Page 17 of Otter Heart
“Christ, I don’t know!” he laughed.
“Is it more blue or more green?”
“More green.”
“Probably cedar then. Is it really dark or kind of light?”
“Kind of light?”
“Definitely cedar.” I paused. “And exceptionally beautiful.”
I could almost feel his heartbeat quicken in the air around me. His arm fell back down to the table, his phone landing with it. He’d been using his phone camera to look at his eyes so he could describe them to me. He took a long moment before he spoke.
“You really know colors that well?” he asked, his voice tinged with shyness.
“I remember quite a few,” I nodded. “It’s amazing what you commit to memory when you know you’ll never see them again.”
I felt the energy shift slightly. Adam’s lips parted signaling the forming of a question. But he never let the words flow.
“Well, it sounds like you have a very nice friend,” I said, filling the gap. “And very observant.” I paused. “Is he your boyfriend?”
“Rowan?! God no!” Adam laughed, although I could tell it was a bit forced. “He’s cute and a great guy, don’t get me wrong. But he’s not with me. He’s got a partner of his own.” Another pause. “Wait. How did you know I like guys?”
I grinned, biting my lower lip.
“It’s the voice, isn’t it?” Adam groaned. “I knew I sounded gay.”
“What’s wrong with that? I think your voice is beautiful.”
Why the hell did I say that?
“You… You do?”
There was no backing out of it now. “Sure. It’s unique, it has a nice timbre, and you sound like you would probably sing tenor.”
“Oh… Thanks.”
There was a long silence between us, and I desperately searched for something to say. But I was kind of embarrassed if I was being honest. I hadn’t meant to compliment him like that and now that I had, there was no taking it back. He seemed to like it, but I could tell he wasn’t used to things like that. I wasn’t sure if that meant he hadn’t dated much or he was the one that usually hit on people. Either way, it definitely made him clam up.
His phone buzzed against the table.
“That’s Rowan,” Adam sighed, clicking the button to turn the screen on. “I’m supposed to meet him and James for a picnic today.”
He was leaving. I’d pushed him too far. I had a tendency to be too direct with people and sometimes I went a little too hard. Not to mention my previous experience had taught me that guys weren’t really into the whole blind thing.
It was worth a shot though.
“I won’t hold you up,” I sighed, forcing myself to smile. “You shouldn’t keep your friends waiting.”
“Right.”
Adam got up from the booth, gathered up his things, gave Bessie a pat and turned back to face me.
“It was good to meet you,” he said, an edge of shyness to his voice.
“You too,” I replied. “Have a good picnic.”
“Thanks.”
