out for me. I get it. It’s a huge deal. You’ll do it at your own pace. I was just worried about how us having dinner would look.”
Noah scrunched his nose as he took a moment to think. “I don’t think anybody will jump to a conclusion that we’re in a relationship. We’ll just be two friends grabbing a bite to eat.”
“So no PDA?” Alex teased.
“Maybe we can keep the kissing and hand holding private for tonight.”
“I can try, but it’s going to be hard,” Alex said with a straight face.
Noah smacked at his chest lazily and smiled. “When is it not hard?” he asked as Alex started to laugh.
“Kind of your fault, isn’t it?”
Noah was still smiling when their mouths connected in a kiss.
Riverton didn’t exactly have a wide selection of restaurants to choose from, so Alex and Noah ended up at the diner, which, according to Noah, was their best bet, unless they wanted pastries, which was the only other decent option the town had to offer. The third option was a small Italian restaurant, but according to Noah, the place handed out food poisoning as a side dish, and nobody knew how it managed to still be in business after all these years.
They both ordered burgers and settled in the booth. The older waitress smiled to Noah and asked him to say hi to Carl as she brought out their food.
Noah snagged a fry off Alex’s plate, and Alex found it hard not to laugh as Noah bit into the fry with a smug expression like he’d just pulled off a successful bank heist.
“There’s a festival in town next Saturday,” Noah said as they tucked into their burgers. “Have you seen the fliers?”
Alex nodded, mouth too full to speak.
“It’s a huge deal around here. It’s kind of the birthday of the town. Any big plans to celebrate?” Noah asked.
“Sure. Me and Carl are gonna have ourselves a raging good time. Might even run through the streets, naked, holding sparklers in our hands to really get the party started.”
Noah coughed, choking on a piece of his burger. “I did not need that mental image,” he said after Alex had pounded on his back a couple of times and Noah got his breath back. “And here’s an alternative suggestion: how about you keep the sight of your naked body just for me.”
Alex waggled his brows. “Jealous?”
“Not jealous,” Noah said defensively. Too defensively. “I just worry that you haven’t thought this plan through. Might make for an uncomfortable workspace later on. For all of us. I’m selfish that way. That’s all.”
“So let me get this straight. You object to me doing it with Carl—purely on the grounds of the workspace stuff, of course—but you wouldn’t mind if I ran through town, naked, on my own?”
Noah swallowed and nodded once slowly. “That’s it,” he said with a tight smile. “A pleasant working environment is very important for me.”
“Completely understandable,” Alex said with a nod. “A solo adventure doesn’t seem very celebratory, though. I might have to find somebody else to take Carl’s place.” He tapped at his chin. “Hmm. Do you have any suggestions? I don’t have many friends around here. Maybe I should give Matt a call?”
“Not happening,” Noah growled, and Alex blinked in surprise at the fierce expression on Noah’s face.
Noah leaned over, speaking very slowly and very clearly, blazing eyes fixed on Alex like Noah wanted to sear the message into Alex’s brain. “No Matt. You’re mine.”
Alex smiled as he leaned forward a bit more. “This possessive side of you is fucking hot,” he said in a low voice.
Noah’s shoulders relaxed as he settled back to his own side of the booth. “Just as long as we’re clear on where we stand,” he said.
Alex beamed at him, stupidly relieved, happiness bubbling inside him like hot lava.
“Crystal,” he said as he slid his foot between Noah’s feet and pressed the side of his sneaker against Noah’s flip-flop.
They ate in comfortable silence for a few moments, exchanging glances and smiles.
“So what’s that big birthday festival about?” Alex asked.
“It’s a huge deal. There’s all sorts of activities during the day. There’s a parade and a concert in the park.” Noah chewed thoughtfully. “It’s this tradition the town has. Local bands will play, and people come and let themselves be tortured by the shittiest music known to humankind.”
“Is this you trying to say that we should go there? Because you’re not making a very good case for your cause. So far I’m