Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 80102 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 401(@200wpm)___ 320(@250wpm)___ 267(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80102 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 401(@200wpm)___ 320(@250wpm)___ 267(@300wpm)
I know I wasn’t supposed to fall head over heels in love with the guy I lost my virginity to, but I did, and I don’t want to let him go.
I don’t want to scour hookup apps for lonely guys across New England to share a few sweaty hours with me.
I want Rainn Richardson.
I just have to hope he wants me too, despite my lacking NHL ambitions.
If he tells me I’m giving up an opportunity for him, I may lose my shit again. I need him to understand.
I still don’t know how I’m going to play this when I walk through the doors, but then I see him, and I know exactly what to do.
He’s busy behind the bar, but my usual seat is free. It’s only one of two that are available.
As calmly as I can, I make my way over to it without flat-out running so no one else can take it. I slide onto the stool and wait for him to notice me.
It’s busy, and I’m hoping the fact he hasn’t acknowledged me means he hasn’t seen me and not that he’s ignoring me.
His coworker approaches, and I want to tell her I’m waiting for Rainn, but instead, I order my usual.
As soon as “I’ll have a Shipley Cider” falls from my mouth, Rainn freezes a few feet away. I like that he knows my voice, but I like even more when his eyes meet mine and he says, “I’ve got this.”
He gets me my drink, and when he slides it over, I look up at him and lick my lips.
“I need help with something,” I say.
His expression softens. “Anything. I’ll even help you move all your shit to Scranton, if you ask me to.”
“It’s not that. I need advice. Like, dating advice. And because you’re my wingman, you’re all I’ve got.”
Rainn grins. “A gay guy walks into a bar and asks the straight bartender to be his wingman. I think I’ve heard this one before.”
“We never got to the punchline, though.”
Silence falls between us in the bustling, crowded bar.
“Whit … I—”
The loud crashing sound from the back room startles Rainn.
“Oops,” comes the other bartender’s voice.
Rainn swears under his breath. “I’ll be right back, okay? I’ll help Molly clean up whatever mess she’s made this time, and then I’ll go on my break.”
He retreats to the back, and I wait, tension coiling inside me. He’s still talking about me moving to Scranton, and I worry this will end in another fight when I tell him it’s not going to happen.
While Rainn takes his time, I sip my cider and try to come up with a way to tell Rainn exactly what I want without freaking him out. What I have to say will definitely scare him.
I have the dreaded Big Future planned out, and it includes a lot of him.
He appears in front of me, wearing a smile I don’t entirely believe. “Let’s go.”
“Are you sure you can take your break now? It’s kind of busy.”
“I’m overdue for one. It’s been a busy night all round.”
I finish off my cider and follow him out to the street. My hands go to my pockets so I don’t reach for him. It’s not like we spent every single day together, but I’ve missed him like crazy, and all I want to do is hold him.
But I’m not sure where we stand, and I don’t want to push things. At the same time, I’m about to tell the man that I’m in love with him. So, yeah, there’s that.
If I’m not comfortable touching him, should I really be confessing my undying love here?
“Are you hungry?” Rainn asks.
I shake my head. My stomach is too tied up for food.
“I want to show you something.”
The quip almost falls out of my mouth: Is it your dick? But I rein it in.
Hey, look at that. I’ve finally learned how to control my mouth, and all it took was a seed of uncertainty.
“What is it?” I ask.
Instead of answering, Rainn leads me to the nearby parking garage and stops in front of a random car.
“It’s mine,” he says.
“Y-you bought a car?” It’s an old Honda and not much, but it’s a step he hasn’t been willing to take, and that’s something.
“That’s not all I did.”
“What else did you do?”
He sucks in a sharp breath. “I … I’m going back to school and finishing my degree.”
My eyebrows shoot up. “You are?”
“Yep. I’ve only got one semester left, but I’m going to split it over two. I should get my BA in sports management next May. That’s if I can handle the classes while still working at Vino and Veritas.”
“You will. I can help you study or whatever.”
Rainn averts his gaze. “You can? So you’re not … You—”
“I know you really wanted me to go for this opportunity with Scranton, but while I was there, all I could think about was being back here.”