Sailor Proof by Annabeth Albert
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Derrick
“Finally free.” Arthur waved as Oliver’s and Roger’s SUVs loaded down with kids and luggage departed the parking lot. “Love the kids, but man, I thought they were going to insist you perform an oil change to delay leaving.”
I could also remember being their age, not wanting the fun to end, so I’d been happy to answer their endless questions. And it was easier answering car questions than ones about when they would see us again. Taylor had somehow managed to get a maybe out of me in response to an invite to his birthday, but I’d dodged other requests and invitations and tried to keep their attention on the car.
“Hey, it was nice to have fellow car geeks showing enthusiasm for my ride,” I joked to get rid of the tightness in my chest as we watched the others drive away.
“I show enthusiasm for your ride.” Arthur gave me a look so hot it was a wonder the finish on my car didn’t bubble up.
“I know and I love that.” We were one of the last cars left in the lot, so I felt safe giving him a fast kiss. “Speaking of your enthusiasm, you want to drive until we need gas?”
I figured that was about as long as I could play passenger, but he had asked on our way here and I was feeling way more amenable these days about Arthur touching all my things, car included.
His eyes went almost comically wide as he stuck out his hand. “You’re going to let me drive your baby?”
“Sure.” I passed over the keys. Worst that might happen was something to the clutch if he hadn’t driven a stick in a while, but he was worth a new clutch if it came to that.
“Damn.” Arthur whistled low as he slid behind the wheel, leaving me to head around to the passenger side. “I would have given you the fake-to-real boyfriend upgrade sooner if I’d known this was one of the perks.”
“Go easy on me.” Taking a steadying breath, I buckled up. “I’m trying to be less of a control freak.”
“I noticed.” Adjusting the seat and the mirrors, Arthur smiled at me in the rearview. “Living for today, having fun, and letting me drive? You’re a new man.”
“Trying. You inspire me.”
“I do?” He sounded genuinely surprised, and that humility was part of what I really liked about him. He seemed unaware of how damn good and special he was, making it a new mission of mine to show him appreciation.
“Sure you do. And yeah, the kids might have been all over my car, but they adore you. Look how many drawings and camp crafts you collected.”
“A fair number, yeah.” His cheeks were bright pink before he carefully backed out of the parking spot. “I like being the goofy uncle. And a number of parents told me they enjoyed the show, so maybe my message got through.”
“Keep at it,” I said firmly. Stretching, I tried to loosen my jaw and spine and trust his driving. “You’ve got an important lesson for them.”
“Thanks. You believing in me, that means a lot.” He had a little smile as he expertly turned from the lake road onto the rural highway.
“I do.” Sitting easier now, I managed to suppress a sigh of relief. “And you weren’t kidding. You actually can drive a stick.”
“I know my lack of aptitude for outdoor activities adds to the whole hopeless-nerd persona, but all those hours playing video games honed my reflexes.” Proving his point, he smoothly changed gears. “And cars are closer to instruments than kayaks.”
“True.” I had to chuckle. And truth be told, watching him drive was turning me on a little. “I wanna see you make music sometime.”
“That can absolutely be arranged. A week without work has me majorly jonesing for my equipment.”
I snorted. “A week without your equipment would have me craving something too.”
“Dork.” He tilted his head my direction. “If you hook my phone up to the stereo, I made a playlist for the return trip.”
“Of course you did.” Charmed, I queued it up. This time instead of water being the common theme, the songs all centered on driving and roads.
“I think you purposefully chose things I might know,” I said several songs later after we’d both harmonized our way through some road trip classics.
“Guilty.”
I liked this, liked the way he’d thought about me and guessed right, liked hanging out and singing with him, even liked being the passenger more than I’d thought I would. By the time we stopped for gas, I’d stopped being antsy to drive and was actually surprised at how fast the time had passed.
“Your turn to drive,” he said while I paid at the pump with my credit card. “You still sure you want to burn all the extra gas going the long way back?”
“I don’t mind extra drive time. I don’t get enough chances to take the car out, and I’ll take the extra time with you.”
“If you need someone to exercise the car next time you’re away, let me know.” He was lounging against the car and his voice was casual, but I still tensed.
“Will do.” It meant something that he’d offered, that he seemed to think we might still be together or at least friendly through my next deployment. Luckily that was likely a ways off because I was less than certain how he’d cope with that separation.
However, I wasn’t about to ruin our drive by dwelling on that topic, and as we got back underway with me driving, I made a concerted effort to keep the vibe light, telling Arthur more stories about Grandma’s friends. Swapping stories and singing along with his playlist served us well, including for the wait for the car ferry until we approached the northeast Seattle neighborhood where Arthur lived.
His demeanor markedly shifted as we started navigating the city streets. “I probably should have warned the roommates I was bringing someone back.”
“Oh?” It hadn’t occurred to me that he might not be out or might have roommates who would be less than accepting, but I probably should have considered the possibility before inviting myself over. “Is it going to cause issues for you?”
“I didn’t mean the boyfriend factor.” Grabbing his phone, he typed quickly on it. “They’ll find it hilarious that I found someone to put up with me. I meant more that I can’t guarantee they aren’t having a video game marathon in their underwear.”
“Consider me forewarned.” I could deal with those sorts of nerves much easier, and while we were at a red light, I gave him a fast pat. “And stop being so nervous. You forget that I squash in with a hundred guys for weeks at a time.”
“I know.” He shifted around in his seat as I finally found an acceptable parking spot. “I just... I want you to like spending time there. Like really like it.”
“You’re there. I will. Promise. And even if your roommates are the most obnoxious dudes on the planet, I’d still want to spend time with you.” Unbidden, my vision of the little blue house and his dream of a music studio crept back into my head. I wished I could give him a situation he liked better than this one. I’d be fine hanging out with him wherever, but I wanted him happy, like truly happy. As I handled paying for the parking, I sent up a quick wish that maybe I could be the one to make him that way.
We made our way to his apartment building, an eighties-era tan collection of apartments and townhomes on a tree-lined street, not far from the hustle of the bigger streets. Arthur’s place was a typical three-bedroom setup with white walls, beige carpeting, and teeny kitchen with newer cabinetry but cheap appliances. And two rather gawky roommates who were indeed playing some game on a large, wall-mounted TV in the living area. But they were clothed and pleasant enough.
They paused the game to chat with us, but I kept getting distracted by the catchy tune of the game music.
“What game is this?” I asked.
“It’s not released yet. We’re beta testing it for friends. But Arthur did the music.”
“Oh? It sounds amazing.” I smiled at Arthur, enjoying the way he blushed and dipped his head.
“Thanks. How about I give you the rest of the tour?” Glancing down the hall, he seemed eager to escape the scrutiny of his friends.
“Sure.” I waited until we were away from the seating area to lean in and whisper, “Show me your room first.”
“This way.” He led me to the room at the end of the hall. All that time in the car had been nice, but it had also been hours since I’d kissed him, and I needed to rectify that at once.
“See?” I said as he closed the door. His room was cluttered with dozens of instruments, an impressive computer setup along one wall, and a small bed that was going to be a tight squeeze, but I was still game to try. “This place is nice. Lots of light. And meeting your roommates wasn’t so bad.”
“Yeah. They’re good guys. I just wasn’t in the mood for much small talk.” He offered me a shy smile that only upped his kissability factor. “Should we think about food? We skipped lunch, but we can order something.”
“Later.” I pulled him to me.
“Later?” His smile widened.
“Does your door lock?” I whispered right before I kissed his ear.
“It does.” Inhaling sharply, he broke away long enough to flip the lock. “For what it’s worth, I can also be quiet. Very quiet.”
“Good.” I kissed him then, loving the way he melted into me. Maybe this dating thing was going to be easier than I thought.
