I clinked his glass, making sure I kept eye contact with him. “To us and change.”
I just hoped I could pull it off.
Chapter 19
Harvey
Thankfully, the rest of the conversation was lighter. This evening had been a turning point of sorts in our relationship.
We admitted we had an attraction. For Killian, it was easier to deal with. For me, not so much.
I still suffered with intrusive thoughts, but they’d lessened over the past couple of weeks. Maybe all I’d needed was the right person to show me that love was for everyone, not the select few.
Somehow, I knew that wasn’t right. No one is miraculously cured; it took years of help and therapy, and I knew all about that. Perhaps some of what I’d been told over the years was making sense, and that was why I didn’t shy away from Killian’s advances.
An hour later, I paid the bill despite Killian’s protests.
“I should go home and get some rest. I’m knackered.” Killian hiked his bag onto his shoulder. “Are you going home now?”
“Yeah. I’m deciding whether to go back to work tomorrow to hand my notice in. The only thing stopping me from doing that is fear.”
“You can do anything you put your mind to, and you have your drawing and gaming, like you said.”
“I know, but what about people? I know I’m not the friendliest person in the world, but if I don’t talk to someone, I’ll go mad.”
“You have me to talk to.” He looked sincere. “You can call me anytime, or I could visit. We could do lunch or dinner. I’m not exactly busy now.”
“But you could be with this record contract business.”
“Nah, it’s early days. I won’t be whisked away on tour anytime soon.”
This was true. He’d only had the first meeting today, and he hadn’t signed a contract yet.
“When is your next gig?”
“Not until tomorrow evening. Will you come with me? I kinda like it when you’re there. A friendly face and all that.”
I had nothing else to do, and I enjoyed listening to him sing. “Okay. I’ll meet you at the bar. What time’s best?”
“I’m usually there around five, but that’s because I’ve got nothing else to do. If you’re not working, we could go out for lunch.”
“How about you come to mine? I can cook again. I promise not to burn you this time.”
“Sounds great. You can show me what you’ve been working on. Maybe we can play on the Xbox.”
“I’d best go, or else I’ll miss the next bus. It’ll be another hour if I do.”
“No problem, and thanks for dinner.”
Before I could walk away, he pulled me in for a hug. Not a romantic one. One you’d give your mate, your friend, but that was what I’d insisted we were.
Just friends.
Except I wanted his arms around me in a warm embrace, holding me close. I dared to put my arm around his shoulder, and he patted my back.
“See ya, Harv. Until tomorrow, yeah?”
I watched him walk away until he was out of sight and turned the other way towards my bus stop.