From then on, my focus was shot. I barely kept up with his parents’ droning, my mind far too occupied with the very firm presence against my backside.
I needed an entire week with my headphones and a fully stocked kitchen to mentally recover, alongside some serious alone time to eradicate the pulse between my thighs which felt ever present since I moved in, and now, after that kiss, was aching.
“Hey, so sorry I’m late,” I said, plonking into the last spare seat as the table fell silent.
“What?” I asked, wondering what the heck I’d interrupted when all the attention fell to me in a mix of horror, irritation, curiosity and giddy anticipation.
Felicity, the irritated goddess desperate to peer inside my mind, looked from Marlee to Arna to Winter before flattening her hands on the table. “I’ll take this one then, shall I?”
“Take what?” I feigned ignorance, discreetly hiding my left hand under the table because I knew it would piss her off moreand there was something about the little fire behind her eyes that begged me to see how long it took her to flip her lid. She never could handle when people didn’t just speak their mind.
“Three questions – total,” I clarified, my eyes scanning the entree list as if I wasn’t about to be ambushed.
“Are you serious?” Flick gasped, a second before I realised my mistake in holding the menu.
“Is that your first question?” I challenged with a smirk as all eyes fell to the large emerald sitting on my ring finger. And let the show begin.
“I just can’t…” Arna started before falling silent.
Aggressively twisting my hand from side to side, Felicity was open-mouthed gaping. “Evangeline Micallef, this-is-a-vision.” She admired at a volume loud enough to be heard a suburb over.
“I just can’t picture it,” Arna chimed, reaching for my hand and tugging it towards her.
“That is actually attached to me,” I huffed, casting a glance at Marlee who was suppressing her anticipation and what I knew to be curiosity.
“I need to see you guys together. When can we go out?” Arna dropped my hand before gesticulating wildly as if wiping the air clean. “Wait, that’s not one of our questions.”
“Does anyone else find him kind of terrifying? As in, we all know he’s easy on the eyes and that whole whiskey thing is super-hot, but I want to know how he is withyou. Surely, Seb lost his shit when he found out.” Flick babbled rhetorically and I exhaled in exasperation.
“He was definitely shocked,” Marlee said with raised brows. “But I can only imagine how he’s going to react when he sees the size of that bad boy.” She pointed at the hand I was massaging with my other after it was nearly detached by these savages.
“You guys are so dramatic. Have you ordered?” I attempted feebly.
“Nice try, Evs.” Winter said, scanning the QR Code in thecentre of the table. “I think they would rather starve than miss this podcast. I’ll order food for the table while you share.”
“Preferably over-share,” Arna chimed.
“I’ll eat anything, but I need a Fruit Tingle, please and thanks.” Flick shot at Winter before turning back to me as if I held the answers to life's greatest questions.
“Wait, do they have Fruit Tingles?” Win asked.
“Of course, babes. I wouldn’t have suggested coming here otherwise.”
“What did Seb say after we left the other night?” I asked Marlee, interrupting before Flick forced us all to order a cocktail and I was left with a hangover.
“You know what he’s like.” Marls flicked her wrist dismissively. “Asked me my thoughts and then distracted me when I tried to ask for his.”
“Distracted you with handcuffs?” Arna asked, eliciting a laugh from the girls and a gag from me.
“Gross!” I mumbled, erasing that thought from my brain immediately.
“Can’t say I’m surprised. It’s his best-mate and his sister,” Winter postulated, still making selections on the digital menu.
“Brother’s best-friend,” Felicity and Arna blurted at once, before they both chortled.
“You guys are a romance novel waiting to be written. Winter, you should take notes,” Arna said, only half joking and I shook my head, unable to prevent the smile.
Imagine how they’d respond if they knew he’d almost made me smell the colour red from just a kiss.
