“You could see us dancing?” he asks, his cheeks flushing.
“I saw you.” The admission comes in a low voice. “You do stand out in a crowd.”
His back arches slightly as he leans forwards. Resting his elbow on the table, he lifts a closed hand beneath his chin. “Always have, my lovely. Always will.” Despite the subtle drama of his posture and the arrogance of his words, his tone holds neither pride nor pleasure. He almost sounds resigned to his conspicuous nature, even as the chosen elements of his appearance go out of their way to court attention.
“I have an idea,” Rodney pipes up from the far side of the table. “Toni, you should bring Ned to our engagement party next month, as your plus one.”
Toni stiffens beside me. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Ned and I have only been seeing each other for a couple of weeks.”
“Has it been that long?” I tease, eager to watch him squirm. “Sometimes, it feels like mere minutes, doesn’t it?”
He sends a toothy smile my way. “Being with you does make the time fly.”
With a quiet chuckle, I look back at Rodney and Leif, who observe our exchange with avid interest. “How long have you been together?” I ask, hoping to shift the focus to them.
“Two amazing years,” Rodney gushes. “In fact, we got engaged on our second anniversary. We did the climb to the top of the Story Bridge. It was such a gorgeous night, with the lights of the city spread out beneath us. Then Leif got down on one knee and asked me to marry him.” He gazes adoringly at the man beside him. “It was super romantic.”
Leif puts an arm around him. “Only the best for you, baby.”
They fall into a kiss. It lasts a while. There’s plenty of tongue. I turn my head to look at Toni. He’s watching his friends with a pinched expression. He glances at me out of the corner of his eye before gesturing at them with a casual hand. “They’re very much in love.”
My eyebrows lift. “Apparently, so.”
“I found out about the engagement earlier this week,” he adds. “That’s when it popped out. My confession… about us.”
“Ah, I see.” Jealousy over someone else’s relationship is a piss poor excuse for lying to people about the state ofmylove life, but at least I get how it happened now. “You were overcome by the romance of it all?”
“Exactly.” Toni thrusts his hand back into mine on the table before clearing his throat. “Boys, do you mind?”
We wait while Rodney and Leif release each other’s tonsils long enough to drag their attention back to us. Once they’ve had time to take note of our joined hands, Toni turns to me. “Thank you for meeting us tonight, Ned. Rodney was excited to meet the lead singer of his favourite band. I know you’re probably tired after your performance, so if you need to go…” He trails off there, obviously expecting me to take the out and ditch him as quickly as possible. Which I may have done if I didn’t need to collect on his freshly spawned debt.
“I can’t leave yet,” I assure him, keeping hold of his hand. “We still need to firm up our plans for next weekend.”
His eyebrows lift and he glances uncertainly at our audience of two. “Which plans are they again?”
“For the Autumn Skies Music Festival in Byron Bay. Fifth Circle is playing there next weekend, remember? I told you about it on our lastdate.” I add some subtle emphasis at the end. “You promised to come with and keep me company.”
Toni looks at me blankly. “I… um… when is it again?”
“We leave early next Saturday morning,” I tell him. “The performance is on Sunday afternoon and then we’ll drive home Sunday night. I have your ticket. All you need to do is pack a bag and be ready when I pick you up.”
“Right.” His nod implies he’s heard all this before. “It must have slipped my mind.”
“It’s a good thing I’m here to remind you.” I slide closer to him on the seat, lowering my voice. “After all, you do owe me one.” I allow my gaze to slide sideways to Rodney and Leif. “It’s time to return the favour.” The implication is clear. If he wants me to continue playing along, he’ll need to play along, too.
“Of course, I’m coming.” He lifts his hands to my cheeks, his lips smiling even as he pins me with a glare. “I can’t wait.”
Rodney grins in delight. “I cannot imagine you at Autumn Skies, Toni. I’ve heard it gets pretty wild down there.”
“It sure does.” Having extracted his promise, I can’t help but enjoy his reluctance. “But it’s great, as long as the weather holds. If it rains,” I grimace at his spotless and stylish clothing, “things can get pretty muddy.”
“Mud?” He blanches before recovering with a small laugh. “How fun.” Sliding out of the booth, he stands up. “On that note, I need another drink. Ned, can I get you anything?”
Rodney jumps up from his seat as well. “I’ll come with you.”
After Leif and I make our drink requests, Toni heads for the bar, with Rodney on his heels. I take a moment to appreciate the grace of Toni’s movements and the subtle lines of his lean form. The sight of him alone is enough to calm the thrum in my veins. His presence is sure to keep me in check next weekend, even if nothing sexual happens between us. He really is that pretty.
“So, Ned, what’s the real story between you and Toni?”
