blind first dates (c.h)

"i'm glad we're on the same page"

"What doesn't draw me to him?" I said through a laugh. "I just really like him, Wes. More than I've ever liked anyone, probably. He makes it really easy to be myself around him and he treats me like I'm worthy of the entire world. And that's only after knowing him a couple of weeks, but he sees something in me. And it feels so nice to be seen by him."

"Fuck," Wes muttered as his eyes got big. "Maybe you should keep him around for a minute or two."

"That's the plan."

. . .

"Couldn't stay away, huh?" I joked as I opened the door to reveal Calum standing on the other side. He had texted me thirty minutes prior to ask whether he could come by to see me after work. It was around five o'clock now and Wes had been gone for at least three hours.

"It's the last thing I wanted to do," he told me as he took a step into my apartment. He caressed my cheek in his hand before leaning down and placing a kiss on my lips. I kissed back and smiled at the feeling of excited tingles running through my whole body.

"How was work?" I asked once we had pulled away. "This was a later day than usual, wasn't it?"

"I went in later than usual, so I stayed a couple more hours. One of my work buddies wasn't feeling well, so I filled in for him—he teaches classes for our elderly members."

"Oh yeah?" I asked as my eyebrows raised with intrigue. "How'd that go?"

"It's definitely not my expertise," he said through a snicker. "I was a nervous wreck, honestly. Eric's a really organized guy, so thankfully he had left notes for every individual in the class which meant I was given everything I needed to know about what works best for each of them, but it's nerve-wracking to work with new people. And even more so when those new people are outside of the age range you've spent the most time with."

"Not that it's even sort of similar, but dealing with the older folk at the bar is also out of my expertise," I told Calum and watched as his head tilted back as a laugh left his lips. "I'm sure they all loved you and that you did a great job."

"I appreciate that," Calum told me with a smile. We were now in my living room, walking to the couch.

"Oh! Do you want something to drink? A beer?"

"If you don't mind, that'd be great," he responded sweetly. I nodded my head and made my way to the kitchen, grabbing two beers from my fridge. I opened them both before leaving the kitchen.

"Reese recommended I try these, but I haven't gotten around to it. If it sucks, I have a couple of different options," I told Calum as I walked back into the living room. I took a seat beside him on the couch as I handed him one. We both took a sip at the same time and I was pleasantly surprised.

"Hey, this is good," Calum said as he distanced the bottle from his face and started to read the label.

"Really good," I agreed. "Reese does right by me on occasion." As Calum took another sip, I remembered that I wanted to talk to him about Wesley moving in. "Before I forget, I have some news."

"Oh?" Calum asked while wiggling his brows.

"Wes—my brother—got a job in town, so... he's moving in." Calum's eyebrows raised in surprise but a smile appeared on his face.

"That's exciting! ...Right?" I laughed at his response but nodded my head.

"Is it a little embarrassing to live with my twenty-seven year old brother at the age of twenty-four?"