Page 10 of Crease Collision

I consider making a joke to deflect, but something about this moment is too important for that. “I never saw this coming,” I say. “The way we have…” I stop, sensing I should at least filter my words. “I thought I was going to a ball game to pass the time, and the day has turned into something wonderful I did not expect.”

His stillness makes me wonder if I’ve said too much, and he’s about to kick me out.

But then he rolls me onto my back and climbs on top. “I’ve needed this for so long,” he says. “I never get fucked the way I want to be. Most guys are only out for what they want, and I end up feeling disappointed in myself.”

“No more of that.” I put a hand behind his head and draw him down until our lips touch. The softness becomes a kiss, and I enjoy how he’s pressing me down, possessing my mouth with his tongue.

When he draws away, our eyes meet.

“Do you have to go?” he asks.

“If you want me to stay, I will stay.”

His smile makes my chest tingle.

Helvete. What the hell is this?

“Let’s take a nap,” he says. “Then we’ll have more fun.”

I can’t resist needling him a little. “Sounds like the best thing next to fika. Do you remember what that is, or did my crazy sex skills fuck it out of you?”

He snorts. “Asshole. Let’s see what happens later, and maybe I’ll make you all the coffee you want.”

We’re both laughing as he rolls off and rests his head on my shoulder. I drape an arm over his chest as we drift away.

We wake about midnight, and as much as I want more of Kai, I have to eat first. Before I can say anything, he climbs on top again and kisses me.

“Are you hungry?” he asks, his words little more than a breath against my lips. “I’m starving.”

“You read my mind. And after we eat…” I’ve never been good at self-censorship, and I have apparently never learned that stopping in the middle of a sentence only makes others curious about what I almost said.

“What?” he asks. “Please don’t say you’re leaving. I’m hoping for another round.”

“You did it again,” I say. “You can read my thoughts.”

He looks into my eyes. “The sex was amazing, Oskar. Better than any I’ve had for a long time.”

We order Chinese food and eat it out of paper containers, standing naked at his kitchen counter. Between bites, we steal kisses and cannot keep our hands off each other. His nipples are pink and firm in the chilly, air-conditioned condo. I keep pinching them, and he yelps every time. We are both as hard as rocks when we finish the kung pao chicken.

“Leave the broccoli and beef on the counter,” he says, taking my hand and leading me back to bed.

This time, it is even better.

CHAPTER FOUR

KAI

Coffee. Butter. Eggs breaking. The scrape of a pan on a burner.

I keep my eyes closed and let my brain do its thing—skating laps on its rink, building a morning out of sounds and smells. Somewhere on the fourth or fifth lap, I remember there’s a man in my kitchen. He came here last night, and I haven’t thrown him out yet. That’s the part I can’t skate past.

Everything comes back in pieces. The cab. The kisses. Oskar making decisions so I didn’t have to. For once I wasn’t tracking, staying sharp, and running the room three moves ahead. I let go. Handed over control and allowed him to do what he wanted. My body remembers it better than I do.

I exhale and drag a hand over my face.

“God morgon.”

He’s standing in the doorway. Bare feet, briefs, and the T-shirt I wore to the game. Mine, on him. My chest tightens, though I try to ignore it. His hair is a mess. Sometime during the night, my fingers were tangled in it.