I turn, smile at him, and nod. Theo bounces over to me and wraps his arms around me, pulling me into what can only be described as a bear hug. I return his ridiculously comforting embrace. Besides Stefan, Theo gives the best hugs in the world.
“I hope you don’t mind me borrowing your boyfriend,” I say to Preston, who came into the kitchen with Theo.
“Nope. I’m always happy to loan him out to anyone who’s in need of hugs.”
Theo’s cheeks go bright red. He dips his chin and fusses at the puppy ears and collar he wears whenever he’s in the house. “Hendrix says we’re playing Never Have I Ever.”
“Yes. With mocktails. Rory and Fraser have gone to buy things to make them,” I explain.
I look past Theo and Preston. Hendrix is leaning against the doorframe, arms loosely folded, a satisfied expression on his face. I imagine he’s pleased with himself for managing to get everyone to agree to play the game.
Between the four of us, we find some glasses and set them out on the breakfast bar. We also get some snacks together and put them in bowls. By the time we’re done, Rory and Fraser have come home. Rubin is with them, so I assume they met up on their way here. As well as ingredients, Rory has also bought a couple of drink shakers.
“Someone needs to be on washing-up duty,” he says. “And I need someone else to slice lemons and strawberries.”
“I’ll wash up,” Theo says.
“I’ll slice,” Fraser says.
“What do you want the rest of us to do?” Preston asks.
“We get to relax and look pretty,” Hendrix decides, taking a seat.
Rory rolls his eyes but doesn’t assign any of us a job. Within minutes, he’s concocted the first mocktail and is shaking it up.
“Can you do tricks?” Theo asks. “Like in films?”
“Like this?” Rory picks up the second cocktail shaker and rotates it three hundred and sixty degrees around his thumb.
Hendrix yawns.
Rory rolls his eyes and throws the full shaker over his shoulder. He taps it in midair, so it flips over, and then catches it behind his back with his other hand.
“Better,” Hendrix says.
“That was cool!” Theo says, bright-eyed.
Next, Rory tosses the shaker from one hand to the other. In the time it takes for the shaker to travel through the air, Rory loops his arm around the shaker, catching it from above instead of below. He throws it back to the other hand and then rolls it down the top of his arm, taps it with the opposite hand, and catches it as it’s rotated through the air. He adjusts his grip so he’s holding the base with his thumb and forefinger and then rotates it through the air in a figure-of-eight motion.
I stare at him, slack-jawed, as he does a few more tricks before finally emptying the contents of the shaker into two of the glasses. He hands the shaker off to Theo to wash up and starts making a different mocktail in the other shaker. He treats us to a similar display of cocktail shaker trickery. He makes enough drinks for us all, plus one spare. We each choose one of the brightly coloured mocktails and then sit around the table.
“I’ll go first,” Hendrix says. “Never have I ever been to university.”
It was a good thing I didn’t decide to cheat. I’m surprised he didn’t come up with a sexier statement. I’m sure he’ll get around to it. I sip my mocktail. It tastes fruity. Strawberry is the strongest flavour.
“This is great, Rory, thanks.”
Fraser gives him a thumbs up as he drinks some of his orange mocktail. Theo and Preston seem equally impressed with their purple mocktails.
Hendrix looks at Rubin, who’s sitting next to him. “Your turn.”
“Never have I ever had a speeding ticket.”
“You don’t drive,” I object.
Rubin shrugs. “So? It’s still true. I’ve never had a speeding ticket.”
No one drinks.
