The Bucket List (A REVERSE HAREM ROMANCE)

14. ALBANY

"Crystal and I ordered burgers from some old lady once when we were running late for school.." I looked down at my lap again. "It looked really good but when I took a bite I nearly broke a tooth. The woman had placed her false teeth on the burger without realizing it."

Steven barked out a laugh and then started choking. Sliding closer, I slammed him on the back and then reached for the bottle. Steven took a few gulps and then leaned forward with his elbows on his knees and his head hung as he tried to catch his breath.

"Are you okay?"

Nodding, he sat up and turned to grin at me. "I'd be inspecting every burger too if that happened to me."

"Believe me it wasn't so funny when it happened."

"It would make a great prank, though. My mind's racing with ideas to try it on Thomas."

I laughed and leaned back. We ate in silence for a few minutes. Steven was the first to break it.

"What do you do for a living?"

I swallowed before I answered him. "I have my own bakery, and you?"

"I'm a professor at the local University."

That wasn't an answer I was expecting. "What do you teach?"

"Maths."

"Wow, so you're a maths guru."

Steven chuckled. "Something like that. I love maths, I find it calming."

"I hate maths, no offence."

"None taken. I now know it's not for everyone."

I finished my burger and wiped my hands and mouth before I crumbled the paper and serviette into a bowl and took a few sips of cool water. My eyes darted around the park and then locked onto Spotty who was sleeping by Steven's feet.

"How did you and the others meet? Your brother, you, Kieran and Severide?"

Steven finished the last bite before he answered. "Thomas met Severide at a conference or something. They became good friends before my brother introduced the two of us. The three of us met Kieran a few years later when we went on a holiday." He paused. "Thomas, Kieran and I were still in University then. Severide was just starting his own business."

"Wow, so you've been friends for years?"

"Yes, although we've had our ups and downs and there were times where I thought our friendship wasn't going to make it."

"I think we all experience that."

Steven nodded. "What made you decide to open your own bakery?"

"I love baking."

I ended up telling him much more than I wanted to. We talked for hours and hours until the sun started to set in the horizon. After throwing away our rubbish, we headed back to the truck.

"I'll just drop Spotty off and then we can have some dinner."

In the truck on the drive to the shelter, Spotty rested his head across my lap. I absentmindedly stroked his fur as I stared out the window. I thought that our date had ended but clearly Steven had other plans.

"Why don't you adopt him?" I asked Steven when we reached the shelter.

A low sigh fell from his lips. "I want too, but I can't. I work late some days and I go on trips with the students. Spotty's not such a young dog anymore which means that he needs constant care. What if I'm gone and he injures himself or something like that? And Thomas isn't an animal lover."

"I wish I could adopt him, but we're not allowed to have any pets. He's such a sweet dog."

He nodded and opened his door. "Do you want to come with me? I'm just going to put him back in his kennel and then feed him."

I smiled at him as I slid from the truck. Dinner could wait a little longer because I wanted to play with the animals a bit more.

***

Dinner ended up being a picnic on the rooftop of my apartment building. He had gone all out—blanket, picnic basket filled with food and even a bottle of wine which I avoided.

As we ate, he told me a bit more about himself. He had a very interesting life—nothing boring about him being a University professor. We laughed about some of the stories he told regarding the kids he taught.

My stomach was cramping from all the laughter. I couldn't remember the last time I laughed so much. It was the perfect ending to a great day.

I declined his offer for more food and watched as he packed the uneaten food back into the basket. I had no clue where he had gotten it from in the first place because it hadn't been in the truck when he picked me up.

Unwilling to let him leave, I lay back on the blanket and stared up at the sky. A few seconds later, Steven joined me. He was so close that our arms brushed whenever he moved.

My eyes widened when he slipped his hand into mine. I held my breath and waited for his next move but Steven did nothing else. He only held my hand as we silently stared up at the stars.

"Steven, can I ask you something?" I croaked.

"Sure."

I swallowed and licked my bottom lip before I voiced the question that's been bothering me.

"Do you think it's true when people say that if you die you become a star?"

He was silent for so long that I thought he wasn't going to answer me. Steven pulled his hand from mine and then pushed himself up onto his elbow to look down at me.

After a moment's hesitation, I turned my head to look at him.

His eyes darted over my face as he silently studied me. And then he finally answered.

"I'd like to believe that it's true. It makes us as human feel better when we can think of someone we lost looking down at us. But I don't think it's true. We weren't born from stars so we won't return to one if we die." He leaned closer and reached out to move a few strands of hair from my face. "I also think that others can't tell you what to believe. If you want to believe that when you lose someone they go up to the stars, then that's okay too."

"I want to believe it."

Tears filled my eyes but I quickly blinked it away. "Does it ever get better? The pain?"

He gave me a sad smile. "No, but it gets easier as time passes."

"I hope so," I whispered. "I don't know for how long I'd be able to live with this empty hole in my chest."

Steven laid back down and reached for me. I didn't hesitate to move into his arms. He was offering me the comfort I needed and although we were complete strangers, I felt like we'd known each other for years.