"You would have?" Watts echoed. "Truly?"

"Oh," Watts smiled, clearly charmed by this. "I wondered what it would be like to kiss you within minutes of meeting you," he confessed. "Of course, I told myself such thoughts were- were improper, and I ought to confine my thoughts to hoping you'd be willing to be my friend."

"You captivated me," Watts reminded him. "It is perhaps shallow of me, but I did notice first how very handsome you were. And then you spoke and I began to understand how kind you were as well, and- " he broke off. "Well. I was sweet on you rather quickly."

"Only because I was quite convinced it was incredibly improper of me to even have such feelings," Watts pointed out. "Had I been in a better place emotionally, and in possession of more courage, I might have acted sooner in finding out what it was like to kiss you."

"Actively pursued you, for one," Watts said. "There were times when- when it seemed like what we were doing could be classified as a date. I would have made sure there was no ambiguity there." He tilted his head, looking at Steven carefully. "One of those times we met up for coffee, for example," he continued. "And then, while we were on said date. I might- wait until you had a bit of whipped topping or the like at the corner of your mouth. And naturally there would only be one way to be entirely certain it was taken care of..."

"Oh dear," Watts said, shaking his head. "It does appear as if you've got a little- hm. That won't do at all," he shook his head. And then he was leaning down, tongue darting out to take care of the results of that less-than-careful-sip before he got down to the business of a proper, if still somewhat short, kiss.

"Looking back, I understand, of course," Watts said gently. "You and I were both trying our best not to see romance, for different reasons. Perhaps in a perfect world things might have moved along quicker if we'd both been ready, but- I'm very fond of the way things are now, you know."

"Likewise, I'm grateful how patient you've been about how much of that- more- gets displayed in public," Watts told him.

"Thank you," Watts said, for both the caramel corn and the understanding.

"I can think of a good number of things beaus are for," Watts said, playful smirk dancing on his lips.

“Yes indeed,” Watts said, because while it wasn’t one of the things he’d been thinking of, it was true.

“Cooking with, reading with, taking walks with…” Watts listed off.

“Oh, naturally,” Watts agreed readily. “Essentially- most things are better in the company of one’s beau.”