He nodded. “You like him.”
“Yes,” I said at last. “I do.”
Karl watched me. “And?”
I exhaled slowly. “I don’t know what I’m doing,” I admitted. “But I don’t feel as if I’m getting it wrong.”
Karl’s expression grew warmer. “That’s a good place to start.” Another pause. “Is he the right age?”
I bit my lip. “He might be.”
Karl’s smile deepened. “And attractive?”
I met his gaze. “Yes.”
“Intelligent?”
“Yes.”
Karl tilted his head. “And sexy?”
Heat rose, uninvited, but not unwelcome. “Yes.”
Karl let out a satisfied hum. “Well,” he said, lifting his glass, “he sounds like an excellent way to begin.”
I blinked. “Begin what?”
Karl’s eyes twinkled. “Your search for whatever it is you came here to find.”
I let that settle. For the first time, I thought I might be starting to understand what that was.
Karl took another sip, then added, almost as an afterthought, “Enjoy it.”
I smiled. “I think I might.”
Later, when I lay in bed, the city humming beyond the windows, I found myself replaying the day. Not the zoo, or the conversation with Karl.
Him.
The way he gazed at me. The way he didn’t look away.
My phone vibrated on the bedside table, and I picked it up.
Stefan: Pleasant dreams, Kieran.
I didn’t reply, although my fingers itched to type. I overrode the impulse to send the one message I shouldn’t.
If I dream of you, they will be.
I turned onto my side, staring into the dim light.
Tomorrow.
The word settled somewhere deep.
I’m looking forward to what comes next.
Except sleep didn’t come. Not even close.