All of a sudden, there’s another knock on the door. Claire rushes in, immediately stopping in her tracks. Thankfully, Elijah is standing in front of me, so Claire can’t see that my pants are still unzipped.
“Oh! Heyyy, Elijah.” Claire’s face immediately turns bright pink as her eyes dart between the two of us, taking in the scene. Elijah gives her a confident smile over his shoulder.
“Claire, um–” I quickly scramble to do up my pants zipper.
Dammit, that was louder than I expected it to be.
“Gabe’s still—” she stammers, pointing behind her.
“Right. Yup. Coming!” I cringe, brushing past her out the door. I look quickly behind me to give Elijah an apologetic face as I rush out.
He shrugs, not giving a care in the world. It’s what I love most about him.
“I really gotta get you to start knocking.” I laugh softly as Claire follows behind me.
“Uh, I did. I doeverysingle time." She giggles behind me."It’s not my fault that you two are like animals in heat.”
I smooth my hand through my hair. “Do I detect jealousy?” I laugh playfully.
“Yes. Yes, you do. Now hire me my own hottie and I’ll stop barging in on you and yours.” She winks, lightly shoving me towards the correct booth.
I shake my head, smiling as she walks off, and turn my attention back to Gabe, who’s staring down at his phone.
I feel bad that I’ve kept the poor guy waiting for so long. I met him last year, one night at the restaurant, after I was feeling low. His friendship came at just the right time since I was just talking to Jude about not having my own life. Gabe and I talked for a bit and even made plans to hang out sometime. But, Elijah did what Elijah does and became my whole world very quickly.
A rush of guilt comes over me when I realize the last time I spoke to Gabe, I left his message unanswered.
“Hey, dude!” He beams up at me, placing his phone down on the table. “Long time no talk.”
Okay, good. At least he doesn’t seem like he holds a grudge.
Truthfully, he doesn’t seem like the angry type. Judging by his arms covered in tattoos, his black, messy hair that hangs down in front of his green eyes, and his laid-back attitude, I feel like being mad isn’t his style, which is a relief.
“Hey. Yeah, I’m sorry we haven’t caught up.” I shake his hand, which feels weird but I guess that’s the standard in this type of scenario.
“Ah, that’s okay.” He waves me off. “Work gets nuts. Plus, I didn’t realize you were the owner of this place. That’s so cool!” He smiles, leaning back in the booth.
I slide in the booth across from him, clasping my hands on the top of the table. “Yeah, it’s a long story, but I’m basically part owner. My–”I look up to see Elijah striding through the dining room—shoulders back, chest firm, dark hair glistening in the sunlight streaming through the windows. Damn, is he a sight.
“Uh…Tobias?” Gabe lets out a small laugh, shifting in his seat.
I snap back to reality. “Shit. I’m sorry. Myboyfriend.He’s the other owner,” I say, nudging my head towards Elijah, who began talking to a guest at another table.
Gabe follows my eyesight. His lips part as he takes in my words. I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t still a little nerve-racking telling someone for the first time that I’m gay. It’s not like it’s anything to be ashamed of, nor is it anyone else’s business, of course. But, even now, it’s still taking some getting used to. It’s like a whole new identity of mine that I’ve unlocked. I recognize that I’m going to have to “come out” for the rest of my life and I guess…it’s an interesting feeling.
Gabe’s eyes scan me for just a moment and I hold my breath, waiting for his response.
He nods his head. “Unreal. It’s impressive you’re running a restaurant like this at such a young age...” he says, gesturing around him.
I laugh freely. Tension drops away from my shoulder. “Truthfully, I’m just maintaining what our dad built. He passed away last year and left us this restaurant. We’re just doing our best to keep it going. It means a lot to us.” I shrug.
His one eyebrow peeks in confusion. “‘Ourdad’?”
I can feel my face turning hot. “Not by blood—” I rush. “I was just really close to him growing up. He’s my dad…but, not by blood.” I mutter. “Wait…why are we talking about this?” I shake my head.
“Honestly, that was my bad. I have a habit of getting deep pretty quickly.” He cringes apologetically. We both start laughing now, which feels nice.
It’s only then that I notice a piece of paper in front of me, showcasing his past experiences and education. I slide it closer and give it a glance. It feels awkward with him watching me read, but I’d better do it: formalities and such.
