Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 84670 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 423(@200wpm)___ 339(@250wpm)___ 282(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84670 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 423(@200wpm)___ 339(@250wpm)___ 282(@300wpm)
Rome snorted. “It’s not too late to send her a Christmas card of us kissing. Oh! Naked kissing!”
“Fuck, that’s tempting. But no. Talking to her about this doesn’t help. I’d rather figure it out on my own.”
“But you’re not on your own. You’ve got me.”
We turned down a path that led to a large building that held the giraffes in colder weather. The herd was so cute as they ambled about, pulling leaves from baskets high in the air.
“I know. I’ve also talked to Emily.”
“Emily?” he repeated, and I tried hard to ignore the note of jealousy that tinged his voice, but it still got my heart racing.
“Dr. Emily Luo, one of my coworkers. She and her girlfriend have been very supportive and have answered a lot of my questions.”
“Oh.” Jealousy was gone, but now there was a poutiness to his voice that left me wanting to wrap him in my arms.
I leaned closer and whispered in his ear, “Sometimes it’s easier to talk to someone about things when you’ve not been kissing them.”
“Ah. Yeah. Good point.”
We wandered out of the building as it got more crowded with people and continued along the main road that wound past the lake.
“But I’ll admit to you what I didn’t tell her—I briefly considered denial.”
“Liam!”
“I know. I know.” I waved a hand at him, stopping anything else he was going to say. “It felt easier to stick my head in the sand, but not better. I was getting so damn angry thinking about how I could have always been…attracted to men.” That last part, I might have mumbled. “But I didn’t know. I shoved that part of me away and ignored it all. Instead, I could have been living a better, happier life. I feel like…I missed out on so much all this time…”
Rome grabbed my hand and squeezed. “There’s still plenty of time to figure shit out and to live your very best life.”
Just as the warmth of his words was sinking into me, he released my hand, still beaming at me. I got it. Space was a good thing. Not pressuring me was a good thing. I needed to figure things out.
But then, why was my heart so adamant about snagging his hand and threading our fingers together as we walked through the zoo? The idea of holding a man’s hand in public should have terrified me. Yet, the thought of holding Rome’s hand felt so right.
The zoo provided an excellent distraction from my wandering thoughts. The light displays were amazing, and it was fun seeing the animals at night. Not to mention, we might have eaten and drunk our way around the zoo. The only thing keeping me from gaining ten pounds on this trip was the fact that the Cincinnati Zoo was built on a pretty impressive hill. We ate our way down to the new elephant exhibit and trudged up the winding path, working off all the calories and the tiny bit of alcohol I’d indulged in with my hot cocoa.
By the time we were at the entrance, my legs were tired, my cheeks were red, and my stomach was stuffed.
“You’ll have to return in the spring for their blooms exhibit. This place is half zoo and half botanical garden,” Rome explained.
“I’m thinking I should get a season pass so I can use it as a walking trail. That hill we took from the elephants up to the kangaroos was a killer.”
“It gets easier after you’ve walked it a few times. Ready to go?”
I nodded, eager to get to his car and its heated seats.
It was a short drive to my house, but still enough time for my body to warm up after walking for so long in the cold. Christmas was still three weeks off, but several houses glowed with colorful lights and inflatable decorations.
“Checking on you wasn’t my only reason for inviting you out tonight,” Rome admitted, breaking the comfortable silence that had filled the car. “There was something else that I wanted to talk to you about.”
My stomach sank, and the urge to hide became overwhelming. Why did that have to sound so ominous? “Is this the part where you tell me you’re not pansexual but straight and kissing me was some big joke?”
Rome’s head snapped around, and he stared at me, his brow furrowed and his mouth hanging open. “You have a very twisted mind. What the hell?”
“Sorry. You sound bleak.”
“I don’t mean to be bleak, just serious.”
“Oh.”
A car behind us honked, and we looked up at the same time to find that the light had turned green. Rome sped us along, winding through the neighborhood to my town house.
“I wanted to tell you I think…I think I have feelings for you. Not friendship feelings, but more.”
My heart went from frozen to flying in a flash. The knot in my stomach untwisted so fast I thought I was going to be sick. This was great. Maybe. Probably. Yes, it was great. It meant that our feelings were at least moving in the same direction.