the floor. "Don't look at me like that, Andy. I was a teenager once, too." He waved his hands in our direction. "Go on. We'll take care of the bill."

Leo and I quickly scrambled out of the booth. I helped him put on his coat, slipped on mine, and then grabbed his hand before we headed outside. Once we had moved away from the windows of the restaurant, I dropped Leo's hand so I could cup his face between my palms.

"Can I kiss you again?"

"I wish you would."

This time when I leaned forward to press my mouth to Leo's, he reached up and gripped my jacket between his fingers. A soft sigh escaped him as I tilted his head, deepened the kiss, and dragged my tongue over the seam of his lips. The moment he opened for me, I knew I was in trouble. Leo tasted like ice cream and forever, a deadly combination. His lips were soft and warm, and I never wanted this kiss to end. But soon enough, I needed air to breathe, and I reluctantly pulled away.

"I had a really great time tonight," Leo murmured. His pupils were blown wide as he stared up at me, his fingers still tangled in the fabric of my coat.

I leaned forward to brush my mouth over his again. "Me, too."

"Leo!" Noel called.

Leo rolled his eyes. "I guess I have to go, but—"

"Promise that you'll text me when you get home? Just so that I know you're okay and got home safely." Plus, maybe we could video chat.

Leo smiled. "I will." He reluctantly started to walk away, and I watched him as he went, his shoulders squared, his chin held high. But when he glanced over his shoulder and wiggled his fingers at me, I realized I had already lost my heart.

And I didn't want it back.