Page 61 of Epidermis

So he packed it neatly away, just for the time being, as Hiyori waved them over to her and Amara’s table. They sat on one side of the booth, so Konrad and Jasper took the other, Konrad going first so Jasper had the outside. He didn’t know if it was intentional, but he would no longer be surprised if it was.

“Hiyori, it’s lovely to see you again,” Konrad said.

“Back at you.” Hiyori looked over at Amara, then back to Konrad with the wide, proud smile that always appeared in proximity to her wife. “Konrad, this is Amara, my wife. Amara, this is Konrad, he owns The Chesapeake Trattoria, right down the street from the shop. He’s Jasper’s…” She trailed off and cut her eyes apologetically toward Jasper, clearly worried she’d just put him in an awkward position.

“He’s my boyfriend,” Jasper said.

They hadn’t talked about labels, but it felt right as he said it.

He felt Konrad’s eyes on him and couldn’t bring himself to look over, not sure what he’d see on Konrad’s face, even though he knew it was unlikely to be anything negative.

Amara looked between them with raised eyebrows and a smile. “I’ve known Jasper for awhile now, he’s a great guy. You got yourself a keeper.”

“Yes, I have.” Konrad put his hand on Jasper’s knee, and Jasper’s face warmed with embarrassment, but his own hand still gravitated to join Konrad’s.

The date was more fun than Jasper expected. Konrad filled whatever gaps he left open when he needed a break from talking, and Amara was so charmed by him that Hiyori asked if they wanted to be alone. Amara just laughed and kissed her cheek.

As they ate and had sake, Konrad told them about learning to prepare traditional Japanese dishes from his governess, and discussed the cuisine with Hiyori. He claimed he did an offensively poor job when he first started, but Jasper found that hard to believe.

Jasper belatedly complimented Amara on her dress. It was olive green and draped to accentuate every voluptuous curve on her body. Conversation had been flowing so easily that he hadn’t taken the time to look at it until she got up to go to the bathroom, and when she came back, he told her how gorgeous it was.

She lifted her cane to do a little twirl for him and Hiyori whistled loudly, prompting her wife to burst into giggles and shove at her shoulder in reprimand when she slid back into the booth. They were perfect together, always had been.

Jasper gave her a small smile that told her as much, and he could tell by the twinkle in her eye that she knew. She flicked her eyes between him and Konrad, and he knew she was telling him exactly the same thing.

Jasper was tipsy when the four of them left the restaurant. Not enough that he couldn’t safely get behind the wheel, but he didn’t object when Konrad offered to drive. They said their goodbyes and he gave Konrad the keys. Konrad adjusted the seat for his longer legs, and Jasper took his boots off so he could tuck his knees up and rest his feet on the dash without getting it dirty. He liked that Konrad got along with his friends.

Though, that did bring a question to mind, making him glance over at Konrad as he drove.

“What are your friends like?” Jasper asked.

“I have many connections and acquaintances but rather few friends, none of which are here in Maryland.” Konrad didn’t sound bothered by it until he added, “I do wish they were, so that I could introduce you to them.”

“That’s okay. I would meet them if you wanted me to, but I’m not really a people person, so don’t feel bad on my account.”

Konrad audibly swallowed, his fingers flexing around the steering wheel. “There is one introduction I would like to make, but I’m afraid the mood would not be so buoyant as the one this evening.”

“Hey, that’s fine. I don’t care if they’re, like, snobby or whatever.”

“It’s not that,” Konrad said, his voice rough, bordering on emotional.

“Okay. If you ever want to talk about it, I’m here.”

Whatever it was, it seemed to be difficult for Konrad to discuss, so Jasper didn’t press him for details. He just reached over and put his hand on Konrad’s thigh, giving it a gentle squeeze. Konrad’s expression loosened into something less pained.

By the time they walked into the house, only the faintest trace of melancholy lingered on Konrad’s face, and even that faded when Jasper drew him down into a long kiss in the foyer.

It wasn’t sexual; it was acceptance and gratitude, reciprocated with every press of their lips together.

It was I’m here for you. It was I see you.

It was I love you.

Fuck.

Jasper couldn’t make his mouth form the words, but he poured it into the kiss, finding guilty catharsis in being able to express it without Konrad being able to understand. He knew even if he could string those three fatal words together, he wasn’t ready to say them out loud. It was selfish, perhaps, to withhold them, but it would be worse still to say such a monumental thing with even a sliver of hesitation.

Konrad left no room for doubt when he shared his feelings and Jasper wanted to give him the same, for once. Not with one foot out the door like he’d been for most of their time together, ready to flee at the first sign of danger to his heart, mottled and hardened as it was from all the scar tissue of past wounds.