corbyn besson stood facing the rear window of the italian restaurant and resisted the urge to run his fingers through his hair again. instead, he smoothed his tie down and shoved his hands in the pockets of his armani suit. he despised suits. a privileged upbringing and a lucrative business meant they were required, but he didn't have to like it.
he'd much rather be in daniel's apartment in his jeans but, for what was going down tonight, it was vital he use class and distance from their usual routine. he'd had gino set up their table in the private room and threw enough money at the man when he'd booked the reservation to close the restaurant tonight just for them. benefficts of being super rich.
he blew out a breath. daniel was going to flip out. the younger boy hated surprises, hated anything that didn't fit into his perfect order. and wasn't this the biggest of them all? yes. i am the famous photographer you've admired for years, and the man who's admired you. for going on seven fucking years.
six of which he'd been secretly writing to him.
he'd had his reasons for not stepping up. damn good reasons. he still wasn't sure this was a good move. there was more than the danger of losing their friendship involved, such as daniel losing his life if the wrong people caught wind. he was assured by the right people that things were finally settling down on that front. he'd never risk daniel, not for anything, but damn if he could do this anymore.
week in, week out. dinners and movies and laughter. pretending not to want him. watching daniel fight the darkness and acting as if the blonde didn't wish for more. corbyn'd wanted to be that more.
"he's here." jonah marais looked up from his phone near the doorway to the private room. "the car just pulled up."
corbyn turned from his bodyguard and closed his eyes. he could feel his heart racing. seven years boiled down to what happened in the next seven seconds.
he glanced around the room. the only table was theirs, small and intimate, decorated with a white tablecloth and a candle. on the cream stucco walls were prints of italy gino's parents had brought over when they acquired citizenship. corbyn knew because he'd once asked during a dinner to celebrate his and daniel's college graduation. the scent of chicken cacciatore wafted from the kitchen, rolling his stomach. how am i supposed to eat? then again, that would require daniel sticking around long enough for dinner to be served.
everything he'd rehearsed in preparation for this moment died on his tongue as daniel walked across the moroccan tile floor in his black shoes. his gaze traveled up his shapely legs to the slight hourglass curve of his hips, past his perfect chest and briefly paused on his neck. he could spend hours kissing that spot right there.
daniel's lips parted in shock. his blue eyes rounded as he froze inside the doorway. he looked around the room and swiftly back to corbyn.
"corbyn? what are you doing here?"
corbyn kept his hands in his pockets when he wanted to plunge them into daniel's hair, he maintained a neutral stance and expression to not frighten him. corbyn nodded to jonah. his bodyguard left the room in silence.
he looked back at daniel and forced a swallow. "i think you know why. take just a moment to think about it."
the arch of daniel's brows drew together in thought. from across the room, corbyn waited him out. the brunet boy knew the moment the puzzle fit together in daniel's mind by the subtle drop in his jaw.
