Chapter 12

“Do you still want to date me?”

Tobias halted all movement for a moment before replacing his utensils back onto the plate in front of him. “Yeah, I do. I really like you, Dave. Can we start over again?”

David shook his head. “I don’t want to do that.”

Tobias’s heart sank, and he did his best to hide his disappointment. “Okay.” He was a little taken aback when David reached out for his hand.

“I don’t want to begin everything anew. I want us to move on from the awkwardness last night instead.”

Tobias gripped David’s hand. He could feel the spark of hope blossoming deep within him. “Anything, Dave. Whatever you like.”

David beamed at him, and he returned the gesture in kind. The two of them locked eyes for a moment longer before breaking apart and continuing with their lunch. They were quiet for a while until David spoke up again.

“Would you like to go out on a second date with me tonight?”

Tobias chuckled. “Third date.”

“What?”

“This lunch counts as our second date.”