Swish by E. Davies Page A

together.
    Alex waited until Thomas was behind him before pulling out of the lot. His heart pounded with a kind of nervous excitement he hadn't felt in a long time.
    He wasn't gloating at the possibility that Thomas wanted a repeat of the other day. Instead, he anticipated talking about their relationship. Hell, Alex worried that Thomas would slip away at an intersection instead of following him back to the city.
    Something had changed in the way Alex looked at others – a new respect, perhaps. There was no more running from inconvenient situations; this time, Thomas had just as much power to break Alex's heart. And for the first time, Alex was okay with that vulnerability.

Chapter 17
Thomas
    “Come on in.”
    Thomas followed Alex into his apartment, shivers of anticipation already running down his spine. They were finally going to talk about what they were doing, and it was terrifying.
    When he quizzed himself on why he was so worried, Thomas didn't like the answer he got. He was worried that Alex might not want the same things he did. Or, worse yet, that Alex thought he wanted those same things before he flaked out again.
    But so far, they weren't letting go of each other so easily.
    “Want a drink?”
    “Water would be great, thanks,” Thomas answered, crashing on the couch. He looked around Alex's little living room as he waited. It was plain, with a navy couch and a purple armchair providing a little color to the whitewashed walls. The huge bed in the corner had bright yellow and soft green blankets, like a little forest. That made him smile; nature themes hadn't been Alex's style before, but it looked cozy.
    Still, everything else was white or bare. There weren't even any photos up... no art or personal memories. Thomas frowned as he accepted the glass of water, and Alex sank into the couch next to him. “You're not putting down roots here.”
    “It's freaky when you do that,” Alex snorted.
    “Do what?”
    “The uncomfortable truths. Please stop. I don't like evaluating myself and you're already making me do it in other ways.” Alex winked.
    Thomas laughed, nudging their knees together as he turned sideways to better face Alex. “Sorry.”
    “Yeah, like I said, I'm getting a house here in town. I didn't want to put in too much effort here before I move,” Alex told him. He was jiggling his leg slightly, as if nervous. That was damn rare; his nerves were usually steady and hidden behind some professional expression.
    He was nervous about talking to Thomas? Curious.
    “So you're putting down roots now ?” Thomas half-smiled. “You're not running away to the big city again?”
    Alex scratched his throat and rubbed a thumb along his chin. He watched Thomas closely before picking up his own glass of water. “Like I said, my priorities are changing. I know I sort of... dumped you and ran, and that was a cowardly thing to do. But I'm not looking for the same things as I was back then.”
    “Hot sex and a guy who'd hold your hand in public?”
    Alex hesitated before chuckling. He looked sheepish. “Actually, yeah, both of those things. But I want... more than that, too. What are you looking for? What have you decided on while I've been away?”
    Thomas sipped from his water glass to stall answering. He had a pretty firm idea, as with everything in life, but he wasn't sure if it would send Alex running.
    “A relationship. Something steady and long-term. I want to date a guy who's in this city for good, or at least for the next ten years. I don't want to be uprooting my life here to chase after someone just blowing through town.”
    Alex nodded slowly.
    “And someone I like and trust, not just someone I have chemistry with.”
    “Do I meet those requirements?” Alex asked. His fingertips were white around the nails, like he was gripping his water glass hard.
    Oh, fuck. He's... interested in my answer. And maybe me?
    “You're serious?” Thomas asked, frowning. “This isn't just to try to... I don't