Page 36 of Keeping Kyle

“An announcement with a side of brotherly harassment. I like it.”

We positioned ourselves so we were close. I held the phone out while Austin held up a plate of food. Once we settled on the perfect look, we smiled and I snapped the picture.

He looked brilliant—bright eyes, sweet smile. We appeared much more relaxed than we had at the auction.

I showed him the pic.

“Damn. We’re a good-looking couple.”

We burst out laughing.

“We are kind of cute,” I said once we settled down. “Do you want me to tag you?”

“Go for it, and then I’ll repost too. Might as well do it at the same time.”

I typed, the right words coming easily. Austin and me about to eat Mom’s famous lasagna. That’s right, Bobby, I got a pan of lasagna and you didn’t. Tell Seb I’m sorry you guys aren’t eating as well as we are. #bejealousbrother #mealwiththeboyfriend #momhomecooking

I tagged Austin in the photo. I didn’t tag Bobby or Seb. I wanted them to stumble onto it because it’d be all the sweeter.

“Alright. It’s out there. I’ll bring the food to the couch while you do the repost.”

He started on his post as I carried plates. Meeting Mom and announcing on Insta. That was a double whammy. I hoped it wasn’t too fast. Or that I’d made a bad choice. I liked him so much. Still, many things could go wrong. For now, I wanted to enjoy it though.

He turned his phone to me when I got back. Got to meet the boyfriend’s mom today. She gifted him with homemade food. It’s a great date night. #meettheparents #mealwiththeboyfriend #momhomecooking

“Nice.”

“I borrowed a couple hashtags. I hope that’s okay.”

“Of course.”

He put his phone next to mine on the counter. My only reaction, which I wasn’t sure he saw, was to smile. I grabbed a couple beers from the fridge, and we padded into the living room. We’d both ditched out shoes when we’d gotten here, and Austin had hung up his sport coat along with his overcoat.

“Cheers. Thanks for a wonderful day.” Austin held out his bottle and I clanked mine against it.

“You’re welcome. It’s been great.”

We drank and then attacked the food.

“My God,” Austin said, “you didn’t do this justice. It’s incredible.”

He immediately took another bite.

“It’s difficult to savor. I have to pace myself because it’s so yummy I just want to devour it.”

With the good food, talking took a back seat. I enjoyed stealing glances as Austin ate. I swear, even though I’d picked him up hours ago, he continued to relax more. It made me comfortable that he was so comfortable, neither of us tiptoeing around each other. At least the immediate aftermath of labeling our relationship wasn’t regret.

After two helpings, which was about half the tray, we called dinner done. As we put things away and cleaned up the kitchen, my phone vibrated with a text from G.

“This is either going to be congrats or giving me hell.” I held the phone between us so we could read.

Congrats. Loved that post so much. And it’s not nice to taunt Bobby like that.

I sent back a heart emoji and one with its tongue stuck out. I tapped over to check Insta.

Austin checked his too. “Wow. So many likes and nice messages.”

“Me too, from teammates, fans, and Mom, although she also told me not to harass Bobby. He’s yet to weight in.”