Love Is Always Write Volume 4

retreating, but Chad followed, not wanting the man farther away than necessary. He was no fool, they were standing in a straight bar and there could be homophobic assholes standing right next to them for all he knew, so he kept enough of a distance so as not to make any trouble for Zeb. But he wanted to make sure the beautiful man in front of him didn't get a chance to disappear before he was able to think of the best way to answer the question. Because he had a sense that if it was answered wrong, the other man would run… fast.
    "More… is wanting to spend more time with you than fifteen heated minutes in a back room. It doesn't have to be anything big and scary, just going out together, getting to know who you are. Letting you get to know me. Seeing if we like what we see." He thought that was about the simplest explanation and a very non-threatening one.
    "You're talking about… a date ?" Zeb looked disbelieving.
    "Yeah, one to start. See where it goes from there."
    Zeb shook his head and laughed again. "Are you serious? You don't even know me."
    "Like I just said, that's what I want to fix. Besides, you don't know me either, yet you offered to share something much more intimate than a date in the back room."
    "But that's different. That's…" He stopped himself from finishing but Chad was curious. Zeb's eyebrows were pinched together and he looked almost confused.
    "It's what?"
    Zeb just shook his head and stepped back. The grin on his face turned condescending. "Let me guess. You're one of those people that sees romance and candlelight in everything. Always looking for that happily ever after?"
    Chad's laughter rolled out of him and ended on a little snort. He quickly tried to cover it up and met Zeb's eyes but only received a glare. "Sorry. It's just… if my friend Derek could hear that he'd laugh his ass off." Another glare. "Not at you. Just at the idea I'd be a romantic. Honestly, I spent most of the last four years playing the field. I've had a couple relationships too, but nothing that lasted. And if you would have asked me this morning if I was looking for any type of relationship my answer would have been a loud 'Hell, no'!"
    "Then…"
    "Honestly, I really don't know." He reached his hand out discreetly and circled Zeb's wrist loosely. "There's just something about you I really like. Was I wrong before? Is it just me that feels this? Is it just my wishful thinking that you feel it too?"
    Chad waited for Zeb's answer, seeing it written all over his face that he wanted to deny it. The term 'waiting on bated breath' had never made sense to him before, but now… But he wouldn't push and scare Zeb away. He saw that written on the taller man's face too. Or rather, in his eyes. Fear.
    "I feel…" He waited longer as Zeb looked down at where Chad's thumb ran along the inside of his wrist. "There's something."
    "Hey, man. Zeb," some guy said from behind him and Zeb jumped a half step back. Chad let go of his arm just as quickly.
    "Yeah, what?"
    "Time to get back to it, man. Callie's waiting and has a question for ya before we go back on."
    "Yeah, ok. I'll be there in a sec."
    The man nodded, gave Chad a very scrutinizing up and down look, then walked away.
    Zeb turned back towards Chad and cocked his head to one side, doing some scrutinizing of his own. "Are you just feeding me some line?"
    "Why would I?" Chad asked with obvious amusement. "To get you into bed? I think we've already established that's on the table either way."
    "Maybe you're just some groupie type. Want to be able to say you're dating a member of the band?" Zeb echoed Chad's earlier thoughts and he smiled.
    "You're forgetting one important fact; I didn't know you were in a band when I first saw you tonight." Zeb looked like he was about to say something but then stopped. The man looked seriously perplexed, and Chad couldn't figure out why. Why wouldn't Chad want more than a hook-up? At Zeb's age – Chad figured the guy had to be around his own age – and with his looks, he must have had lots of men after him. Of course, that could be the problem. Maybe one too many of them had screwed Zeb over.
    When he saw it looked like the other man was having some type of internal debate, he decided to let him off the hook. "Zeb? Just think about it, 'kay? I'm not going anywhere. Me and my friends are out to celebrate tonight and we're planning on sticking here till closing. If you decide you're interested, come find me."
    Zeb only nodded and turned