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Buck hadn't really stopped smiling since the kiss, starting with sitting at his kitchen island, his hand pressed to his lips, amazed that he could feel something so new in his thirties. It had been days, and every time he thought about Tommy, and the way his fingers underneath his chin had guided him into the kiss, and the soft way he’d asked if it was okay, he broke out into a brand-new grin. It didn’t seem real. He had been kissed. By a boy. A really pretty boy. And they were going on a date. On Saturday.
“What’s got you so smiley?” Hen asked Friday evening right before they were off for the night. They were sitting in the lofted area, Hen at the couch with her laptop in front of her and Buck had taken the chair, a book in his lap that he had to stop reading every few paragraphs to try and hide his grin when Tommy passed through his mind.
“I have a date,” he replied honestly, “tomorrow night. I’m excited for it, I guess. It’s new.”
“Anybody we know?”
“Oh, yeah, I guess, but – I don’t want to talk about that, yet, if that’s okay.”
Hen nodded and replied, “that’s completely fine, Buckaroo. Talk to me when you’re ready.”
It sounded like she knew exactly what he wasn’t telling her, and she was fine to wait until he was ready to hear it.
“And I hope everything goes well.”
The date does go well, with Tommy picking him up just after eight because of traffic, Buck forgiving him with a kiss before they’ve ever left. Even with his own awkwardness over this being his first date with a man, and Eddie and Marisol showing up of all things, Tommy took his hand afterwards once they were out of sight, just for a moment, to squeeze and reassure him.
“It’s okay,” Tommy said softly, voice low enough that just Buck could hear him, “that you’re not ready to tell anyone. This is your first date with a guy, like you said.”
“You lied to Eddie, for me,” Buck said, blown away that anyone would do that for him to begin with, but especially not someone who also called Eddie a friend.
“Of course, I did. I wasn’t going to out you or let you out yourself immediately just because Eddie showed up at our dinner.” He paused and brushed his thumb over Buck’s skin slowly. “I’m not rushing you to do anything for my sake. I just like being around you, spending time with you.”
“Yeah, I like spending time with you, too.”
“Good. Then, we should get dessert. This place has incredible tiramisu,” Tommy offered. “Order whatever you want.”
“Split one with me?” Buck replied. “I don’t think I could finish one by myself, but I think one plate, two forks?”
Tommy grinned at him and said, “that sounds great.”
When the waitress came back around, Tommy ordered them a single plate of tiramisu and two fresh forks. She came back with a large piece on a simple white plate decorated with a little accent of chocolate sauce along the rim, and a special little smile that said she knew exactly what was going on between them. As long as she didn’t know Eddie or Marisol and told them about Tommy and Buck sharing a dessert, it would be fine. Hopefully, too, she wouldn’t mention the seriously indecent noise he made at the first bite, meeting Tommy’s eyes over top of their table with a hot flush.
“Sorry, that was probably really inappropriate,” he said softly.
“No, don’t apologize,” Tommy said, sitting forward in his chair to be closer to him. “I’m really glad you’re enjoying yourself.”
Buck swallowed his bite of tiramisu and looked at Tommy, his grey eyes catching the lighting and looking almost luminescent. He really was one of the most beautiful men he’d ever seen, the masculine angles of his face, the strength evident in his shoulders and arms – god, those arms, Buck could write sonnets about those arms and how he really, really wanted to feel them around him. If he didn’t get another kiss at the end of the night because he’d managed to absolutely ruin this potential with his fledgling newness, he at least wanted a hug from Tommy.
“Yeah, I am. A lot. It’s probably the best thing to happen to me in like six months.”
Tommy lifted a quizzical eyebrow and said teasingly, “we really need to raise that bar, Evan.”
Buck felt his blush grow as he laughed to himself, the smile that had been on his face since their kiss returning as if Eddie hadn’t walked in at all.
“Well, tonight is a good place to start, don’t you think?”
Tommy grinned as he agreed, “I think you’re absolutely right.”