Last Friday Night (ManxMan) ✔️

Chapter 18

Melodie was fast asleep when River came back home. It was 2 am so she'd been in bed for hours. Even Hunter struggled to stay awake on the couch—the silence of the home was a lullaby within itself. But he stayed awake so he could see River walk through the front door.

"Oh, I didn't realize you'd be here," River softly sighed. It took River a lot of effort to stay quiet after being startled. "I said that you could leave after she went to bed."

Hunter came over to River's side, watching the man empty his pockets out onto the kitchen island. The sound of keys hitting granite echoed between them but River just watched Hunter calmly. If not for the soft smile on River's lips, Hunter might have thought he'd made a mistake by staying.

"I felt weird leaving her by herself in the house," he explained, shrugging casually. "And . . . I wanted to see you."

The soft smile turned wry and River pushed against Hunter's chest with a laugh. The push was incredibly light, reminding Hunter of how late it was for both of them.

"Thank you for watching Melodie. I'm sure she'll tell me all about it tomorrow morning."

"Yeah, we had a lot of fun," Hunter agreed. He couldn't help the sentimental smile that emerged on his face remembering it all.

Like last time, she'd gone through her drawing collection and had them draw a million things together. Instead of watching a show together, she had a playlist of movies cued up and ready to go. There were moments, like when she helped him peel potatoes for dinner, that it felt like he wasn't just babysitting Melodie. For a second, he could imagine that she was his child. The thought left a funny feeling in his stomach that Hunter tried not to dwell on.

The point is: Hunter had just as much fun, if not more, than the kid he watched. But he didn't know how to explain that to River. So he instead said,

"If you ever need help again, feel free to call."

"I will."

The sleepy smile on River's face was really attractive, and Hunter itched to reach out and grab his hand. Or his face. Anything that he could reach, really. Hunter had trouble holding onto one clear thought and was suddenly shifting to balance his weight. It was really late.

"Hey, are you busy Saturday night?" River's brows furrowed cutely. It made him look like a puppy. Maybe a cat. Hunter needed some sleep. Right, the question.

"More babysitting so soon?"

River laughed and Hunter was proud he could think of a witty joke so far past his bedtime.

"No. I wanted to ask you to dinner. As a thank you for being good with Melodie," River explained. "I'll pay so you can keep all of your CEO money."

Hunter should have smiled at the little joke but his mind stayed glued to the idea of dinner. Dinner as repayment, specifically. River, the guy who ran from commitment like the plague, wanted to take Hunter out for a meal. The younger man could only see this as a burden and his smile dropped.

"River, you really don't have to force yourself," he told him.

River raised a brow at that. Crossing his arms over his chest, the shorter man stepped forward, letting his crossed arms press against Hunter's chest.

"What, you don't want to have dinner with me?" River asked, his narrowed eyes gleaming in the low light. Hunter's eyes slipped down to River lips, slightly chapped, and far too close for comfort. He cleared his throat.

"Well . . . if I have to," he joked, earning him a short laugh from River. "I'd love to. And hopefully I can spend some CEO money on you as well."