The past two days had gone by agonizingly slow. By the time Friday came along, Zach’s stomach was aching, and he was almost tempted to cancel the date just to relieve himself of the stress. But he knew that Andre would never let him live that down.

It was all in his head. It had to be. It was just one dinner. It wasn’t like he knew the guy personally, or would have to deal with the awkwardness of seeing him all the time if things didn’t work out. He just had to make sure he was honest with him, and with himself. Just go, try to have fun, and if it didn’t work out, at least he tried. He was putting himself out there, like Andre had suggested. Right?

That was what he kept telling himself, anyway.

After hours agonizing over what to wear, he’d decided to go with a simple outfit. Jeans and a sweater, which he thought hugged him around the stomach and chest fairly well, without making him look too lanky. It turned out to be a misjudgment though, as seconds after walking into Rocket he felt too warm, sweat pricking along the back of his neck, making his skin itch.

The diner was at least a comforting sight. It was filled with retro nostalgia, the sort of place you’d see in old movies where the bad boys take their poodle-skirted girlfriends to get milkshakes. He used to come here before going to Boston for college, and had been pleased to find when he returned that it hadn’t changed too much. There were some new faces and even gaudier plastic spaceships hanging around, but they only added to the charm.

“Howdy.” A teenage girl with braces that flashed when she smiled approached him, wearing a waitress’ apron. He’d seen her around plenty of times, and recognized her as Tammy. A good kid, and a pretty decent waitress, too. “Are you picking up a to go order?”

“No, actually I’d like a table. Uh… for two. Someone’s joining me,” he replied, trying to look more confident than he felt.

“All right, right this way.”

He followed and sank down into one side of a booth, smiling gratefully at her. He ordered a glass of water to sip at while he waited, but otherwise figured it’d be better to see what his date might like to eat before he considered that too deeply.

His attention remained focused out the window once he was alone, watching cars coming and going. He had arrived a few minutes early, but hopefully he wouldn’t have to wait too long. He wasn’t sure if his stomach could take it.

About five minutes later he caught sight of a blue car pulling into the parking lot, but it pulled around to the other side of the diner, out of view of the window. He held his breath, hoping this was the guy, and only looked up from the tabletop when he heard someone coming in through the diner’s door.

Andre and Grayson had given him a vague description of Shane, but all of his expectations were completely blown out of the water. The man was beautiful. His skin was a dark russet color with warm undertones, which paired so well with his adorably broad nose and bright smile that it made Zach’s heart melt instantaneously. Curly hair was cut short with a fade along the sides, accenting his cheekbones and angular jaw well. There was no doubt that he took care of his body either, his button-up shirt showing off a narrow waist and lean but defined arms.

Oh no. He was walking over and Zach couldn’t manage to string two words together to save his life.

“Hey,” the man said, stopping by the table to look down at him. “Zach, right?”

“Zach… yes. That is absolutely my name.” He nodded his head in a way that probably made him look like an overexcited parrot. “You’re Shane?”

“That’s me. Shane Howard.” He settled in across from Zach. Once he was sitting he could tell more of what their height difference was like. If they were standing, Zach probably would be towering almost a foot over him. Not that he wasn’t used to being taller than his dates. Besides, he liked short guys.

Thankfully, his date didn’t seem to mind either, his lips quirking wider. “You’re pretty tall, huh?”

“Uh—yeah. I guess so. Not a problem, right?” he asked hopefully.

“Not a problem at all. It’s nice to meet you.” Shane smiled, then leaned forward onto his elbows, smile dimming. “Before we go any further… I have a confession to make.” It took Zach a second of repressing a grimace to realize that he was just being mock serious.

“Nice to meet you, too, but… what is it?” he asked, half-cautious still.

“This is the first time I’ve ever been on a date with a man. So… I’m going to be relying on my very lame sense of humor and hope that you end up laughing more than you are groaning in pain.” Shane rubbed a hand over the back of his neck nervously. “And pray that I don’t do anything else to fuck things up. Like, who even should pay for the meal?”

Zach chuckled. “Okay. Well, what would you be doing if you were on a date with a girl?”

Shane smirked. “Rely on my lame humor and hope I don’t make a fool out of myself.”

They both laughed, and Zach felt his insides slowly unknot a little. Shane’s grin was already infectious, and it was helping to put him at ease. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad after all.

“I’m sure you’ll be fine,” Zach assured, smiling across at him. “Besides, you’re talking to the master of lame jokes.”

The look in Shane’s eye turned mischievous, even challenging. It was the sort of look Zach would love to see in a different setting. Perhaps on a bed, with Shane leaning over him while straddling his lap. Zach squirmed a bit at the thought and was forced to break eye contact, too afraid that Shane would notice how flustered he suddenly was.

Come on, it was far too soon to be thinking about that sort of thing.

Thankfully he was saved by Tammy returning to take their order before those thoughts could continue. The teen seemed to be a student of Shane’s, based on how his demeanor shifted to something a little gentler and more professional while she was there. Plus the girl suddenly seemed a lot more interested in them both, eyes flickering between them as she took their order. After a moment of comparing their preferred pizza toppings, they settled on sharing a large with pepperoni, ham, and lots of veggies.

“How long have you been teaching here in Hidden Creek?” Zach asked once they were alone again.

“Not long. I moved here a couple of years ago, from Dallas. I teach science. Mostly chemistry and physics.” Shane lounged back, dark eyes focused on Zach.

“Oh! Gwen mentioned you taught choir. I figured you must have been a music teacher.”

Shane sighed softly. “That was what I had hoped for, but it’s kind of rare for schools to offer music classes nowadays. The arts are all getting cut so schools can focus time on subjects kids take standardized tests on. So with that being such a competitive job to nab, I made sure I had a backup plan and studied sciences, too. Not that I mind, really. My nerdiness comes in all sorts of varieties.”

Zach gave him a sympathetic look. “Seriously? That’s awful. Kids need to do more than just stare at books all day. I loved taking art and music classes when I was a kid. Not that I have any talent with it at all. All my skill is in writing.”

Shane seemed to appreciate Zach’s sympathy, smiling warmly. “Thanks. I agree, but that’s just how things are, unfortunately. Schools get more money if their test scores are higher.” He puffed out a breath of frustration, then refocused on Zach. “You work at the newspaper, right?”

“Journalist, yeah. The Hidden Creek Horn.”

Shane’s face scrunched up a little, like he was thinking hard about something. Zach paused before he spoke up again. “You okay?”

“Yeah. Just thinking… wait, I got it.” That swoon-worthy mischievous grin spread again. “Zach, if you were words on a page, you would be fine print.”

Zach blinked, then burst out into laughter.

Shane’s fists lifted in victory. “You didn’t groan!”

“I’m groaning on the inside,” he insisted, though his snickers lingered for a moment after. “Oh my gosh—that was actually pretty good. My title as lame joke master might actually be threatened.”

“Go on and defend your title. Give me a good music themed pick-up line,” Shane challenged.

Zach bit the tip of his tongue, then thought it over for a moment. It was so dang hard to force his mind to work while Shane was staring at him so intently. But then he had a spark of inspiration, already snickering before he could even get it out. “Okay, okay… Shane, I think this has a good chance of being your lucky night. After all, composers always score.”

He felt his face turning red as he watched Shane laugh. The sound was adorable, and it rolled over him like warm honey. He wasn’t completely sure if it was because of how hot Shane looked while amused, or from the embarrassment of making a sexual joke, but he felt hot all over. His skin flushed to the point that he couldn’t blame it on just the sweater.

“Okay, that was a good one,” Shane said once he had caught his breath, patting himself on the chest. “I think more testing is necessary to see who truly is the master, though.”

“Agreed,” Zach murmured sheepishly.

But before they could banter more, their pizza was set out before them, still steamy and the cheese nice and melty. Neither of them seemed to have any reservations about digging in, the conversation cut off briefly so they could fill their plates with slices. It was good to see. Zach always enjoyed cooking, so he liked people who could enjoy eating what he made them.

Wait. He couldn’t seriously be considering cooking for Shane already, could he? That was at least third date material.

Was he really ready for more than one date?

Zach didn’t want to risk ruining his mood by getting into those sorts of thoughts just yet, so he broke the silence while he sprinkled red pepper flakes over his pizza. “Is Dallas where you’re from, or just where you worked last?”

“I grew up there,” Shane replied as he scooped up a piece of pizza. He took a bite, then grimaced at how hot it still was. “Augh, sorry, but yeah. It’s where I’m from.”

“Do you miss it?” Zach asked. “I always missed Hidden Creek like crazy while I was living in Boston.”

Shane lifted a shoulder. “A little, but there’s not a whole lot to miss. I don’t have any family there or anything.” He blew a bit on the rest of the slice to cool down the molten cheese. “Well, technically.”

Zach was momentarily entranced at the sight of Shane’s lips puckered, and nearly ended up with a lap full of pizza toppings before he remembered he had picked up a slice. “Technically?”

“I grew up in foster care. I formed some really close bonds with some of the other kids I met over the years. Some are still like brothers and sisters to me, and we keep in contact. But most of them have grown up and moved on, too, so it’s not really Dallas itself that I miss, you know?”

“Oh.” Zach sobered a little at the explanation, watching Shane as he spoke. He didn’t seem upset at the mention of being in foster care, but Zach didn’t feel like it was appropriate to pry into anything too personal so soon, so decided to shift the topic a bit. “That’s really cool that you keep in contact with them, though. I bet they appreciate it too. But in that case, how do you like Hidden Creek?”

“I love it,” Shane replied, his smile spreading again. “I was hesitant at first. Never lived in such a small town before, so wasn’t sure what I was getting into… but overall everyone here is really nice. Teaching here is a little less crazy than it was in the city too. People are just a lot more laid back in general, it seems.”

Zach puffed out a breath. “Right? That was one thing I hated about Boston. Everyone was always in such a rush, only thinking about themselves, never took the time to help anyone out or just relax. When I was younger I figured that was the sort of life that would be… better, I guess? More fulfilling. But I ended up miserable and decided to come home about a year ago. Best decision of my life.”

It would have been a lot better of a decision if he hadn’t wasted most of the past year on Noah.

He repressed a grimace, but Shane’s words brought him out of those thoughts, refocusing him on the present.

“Well, I’m really glad we both ended up here in Hidden Creek, then.”

He was blushing again. His chest was filled with sparks and fluttering butterflies, and he couldn’t help but return Shane’s gentle smile with a more sheepish one. Unable to find any words that didn’t just sound stupid in his head, he instead stuffed his mouth with too-hot pizza to avoid talking right away.

He really was getting in over his head with this guy.