Page 21 of Perfect Matcha
And why the fuck was Theo comparing the two men?
He found the brand of lube Camden had bought him, but First-Rate didn’t have it in the regular size—just travel-size and bulk-size. Embarrassment and anxiety swamped him. He’d already been there longer than he’d planned.
Did buying the huge bottle say something about him, other than that it was cheaper by the ounce, and Theo was a stickler for rocking deals? Did it indicate that he had need for an obscene amount of lube, and was that a bad thing?
He could feel Hawke’s eyes on him, making his heart beat harder. But when Theo glanced up, Hawke’s eyesweren’ton him. He was flipping through a magazine, waiting patiently for Theo to finish up. So now Theo was creating fantasy narratives in his head like a little kid.
Cool, cool, cool.
He snatched up the bulk bottle of super-fancy lube and strode to the checkout counter.
Hawke straightened slowly and sent Theo another heart-stopping smile. Theo couldn’t even enjoy it.
“Good choice.” Hawke rang up the lube and started to wrap it in crisp tissue paper.
Theo didn’t know what to say, so he blurted, “Cam bought it for me. Then I ran out.”
Hawke studied him. “Did he, now? Cam’s got the best taste—lube, beer, and handsome friends.” Theo gaped at him, and thankfully, Hawke saved him. “I meanme, of course.”
“Oh. Did you?”
After a crackling pause, Hawke grinned and said, “No.” He finished bagging Theo’s lube in a thick paper bag. He sealed the bag with a gold and green sticker with the First-Rate Finishes logo. “It was nice to see you, Theodore.”
“You too,” Theo stammered. Then he fled, slipping on the icy sidewalk on the way to his car.
Theo had no idea how he would make it through a date with Hawke if he couldn’t even buy lube from the guy. Though, to be fair, a date wouldn’t involve the exchange of money for personal lubricant, so maybe Theo would fare better.
One thing was for sure; Theo wasn’t ready for the full force of Hawke’s charisma and experience quite yet. He needed a bit more time with Ca—
He just needed a bit more time.
