“So that’s all? It only took”—Leo glanced at his watch—“forty-five minutes.”
“Sometimes when I get really into a subject, it doesn’t take me long to get the preliminary stuff down. I can go back and fill in things later.”
“Can I see?” Leo leaned toward Aud.
“I’d rather you wait until I’m done.” That will give me an excuse, if I need one, for you to come over again.
“Is it going to be that different?” Leo leaned back and draped his arms across the back of the couch.
“It will be a lot more… refined… finished. Right now things are a little rough. Trust me, you’d be able to tell the difference. This a bit harder than drawing the butterflies in class.” He grinned at Leo. “But your butterflies were pretty good.”
“My butterflies looked like something a third grader would put on the fridge until it got covered up with something better.” Leo shrugged. “But that’s okay. I never really claimed to be artistic. It was a fun class. I got to meet an awesome art instructor.”
Aud set the sketchbook and pencils on the desk and walked over to the couch. “Do you mind if I join you here?” He wiped his hands on his jeans, hoping to get some of the dark graphite off his hands before he sat down. He didn’t want to pause and go into the bathroom to wash quickly; there was too much of a chance of breaking the mood.
“No.” Leo still had his arms spread across the back of the couch and quickly jerked them down and put his hands in his lap.
Aud sat down near him, but not up against him. “I’ve had a lot of fun tonight.”
Leo nodded. “I did too.”
“Good. If it isn’t obvious, I think you’re really cute and would like to take you on another date. If you’re interested.”
“Was the sketch just a ploy to get me to go out?”
Aud thought about it for a second, then decided to be truthful. “Sort of. I do like sketching cute guys, but I did want to get to know you.”
“And I take it I passed the test.”
“Oh, definitely.” Aud slid closer to him. “I hope I passed too.”
Leo laughed. It was a happy, relaxed sound that made Aud smile. “I don’t think you could’ve failed it. Aud, physically you’re probably one of the hottest guys I’ve ever met. But you’re also nice, kind, and friendly, not to mention interesting.”
“You don’t have to stop.” Aud’s smile broadened. “You’re helping my ego here.”
“You also make me feel good. I can’t really say how bad a lot of guys have made me feel over the years. But you don’t. I know we’re just getting to know each other, but I think I want to keep learning about you.”
“I agree. That would be a great thing to do.” Aud touched Leo’s arm, and he didn’t jerk back, so he traced his fingers down to Leo’s hand.
Leo squeezed Aud’s hand. “When would you like to go out again? I’m free most nights. Maybe you can keep educating me on art. That would be cool. I’m also off on the weekends, but I bet you’re busy most of the time then.”
“Sometimes. But if I work out something with Heather ahead of time, I can get free.” Warm tingles ran up Aud’s arm, causing his heart to flutter. It had been a while since he just sat on a couch and talked to a man while holding hands. Leo’s hand fit his perfectly.
“Okay. That gives us options to work with.”
“It does.”
“When, then?”
Aud didn’t want to wait too long before he saw Leo again. “I close the gallery at five on Sunday. How about six? We can go to dinner and maybe a movie. I might even have the sketch done by then. It just depends on how busy I am in the gallery tomorrow and Sunday.”
Leo brightened up. “You really think you could have it completed by then?”
“It all depends on time.” Aud wanted to say how Leo’s happy face made him feel good too, but he held his tongue.
“Okay, then. I guess we can go out on Sunday at six.”
With his heart pounding like crazy, Aud gazed into Leo’s sparkling eyes. “Good. If you like, we can meet here again, or if you want to go for five and not six, we can meet at the gallery.”
“Here’s fine. I don’t like to intrude too much on people’s workplaces.”
“Probably a good policy.” Aud continued to gaze into Leo’s eyes. “You know, I’ve been wanting to kiss you all night.”
Leo leaned closer to Aud. “Good. I’ve been wanting to kiss you too.”
Their lips met. A strange feeling of energy and peace flowed through Aud. Leo’s lips were soft and he smelled faintly of the spicy sauce he’d gotten with his dinner. It was a good feeling. Aud wanted to melt into those lips.
They sat there kissing on the couch for longer than it had taken Aud to do his preliminary sketch. Finally Leo pulled back a bit. “Look, I should probably go soon. If I don’t, I might not.”
Aud combed his fingers through Leo’s hair. “And that’s a problem?”