Noam let Casper lead him through the park, tugging him gently as she moved from tree to tree, sniffing and exploring everything she could. He smiled at how excited she was to get out of the house for a few hours.
The air was starting to cool, and he could smell rain rolling in. He welcomed the change even if it meant spending more time inside over the next week. The summer had been too hot, and now, with temperatures dropping, he was able to breathe without feeling as if he was suffocating in the hot air every day.
"Can we sit for a few?" He asked Casper as she managed to wrap her leash around a garbage can, forcing him to follow her around it. "Do you have a destination?" He shook his head as she turned toward another patch of trees.
As Casper sniffed something he didn't want to identify, he glanced around, taking in the people around him. Couples walked hand in hand, families laughed as they followed the bike trails and joggers… He lifted his sunglasses to get a better look at the man jogging his direction. As the man got closer, Noam grinned. He waited until the man was a few feet from him before stepping away from the trees toward him. "Hey, Sure-shot, fancy seeing you here."
"Tavor." Kasey grinned as he came to a stop. "What are you doing out this way?"
Noam gestured to his dog. "The lady wanted to go for a walk. Who am I to deny her?"
"Very noble of you." Kasey bent down as Casper came to stand in front of him. "Pleasure to meet you, M'lady." He ran his hand down Casper's side.
"Kasey, meet Casper. She's hairy, snores like a train, and eats me out of house and home, but there's just something about her I adore." Noam smiled as Kasey glanced up at him. Noam took in the light blue eyes staring back at him, the light sheen of moisture on Kasey's skin, the tightness of the t-shirt that seemed to show off every muscle. He really was a good-looking man.
"I can see that about her. She's one of a kind." Kasey stood, grinning at Noam. "Much like her owner, I'm guessing."
"Hairy?" Noam raised a brow.
"Well, hopefully not too, just enough to run fingers through." Kasey stared directly into his eyes as he spoke. "I meant the one of a kind."
"Ah, the world should be glad if I'm one of a kind. I'm not sure they'd want more of me wandering around aimlessly."
"Are you?" Kasey asked.
"What?"
"Wandering around aimlessly?"
Noam shrugged. "Some days it sure feels like it. Others, following Casper around proves it." He tightened the leash a bit as she tried to crawl under a bush.
"Aimless isn't always bad. We don't always need a destination."
"No, but it's sometimes nice to know where you'll end up."
Kasey gestured to the park. "Usually it's here. Running away from where I should be."
"And where is that?" Noam was curious. He wanted to know more about the man who he was suddenly bumping into everywhere he went. Okay, so maybe it was just twice, but that was a lot for someone he hadn't known until recently. Hell, he couldn't even say he knew him.
"Anymore, I'm not really sure." Kasey sighed. "I guess I'm at one of those points in life where I'm just waiting for direction."
"Well, how about you start by letting me buy you a cup of coffee or a drink? Actually, I haven't eaten yet. If you don't mind grabbing something we can eat outside, I'll buy dinner." He nodded to Casper. "She'll have to tag along as a third wheel, but I don't think she'll get in the way much."
"Are you asking me out?"
"You can look at it that way, or you can just say I'm giving you the direction you were looking for tonight." Noam didn't want to overthink what he was doing. He enjoyed the banter with Kasey, and he really was hungry. Sharing a meal would give him time to get to know Kasey better. Even though it was clear the attraction was mutual, it was really nothing more than two friends getting a bite to eat. "Unless you had another direction in mind. If that's the case, Casper and I can take a raincheck."
Kasey ran his hand over the back of his neck. "I could eat. I know a great little place down the street that has a patio where Casper would be welcome. It's nothing fancy, but the food is good."
"Sounds perfect." Noam shortened the leash even more, forcing Casper to his side. She had her time to wander, now she needed to show what a good dog she was and follow him for a change. "Did you want to finish your run first?"
"Nah, I'm good unless you two need more time." Kasey glanced down at Casper.
"We've been walking for nearly two hours. I think we're good. Where to?"
Kasey turned and started down the sidewalk, glancing over his shoulder at Noam. "So, do you live near here?"
Noam nodded. "Just a few blocks away."
"Funny, I haven't seen you here before."
"We're here a lot, especially on the weekends. I hate that I have to leave her all week when I'm at work, so I try to make it up to her when I'm home." He hoped he didn't sound like some crazy dog lover who spoiled his dog too much.
"So, you live alone?" Kasey slowed his step.
"Is that your way of asking if I'm single?" Noam grinned.
"That might have been my next question as living alone doesn't necessarily mean you're not seeing someone."
"There's no one else. It's just the two of us, and I haven't really dated in a while. The job keeps me busy, and honestly, by the time I get home and have a couple of days off, the last thing I want to do is hit the clubs or go searching for a date. That doesn't mean I won't take advantage of asking someone to dinner if the opportunity comes up." He wanted Kasey to know he was interested in seeing him again. He might not be looking for anything serious, but there was something about Kasey that drew him in. Even if it was just friends, he wanted to get to know him better. "There's no one waiting for you at home, is there?"
Kasey shook his head. "My house is quiet. No one else there."
He noticed Kasey didn't offer any information on if he was dating anyone, but he hoped that the omission meant he wasn't. "I take the fact that you run here to mean you live close as well?"
"Yeah, just about a mile up the road. I'm near the golf course." Kasey stopped as they waited to cross the street.
"I'm the other direction. Near the elementary school." Noam gave Casper's leash a tug as the light changed and they started to cross. "I think I already mentioned I'm a detective for the city."
Kasey nodded. "You mentioned being a cop, but never what you did. Homicide?"
"Thank God, no." Noam sighed. "At least not most of the time. I'm more generalized. I deal with crime scenes and current cases. I could have specialized if I wanted to, and maybe someday I will, but I like being out in the field, not stuck behind some computer all the time. Not that I don't end up there anyway." He followed Kasey toward a small café looking place. "I get a little of everything."
"That helps keep it from becoming redundant. Gives you a little variety." Kasey led him to a small table on the patio. "Hope this is okay."
"This is great. I've never been here."
"They just opened about six months ago. I pass by on my runs. Stopped by one night and I was hooked. They have the best sandwiches." Kasey passed him a menu that was propped against the condiments at the center of the table.
"What do you suggest?" Noam glanced down at the items.
"If you're going for a sandwich, the roast beef is amazing, but the burgers are just as good."
"I'll trust you and try the roast beef."
"Always trust so easily?" Kasey grinned across the table.
"Oddly no. You just give off a vibe. Guess I'll know soon if I should have trusted that vibe or not." Noam sat back as the waitress came to bring them water and take their order. Once she left, Noam relaxed a bit. "So, tell me more about you."
Kasey shrugged. "Not much to tell. Moved here from Los Angeles about fifteen years ago. Finished school, got a job working nights. I sleep late, watch too many movies, and work a lot of late hours. I'm actually a pretty dull person."
"That's no way to sell yourself." Noam laughed.
"Would you rather I lie and let you find out the truth later?" Kasey stared at him intently.
"Does that mean there will be a later? This isn't a one-time meal?" He never let himself take an interest in someone. It was too hard later when things started to get serious and he had to start opening up about his past and how it affected him still. He'd made a vow not to put himself in that position again, but as he stared across the table at Kasey, there was something he seemed to want to hold on to. It was an uncomfortable feeling, but one that he didn't want to ignore. He liked Kasey so far and wanted to know him better.
Kasey smiled. "Well, I have started to grow quite fond of your dog. So you might not get a choice in the matter."
Noam looked down to find Casper beside Kasey's chair. He had his hand down, caressing it over the back of her neck. "Figures she'd beat me to the punch." Noam gave an exasperated sigh. "I guess I'll have to up my game."
"I don't know about that. I sort of see you as a package deal. Can't like one without liking the other." Kasey reached for his water.
Noam liked how that sounded. "Well, I'm not really looking for anything serious, but I am attracted to you, and I'd love to hang out more."
"Not serious is good." Kasey looked almost relieved.
Noam wondered why. Someone like Kasey should have had people banging on his door to go out. He wasn't going to question it. If Kasey was for spending more time together, so was he. "How about we head out to the gun range on Saturday again? I'll bring some rare guns you might enjoy trying out and you can help me improve my aim. We can grab dinner after if you're up for it."
"That all sounds good, other than improving your aim. I'm not sure you need any help. From what I saw, you should be giving me pointers."
Noam shrugged. "Comes with the job. Everything I've ever done has involved guns, for the most part. Like you, I enjoy them, but in my line of work, especially before I was a detective and was working the streets, my life depended on being a good shot. Thankfully, I've never had to use my gun, but you never know."
"Do you enjoy your work?" Kasey asked.
"I do. I feel like I'm making a difference most of the time. Some of the things I see can be hard, but I try to focus on the good and not the bad." He thought about the two missing girls he still didn't have a lead on and wondered how much longer he'd be able to fool himself into thinking the good outweighed the bad.
"How'd you end up here from Israel?"
Noam bit his lip, unsure how much to share. He didn't like talking about his past much. He decided to skirt the edges of the truth. "After I left the IDF I decided to move here. It was time for a change. Both my parents had passed away and there was really nothing there for me any longer. I had a friend here. He invited me to come give the United States a try. I got here and loved it. My friend ended up getting married and moving to Houston, but I joined the force here and have been here since."
"Do you miss it?"
"Israel? Sometimes, but not much. I had a good life there, but I'm happy here. Casper and I have a great life here."
Kasey glanced down at the dog who was now asleep under the table. "Almost makes me want to get a dog."
"Almost, but not quite?"
"There are times I have to leave town for a few days for work. I'd have to find someone to watch my dog. I had one growing up, but since I've been on my own, I've just never taken that step. Watching you and her makes me reconsider."
"It's nice having someone to come home to." Noam met Kasey's gaze across the table. "Keeps things from being so lonely all the time."
Kasey didn't break the stare. "I know lonely."
Noam nodded. "Maybe we can help each other with that."
"Maybe." Kasey nodded before looking up as the food arrived.
Noam hoped he wasn't leading Kasey on. He was all for having someone to hang out with, but any more than that and he'd have to put a stop to it. He couldn't be enough for someone else. He had too many issues. He needed to watch himself. It would be easy to fall into something more with a man like Kasey. The more he learned, the more he liked.
As they dug into their dinner, Noam tried not to think about everything. He was going to stop worrying and just enjoy the new friendship. He didn't have to look ahead, didn't have to think more into it than it was. As long as he was honest with Kasey and didn't do anything to make him think this could be more than friends, then he would be okay. But as he stared across the table at Kasey, he was finding that it might be easier said than done.