“That’s not true.” I shook my head as he stared at me. “I mean, it’s true I thought you might be hungry. I’m not here just because of that though. I wanted to see you. And apologize for acting like an asshole...again.”

This finally got me a reaction in the form or a slightly raised eyebrow, but still his lips were sealed. But now I was committed, so I finally told the truth.

“I always want to see you. I always want you.” Admitting it was like a dam broke inside me because suddenly I could not stop talking. “It sort of freaks me out how much.” Easton parted his lips like he was about to say something, but I had to get all of this out. No matter what happened between the two of us, I needed to make sure that Easton heard this. “I’m tired of fighting myself about wanting you, Easton.”

He gave an exasperated sigh as he peeled his back off the wall and moved toward me, one hand raised, palm up, as if to stop me from talking.

Resigned to the fact that I had fucked this up, feeling like there was a hole in my chest, I handed him the food.

“Have a good night, Easton.”

I was about to turn around and walk down to my apartment when he grabbed my wrist with his other hand.

“Oh no, no, no.” When I turned to look at him, those green eyes were blazing, but there was just a little bit of humor in his voice. “No, Professor Denis, you’re not leaving now. I was going to say that it sounded like a conversation you’d rather have inside my place.”

The relief at those words was enough to make me lightheaded, and when I looked at him, a much smaller but no less heartening version of the smile I’d been desperate to see was firmly in place.

“Come on.” He ushered me in and I didn’t give him a chance to change his mind, quickly stepping into his penthouse. I pointed at the glass of wine on the coffee table next to a mountain of papers.

“You were working.”

He waved at the pile of papers dismissively. “I was supposed to be working, but I was sulking instead,” he said matter-of-factly as he took the food to the kitchen.

I never again wanted to be the reason for Easton to feel unimportant. Because even if I wasn’t ready to say that out loud, with every passing day he was becoming almost essential for me. If I’d been brave enough, I’d tell him exactly that. Instead I walked over to where he’d been pulling takeout containers out of the bag.