Adam looked away. “No, she had a trip.”
“Where to? I thought she wasn’t going away until after the wedding since it’s so close.”
“Yeah, me too. I was going to take her away next weekend. You know, do what you said and be all romantic and shit. I’ve just spent the morning canceling stuff and trying to get my money back.”
He looked so deflated, which wasn’t like Adam at all.
“Maybe we can all hang out next weekend at Lior’s place. He has a deck with a grill.”
“He? You mean you, as in you two.”
I laughed. “Yeah, I do. It’s not easy to think of his stuff as mine too. It’s too early.” I nodded to the mattress. We need to get back to work.
My mouth needed a filter. More than usual. It needed a filter for the filter.
By the end of the afternoon, we’d filled all of the containers, which would be collected during the week.
My parents came through on the pastry and refreshments front.
“I could eat these until I drop,” West said, stuffing a second pastél de nata in his mouth. “It must have been amazing growing up having them all the time.”
“You’d think, but the payoff was having to help out at the restaurant every weekend. Do you know how many miles you walk in a shift?” I asked.
He shook his head.
“Let’s put it this way. None of us has picked it as a career.”
“Apart from River,” Lex said, “because he’s a sucker.”
West rolled his eyes and moaned, looking at the cafeteria entrance. “Damn, Noah, that man of yours is more than chefs kiss.”
I turned around and watched as Lior walked toward us, his smile directed at me.
“Hey.” He greeted me with a kiss.
“Hey.”
“Swoon,” West said.
Drew hit him in the chest.
“What?”
Lior laughed. “How’s it been? I’m so sorry I had to pull out of helping at the last minute. I had to deal with something really important at the museum.
“It’s okay. You can massage my tired muscles later because they worked a double shift to make up for your absence.”
The look he gave me was a promise and more.
Dammit. And this was why my ass was permanently sore and I needed a massage to sort out my back.
“Are you ready to go home?” he asked.
“Sure.”
I was let out early for good behavior and got in Lior’s car.
On the way out of the city, I dozed off because I was so tired. He woke me as we arrived at the house.
