/>“Most of them are from one angel plant that lost control. I have a bunch of cacti.” He watched Shawn start another equation. “If I had a couple of brightly painted benches, they’d be a great place to set some of my plants.”

Shawn smiled at the page. “I think so,” he agreed.

Ryan was seriously questioning his own reasoning considering the whole no sex on the first date thing. “Have you been in a serious relationship?”

“I had two boyfriends,” Shawn said, pen flowing smoothly across the paper. “Both of them were in college. We broke up right before graduation, and ever since then, I’ve been dating less and less. I’m not very good with people. It’s hard to meet them, it’s hard to talk to them, it’s hard to get them to want to see me ever again. I’ve become sort of a hermit.” He absently dragged his thumbnail across his forehead, and Ryan wondered if touching his forehead instead of his temple signified anything. “I haven’t gotten laid in years.”

“Years?” Ryan asked. He was more shocked that Shawn had brought up the subject, than at the amount of time.

“What about you?” Shawn asked, moving on to his second sheet of paper.

“I’ve had a few boyfriends,” Ryan said. “Eleven of them, but the last one was two years ago. I’m bad at dating, because unless I’m at work or Tim’s house, I don’t like to leave my apartment. I got laid four months ago, but I didn’t respect myself in the morning.”

“Top?” Shawn asked.

“Bottom,” Ryan said, wondering if anyone was eavesdropping.

Shawn smiled at his equation. “Good.”

…

By the time both sides of every sheet in the stack had been scribbled over, the restaurant was closing. They’d easily and openly discussed Shawn’s college years, Ryan’s cosmetology school experiences, Shawn’s students, Tim and Paul, why Shawn hated apartment living, why Ryan should move to a house, every episode of last season’s ‘Law and Order,’ why ‘Law and Order’ would always be found on some channel somewhere, why Shawn loved classical music, why Ryan hated jazz music, and what Ryan wanted to do to Shawn’s hair.

Shawn continued to sound genuinely interested in Ryan, asking pertinent, curious questions. Occasionally he slipped into a teasing, flirtatious tone that Ryan found to be a rare, tantalizing treasure. He was a warm person, open and relaxed. Ryan was crazy about him.

After their last warning by the waitress, Shawn recapped the pen and pulled out his wallet, leaving money on the table. “We should probably go.”

“Yeah,” Ryan agreed reluctantly. Next time, they’d eat at an all-night diner. “Thanks for dinner,” he said, getting up.

“You’re welcome,” Shawn said, giving Ryan a nervous smile and putting his hands in his pockets. “Thank you.”

Already, Shawn was regressing, right in front of his eyes. Ryan said good night to the waitress and walked outside with Shawn. When they reached his car, he said, “I’d like to see you again. Why don’t we meet for a movie first next time?”

“I, okay,” Shawn said, rubbing his temple, looking over Ryan’s shoulder.

“How’s Tuesday?” Ryan asked. “We can meet outside the Plex at six.”

“Okay,” Shawn said. “Six o’clock.” He raised his hand again.

Ryan caught it before he could reach his temple. Gently, he uncurled Shawn’s fingers, threading his