Page 46 of Outside the Lines
My head was too screwed up, so all I did was head back to my place. Maybe I needed sleep. I hoped I only needed some rest.
How did you tell a married man you were falling in love with him? And what would that mean for him? For Lydia? For me?
Yeah. I was fucked. I didn’t know what to do.
Around six-thirty in the evening, I headed in back to check on Lydia. Dexy had the register and the burst of new comic day traffic had died down. Had people stopping in and asking about models too. Probably the after-effect of having an honest-to-God Wolf’s Landing prop sitting in the shop. Was good to see other folks interested in that side of the business besides the hard core gamers and model builders.
Lydia sat at her computer, her drafting tablet resting at an angle as she drew. On the screen was another one of her fandom creations—this one Wolf’s Landing. After this week, it was all on our minds. This was a silver wolf running beneath the moon, with the two men silhouetted against the wolf’s bright fur: Gabriel Hanford and Max Fuhrman. “Oh, now that’s nice!” I stopped right behind her chair.
“Thanks!” She leaned her head back and beamed up at me. “New composition. Like one of those old ’80s-style wolf T-shirts.”
I knew the ones she meant, though the ’80s were slightly before our time. We’d been born by then, but missed out on the era. Lydia loved the retro stuff, however. All of the music and movies. “This is better. Streamlined. Modern.”
“Not too cheesy?”
I laughed and kissed her forehead. “You never do cheese.”
When I pulled back, she glanced at the time. “You getting ready to head out?”
“Yeah.” Off to watch the model I’d help build get destroyed for the greater good ofWolf’s Landing. And to see Ian. I was concerned about the latter.
Lydia knew my moods. She put her pen down and rotated her chair. “Is something wrong?”
I fiddled with my watch. “I think something’s bothering Ian. But I don’t know what.”
She chewed on her lip. “I’m assuming you asked.”
“I did. He said he was fine.” And then he’d kissed me. “And then hewasfine, but . . .”
She caught my hand. “Si. I’ve seen the way Ian looks at you. I don’t think you have anything to worry about.”
Heat to my face. “I hate this part, you know.” The awkward fumbling stage when all the emotions come out.
She gave my hand a squeeze. “You’re in love with him.”
Yeah, there it was. “I’m in love with him. He’s—” I gave a little sigh. “Well, you know.”
She laughed. “I do.”
“I love you. More than ever.”
“Know that too.” She stood and wrapped her arms around my neck. “You’re not very good about hiding your emotions.”
Heart on my sleeve. Pretty much always. “What if—”
She pressed a finger to my lips. “None of that. You go have fun with Ian and see your work set on fire. Spend the night and connect. Tell him how you feel.”
“Okay.” I spoke around her digit. Seemed like a reasonable plan. Except for the part where I was sure Ian would tell me he wasn’t interested in anything as complex as a long-term partnership in a poly arrangement.
Lydia shook her head, and replaced her finger with her lips. A warm, sweet kiss. “Go. Because if I know Ian, he’s early and already waiting for you.”
My heart flipped, both because of the thought of Ian already being here, and that Lydia loved me enough to push me out the door when I was being weird and insecure. I went, and she had guessed correctly. Ian stood in front of the new comics racks, peering at the titles and pulling at his shirt sleeve as if he didn’t know what to do with his hands.
I gave Dexy a nod and rounded the counter to join Ian. His smile as I approached was shy—hesitant—and all my fears poured in.
He gestured to the rack. “I have no idea where to start again.”
“You know, I could be your comic sommelier, too.”
