Page 48 of Resist

“Absolutely,” he replies, pink tinging his cheeks. “Let me get dressed.” My eyebrows rise as he darts past me, smiling despite the situation.

He’s so fucking cute.

“Better go get ready. Your boyfriend is waiting,” Strike teases. Flipping him off, I go to the bathroom and find Ryker there, fussing with his hair. I lean into the door and watch him for a moment before he notices me.

“What?” he asks. “It’s our first date. Can’t I be excited?”

He looks down, and I hate the way his smile dims. I step inside, wrap my arms around him, and prop my chin on hisshoulder. “You’ll never be as excited as I am, but whatever you do, you’ll look handsome.”

That makes him smile, and he keeps fussing with his hair. “Go get dressed,” he says, elbowing me.

Pressing my lips to his cheek, I dart away as he slaps me, and I get dressed and ready before him. When he comes out, he looks good enough to eat, wearing an oversized sweater and loose pants with a jacket over the top. “I thought we could try to go incognito,” he says before his eyes widen. “Not that I’m ashamed or anything. I just thought that way it’s us?—”

“Adorable,” I call as he rambles. “Come on, baby.”

I hold out my hand, and he hurries to take it. I flip off Strike and Dash, who mimic us, and we sneak out of the bus. Avoiding security is easy, and I hold the gate for him, letting him duck out first, and then we are out on the street. Our whoops of laughter echo around as we run from the venue as fast as we can. Usually, we can leave if we want to, but Po wouldn’t let us right now.

No, this is our stolen time, and I love it.

“Where are we going?” he asks when we stop.

“Anywhere.” I look around since we don’t really know much about the area. We should probably stay close. “I should have made a plan,” I admit with a frown.

“Fuck plans. Let’s just go where we want.” He pulls me after him, and we eventually find a main street. We window shop for a while and just enjoy walking together, holding hands without a care. We are just two men on a date, and it’s so fucking perfect. I keep my sunglasses and my mask on just in case, so nobody ruins this for us.

We find some small boutiques and take pictures, trying on fur coats and funny hats until our camera is full of them. In the last shop, I find this perfect little signet ring, so I secretly buy it, and once we are outside, I turn to Ryker.

“Here.” I thrust the bag at him. His eyebrow rises, and he peeks inside, pulling out the box in confusion. I wait with my hands in my pockets, feeling nervous.

When he opens it, he stares for a while, and I grow anxious. “I know it isn’t like your designer stuff?—”

“I love it,” he whispers, sliding it onto his fingers, trying to find the right one before he puts it on his ring finger. It fits perfectly. The gold is bright against his skin, the flat top displaying two interlaced hearts. “It will be for us, so we know . . . unless you replace it with a diamond,” he teases.

Laughing, I drag him closer and hug him. “One day,” I say, knowing I will. When we are allowed to be together and there won’t be consequences, there will be a ring on his finger and he will be mine.

We haven’t been together long, but it doesn’t matter. I knew Ryker was the one the moment I met him.

“Come on, let’s find somewhere to eat,” I say, realizing we have just been standing together far longer than is normal.

We wander aimlessly, searching for something that feels right. We don’t want fancy food—we want home-cooked meals like we used to eat before everything started.

We eventually find a retro bar to eat at, and there’s a live band on stage despite the early afternoon time. We sing along as we eat, our smiles so wide they feel like our faces might break, and when a slow song comes on, I offer him my hand.

He takes it, and I tug him over to the small wooden dance floor. We are the only people on it, but I don’t care. His head rests against my chest and his hands are in mine as we rock to the song.

“I wish we could be like this forever,” he murmurs.

“Me too,” I say as I rest my chin on his head. “But it just means the time we do get is even more special.”

“Do you think one day we can be together without hiding?” he asks, propping his chin on my chest.

“Yes.” I rub his back comfortingly. “I have to believe we will be, but for now, this is enough for me. Is it enough for you?”

“As long as I have you,” he replies, a smile growing on his lips. “I still want that diamond though.”

“Brat,” I tease as I spin him around, his laughter filling the air. The song changes to an upbeat one, and we dance for a while, uncaring who is watching.

After eating, we just walk, enjoying our quiet time together. We take photos that are just meant for us and don’t worry about anyone watching, but as the sun starts to set, I know we have to get back. Both of us drag our feet, and at the gate, we share a look.

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