Page 21 of The Sweetheart
“I’m sorry I ruined our day,” Kai said when they finally parted.
“You didn’t ruin anything. There’s still lots of day left.”
Kai’s eyes widened hopefully. “Really?”
“Yeah. Come on, let’s go try this again.”
Kai moved to sit up, but Nolan held him in place. “Kai, I’m glad you were honest with me. I want this to work.”
Kai flushed, shy but also pleased. “Me too. More than anything.”
“And I’m proud of how well you took your punishment.”
More heat flooded into Kai’s cheeks. Kai could see the truth of it on Nolan’s face. It had been a long time since anyone had said they were proud of him.
“I think it helped. Like it made my head clear.”
“It sounds like some quiet time was exactly what you needed.” Nolan smiled, and Kai nodded.
“Alright, boy. Let’s get going.”
10
The hiccough in the morning was long forgotten by the time they sat down to a late lunch at an Italian spot that Nolan had chosen. They’d run some errands and hit the grocery store. Nolan had told him to scoop some kiwis into a bag and then had to rescue him when he’d stood frozen with the creepy-feeling fruit in his hand.
“That does not feel the way it tastes,” he’d whispered to Nolan, completely freaked out. Nolan had pressed a kiss to his half-open mouth, chuckling at him.
“Don’t worry, baby. I’ll peel your kiwis for you.”
Kai was sure there was a dirty joke in there somewhere, but he hadn’t gotten over his alarm. Kai pushed the cart, putting his feet up on the bar and coasting down the aisles like a kid, watching as Nolan added all sorts of things he’d never even heard of while Nolan grilled him on what he liked. Any other time, Kai would have assumed he knew the answer to that question but looking down at the half-full cart, he realized that he probably didn’t even know a fraction of what was out theretolike.
That was how he felt now, sitting across from Nolan, who felt just a little too far away. The restaurant seemed pretty casual, but it was far nicer than anything he’d ever been to. He perused the menu, most of which he didn’t know anything about, while trying not to look at the prices. How was he supposed to make a decision when he didn’t know what anything was? He supposed he could choose the spaghetti—a safe bet, but it felt like a wasted opportunity.
“See anything you like?” Nolan murmured.
Kai flushed pink, shifting in his seat. How could he say that a two-page menu overwhelmed him?
“Want me to pick something for you?”
Kai shut his menu with relief, nodding eagerly.
“Use your words, baby.”
“Yes, please.”
In the end, Nolan ordered them a cheesy garlic bread, a caprese salad, lasagna for himself and chicken parmesan for Kai. Once the waiter had departed, Kai leaned across the table.
“Daddy, can I sit beside you?” he asked quietly. They hadn’t talked about whether or not Nolan minded if he called him that in public, but he’d already done it twice and Nolan seemed unfazed.
Nolan pushed out the chair beside him so that Kai could slip into it. He reached for Kai’s hand and held it on top of his thigh while Kai leaned back, observing the room. The front of the restaurant had large rolling doors that lifted up, letting bright sunshine in while patrons spilled out onto a narrow sidewalk patio. Inside was dark, gleaming wood and red-checkered tablecloths, all of it spotless, including the servers. It felt unnatural.
“What are you thinking about?”
“Do you think it’s hard to work at a restaurant and not get shit all over you?”
“Probably.” Nolan chuckled.
Kai turned his full attention to Nolan. “I like when you order for me. Can you always do that?”
