Tarot: the Fool- Paranormal M/M Romance

Chapter Twenty-Two

*****I'm so sorry for the lack of update. I suck. Hopefully you enjoy this, and I should be able to finish editing/clearing things up soon and the updates will come far more often :)*****

DAVID

Zin's eyes, lit with amusement at my knocking on the door to pick him up for our date, brightened drastically when he caught sight of the golden flowers tucked in my arm. Since I'd been the only one working the store today, I'd had to request Noah's help with buying the bouquet, and he had been strangely quiet and helpful about it. The teasing would come later, when he and Ben got together again, but for now I would take the peace and quiet, and his help, without pointing out that he now had teasing fodder for weeks.

Zin wore a soft cotton button down shirt he had bought a few days ago and hadn't worn yet. It was light green and made his skin glow and gave his black eyes a touch of green in their depths. His black hair was slicked back from his face elegantly, showing off his round, delicate, androgynous features perfectly, somehow making him look older and younger at the same time.

When I had changed out of my jeans, t-shirt, and flannel overshirt and into a blue button down and slacks, I led Zin towards Linovi's, the only restaurant in town besides the diner. It was run by Lucia, Ryder's younger sister. I had spent almost an hour on the phone with Lucia that afternoon, regretting having ever called her to help me set up a romantic night with Zin. It wasn't until she had put a laughing Ryder on the phone that I had rolled my eyes and hung up, hoping she would do what we had discussed without getting any confirmation from her.

But of course she did. When I held the door open for Zin, he gasped at the little table he caught sight of immediately. He knew it was his, because in the middle of the table was a single sunflower set in a crystal vase.

"How did you know I love sunflowers?" he whispered as I set my hand on his back and led him to the table. I pulled his chair out, and the blush on his cheeks and the wide-eyed stare were worth the heckling I had already received and would likely receive more of in the very near future.

I laughed at his question as I pushed his chair into the table and moved around to my side. The table set-up, wine already on ice next to it, pulling his chair out for him, it was all super-cheesy romantic. But I figured he deserved a little cheesy romance, and if I had to endure the teasing for that, I would. The look in his eyes was worth it a million times over.

"You bought a shirt with a sunflower pattern with a matching belt. That new throw you bought for the living room has a giant sunflower on it," I listed off, chuckling as Zin began to turn red. "Every time Mrs. Sivers comes in, she brings you one, and you keep them in that vase in the living room, and move the vase throughout the day so it stays in the direct sunlight to keep them alive as long as possible. You talked to Mrs. Sivers for almost two hours last week about how she cares for them, and you were taking notes— in my check log. I'm a big dumb brute, but I'm not that dumb."

"You're not dumb," Zin whispered, his eyes anywhere but on me as he gently fingered the petals of the flower.

I shrugged and held my hand out, motioning for Zin to take it. He tentatively set his hand in mine before looking around as if to make sure no one saw us.

"Does it bother you?" I asked, squeezing his fingers in my own until he looked up and finally met my eyes. "That people might see? I can stop with the PDA if it does."

Zin's headshake was near frantic. "No! I... I like the PDA. I wasn't sure if... if you were ok with it."

"I'm the one who initiated the handholding, Zin."

"Well, yes."

"So I'm ok with it."

Zin smiled and rolled his eyes. "Old habits," he explained. "I'm sorry. I'm used to being... This is... different. Nice. Thank you, David."