His eyes light up as though he remembers something. “I know!” He grabs a couple of silver cocktail shaker tins from behind him on the shelf and picks up the scooper from the ice. Pouring some ice into one of the shakers, he looks up at me with excitement written all over his face.
“Okay, I got it. Press play.” He nods his head at me.
I do as he says, pressing play and positioning him in the frame.
Gabe goes off, tossing the cups into the air and catching the ice-mid throw. He pops one cup off the inner side of his elbow and simultaneously catches the other, full of ice. He does this a couple of times before throwing one of the cups behind his back and catching it with the other, again, mid-air. All the while, his black hair hangs in front of his green eyes, and he can’t stop biting his damn bottom lip.
He’s a total lethal weapon and I hate him for it.
“Okay, that’s good, I got it,” I call out, pressing stop on the camera.
A laugh slips out of his mouth as he catches it all in his hands.
Wooing and cheering erupt around the restaurant, and my lip curls.Of course,they’d eat it up. Of course, he’d bethatguy. Everyone looks at Gabe with awe, and I just feel… inadequate.
I quickly look around. Hopefully, Tobias missed that little show.
Thankfully, I see Tobias talking to a family of our regulars at a booth. He’s none the wiser as he throws his head back, laughing at something the mother says as the family looks at him with love and admiration in his eyes. Now, Tobias is a whole other type of energy. He never showboats or flashes how cool he is…he justis.People gravitate to him because he’s a loving and kind person with the aura of warmth and sunlight. It’s mesmerizing.
The dad lifts up his hand and tugs on Tobias’s arm as he laughs, as the little son and daughter scramble over each other to show Tobias the drawings they’ve both made. It’s the cutest thing.
Claire sighs beside me, awakening me from my blissful daydream. “To have someone stare at me like that.” She leans her back on the bar beside me.
“Do they always stare at each other like this?” Gabe laughs, collecting coasters off the bar.
“Yeah. Just thank your lucky stars it’s just their eyes all over each other right now. When they’re not staring, they’re doing much,muchworse.” She giggles, nudging my shoulder with hers.
“Hey,” I roll my eyes, but I can’t help but feel the heat rush to my cheeks. I avert my eyes from my hot, sexy boyfriend and turn into the bar, leaning my arms on the wood.
“I don’t judge. I would too.” He winks at me, wiping off the beer taps.
I squint my eyes.I don’t like the sound of that.
Suddenly, two hands close in around me on top of the wood. I immediately can feel his body heat surrounding me and his gorgeous scent engulfing my senses.
Fuck, I’m lucky.
“Every second away from you hurts.” He whispers in my ear.
I bite my lip and look back at him as he leaves his hand on the small of my back.
Heat darkens his eyes, and I feel a rush of need take over me.
“If you two are done eye fucking each other, my last table just left, and I need to be cashed out,” Claire shakes her billfold in our direction.
“Yeah, come on,” Tobias laughs, waving her over. He winks at me before leading her toward his office.
I stand there star-struck. How can he be so compelling?
“How long have you guys been together?” Gabe asks, crackingthrough my thoughts.
“Itfeelslike forever, but I guess there were a few messy years in the middle so…officially together for almost two years?”
He chuckles. “Seems like a lot of history between you two,” he says, wiping down the wood.
“Definitely. We were inseparable for a very long time all the way up until high school.” I explain.
Gabe nods his head. “Oh, right, right. The picture.”
