Page 26 of Just Watch Me

I inhaled deeply and gathered my courage. “I’m glad we found each other.” I wanted to say more, so much more, but anything else would make things awkward.

“Me too.” Skylar reached out and squeezed my arm. “In all the places I’ve lived and stayed, I’ve never met anyone like you.”

“You know, I’ve been told I’m one of a kind, but I think this is the first time it’s been said as a good thing.” I grinned then turned back to our dinner.

“Definitely a good thing.” Skylar placed his hand on my waist as he reached around me to grab his beer off the counter.

A shiver raced up my spine. I craved more of his touch. We’d had casual contact, but ever since I’d set the boundary of not doing anything physical, I’d increasingly regretted my decision.

“What else do you want to see while you’re here?” I poured milk over the cheese and macaroni, added seasonings, then put it in the oven.

“Multnomah Falls? A hike in the gorge? More breweries and wineries too. OMSI would be cool. One of those adults-only nights?” Skylar continued running through things he wanted to do.

His thorough list surprised me. It sounded like he’d been giving it a great deal of thought. “Are you working from a list or something?” I laughed. I set the microwave timer then picked up my beer and walked over to the couch.

Skylar didn’t follow. He gripped my kitchen counter so hard his knuckles turned white, and he stared at me with a serious expression. It unnerved the hell out of me.

“What’s up?” I asked.

After a few tense moments, Skylar walked over and sat next to me. “I guess I do have a list.” He looked at the bottle of beer in his hand.

“Why do you seem bummed about that?” As soon as the question left my mouth, I understood. Bile rose in my throat, but I swallowed it. “You’re leaving.”

Skylar let out a long sigh. “Yeah.”

“Oh.” Neither of us spoke for a minute or two.

So many thoughts and feelings passed through my mind, but I couldn’t grasp a single one to label it. “When?” My voice was barely above a whisper.

“I need to be in Orlando in three weeks.”

I blinked. “Orlando? That’s so cool. I’ve always wanted to visit there. I’d love to visit all the parks at Disney World and do all the dorky Harry Potter stuff at Universal. Did you know you can buy a wand and wave it at certain points in the park and magical things happen? It’s amazing. And the butterbeer! They have butterbeer and chocolate-covered frogs. Oh! And Nocturne Alley. Isn’t that rad?” The rambling spewed forth, unbidden.

Skylar smiled indulgently. “That would be really fun. Not so fun alone though. I might need to FaceTime you to keep me company while I explore the parks.”

Confirming his leaving Portland wasn’t the end of us lifted my mood some. “Exploring without having to get on an airplane? Perfect. Promise me you’ll get the special wand though.”

Skylar laughed. “I promise.” He scratched at the wrapper on his beer. “You know, you could visit and go with me. Planes are really safe.”

I lost myself in the hopeful look in his big brown eyes. “Y-You’d want me to visit? You?”

Skylar’s smile was so gentle, like he could see each and every one of my insecurities and had a plan of attack to soothe them all. “Of course I would. I’ve loved exploring Portland with you. Getting to see Orlando’s highlights too? It would be a blast.”

I looked at my bookshelf and allowed the fantasies to flood in about having more adventures with Skylar in other places. If only I had the guts to travel like that.

Skylar placed his hand on my knee. “Hey, no pressure. I know you’re working up to traveling more. In the meantime, there’s always FaceTime. Plus, you’ll have to keep exploring Portland and telling me about all the cool stuff you find.”

“Three weeks.” I let out a breath.

“Yeah.” He sounded just as disappointed. “I really love Portland.”

Then why don’t you stay here with me? Let’s give us a real chance to be more than friends.

I told my brain to stop marching on that dangerous path.Why would Skylar plant roots after so many years of moving around?I would never ask him to stay, especially since we weren’t even a couple. We weren’t anything more than two lonely guys who’d built a friendship. Asking Skylar to stay would be like trapping a wild animal. He was meant to explore, not just for him but for me too. If I couldn’t do it, I wanted him to.

“Portland is great with you in it, but um, Portland shouldn’t be selfish. Lots of cities will be great with you in them.”

Skylar squeezed my knee.

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