Something about that rubbed Mo the wrong way. Like he’d attained some impossible achievement. He grunted because he didn’t know what to say.
“Are you guys a thing?” Khalil asked.
Mo figured that he was right, especially since nicknames were now involved. But he hadn’t asked Jess if she was okay with it being an official thing, so he certainly wasn’t going down that road with Khalil.
“Let me get to the point,” he said.
“Okay, shutting up,” Khalil said.
That would be a miracle.
“She had a bad day yesterday. Some stuff with her family. We’d already planned dinner at her house tonight and when I got there, she was still upset. I’m worried that I took advantage of how down she was.”
“Hmm,” Khalil said. “Who made the first move?”
“Well, she kind of made all the moves, and I followed. I asked her if she was sure, and she said she was.”
“So you’re good,” Khalil said. “Especially since she made the first move.”
“I dunno.”
“Okay. Wait and see about the next time,” Khalil said.
“What do you mean?”
“Wait to see if she does the same thing. If she only turns to you when she’s upset. Then you’ll have your answer.”
Mo considered for a moment. Maybe Khalil wasn’t wrong. That was a reasonable way to know without bugging Jess. And Khalil did have a lot more experience with women than Mo did.
“Did you make sure she came first?” Khalil asked.
“Of course.”
“Then she’ll probably be eager for more. Wouldn’t surprise me. Us Sarda men are gifted in the bedroom.”
Mo’s face caught fire, and he fought the urge to hide under his comforter.
“Can we please not?” he asked.
“God, you’re shy. Can’t even talk about it,” Khalil said.
Mo cleared his throat.
“Okay,” he said. “I’ll consider your perspective.”
“As you should,” Khalil said. “But what about you?”
“Me?” Mo grunted.
“Are you good with how it went down? It sounds like you weren’t expecting it to happen when it did,” Khalil said.
He was right; Mo hadn’t expected it at all that night, even though it was something he’d been quietly hoping for for a while. He’d been dampening his happiness about it by focusing on any bad feelings Jess might have.
“I wasn’t,” he said. “But I’m…happy it happened.”
Khalil coughed.
“Happy?” he asked. “Didyoujust use the words ‘I’mhappy’?”