IstraightenedwhenIspied two cars pulling up to my house. Barron, Eden, and Sofia hopped out of one car, and Ryan and Gabe came out of the other.
Barron's other groomsman, Travis, couldn't get the time off work, so Ryan invited his boyfriend along to even the numbers.
Eden and Barron. Ryan and Gabe.
Simon and Sofia.
My blood sang at the thought.
"Hey, guys. You made it." My smile was for everyone, but my eyes ate Sofia up. She was wearing skin-tight leggings and a loose purple tank top. I could see a black sports bra underneath. I never knew sports bras could look so sexy. Her hair was in a single French braid, showcasing her tinged pink cheeks and graceful neck.
I shook hands with Ryan and Gabe before hugging Barron and kissing Eden on the cheek.
"I've never seen your house," Barron commented as he gazed at the duplex.
I frowned, wracking my brain. Surely not. I could've sworn that Barron had seen my place at least once.
"Shit, you're right," I realized. I shook my head in disbelief. "Well, hopefully, you'll come over more often after this weekend. You and Eden."
Barron gave me a long look before nodding. "I'd like that."
"So, are we about ready to go?" Ryan asked, his arm around Gabe's shoulder.
"Um, yeah, I think so. I'm all packed up. Do any of you need the bathroom?"
At their chorus of no's, I jingled my keys with a dazzling smile. "Then let's hit the road. Everyone got the location in their GPS? You can follow me if you're unsure. I've made this trip loads of times."
As everyone started to move towards their respective vehicles, their excited energy at the prospect of a relaxing weekend away buzzed around them. It was contagious and gave me just enough confidence to stop Sofia with a cheeky ask.
"Sof." The casual shortening of her name rolled off my tongue. She turned to regard me with a raise of one delicate brow. I swore I could see her fighting off a grin.
"Since everyone has a travel buddy, care to ride with me?"
I could sense the other's enthralled curiosity as Sofia stood there with her head tilted, seemingly considering my offer.
I flashed her my best luring smile, attempting to appear unaffected but internally willing her to accept. Being in a confined space for an hour with the delectable Sofia was an offer I couldn't resist making.
Sofia's lips twitched, and I had no doubt she saw through my choir boy pleading eyes. "Can I control the music?"
Yes, fucking yeah!
I shrugged nonchalantly even though my insides were rejoicing in the small victory. "Sure, thing." I wagged my finger at her. "No cheesy pop music, though," I teased.
She shrugged. "Hmm...fine." She opened the back door of Barron's Ford Explorer and bent to grab her bag from the floor.
I high-fived myself as I went around to open the passenger door for her.
I could see Eden murmur to Sofia as she sent examining glances my way. Sofia paused to listen, nodding along before replying, gesturing with her hands. Whatever she said seemed to satisfy Eden. She glanced back at me with a sly smile and waved goodbye before opening her passenger door.
I reached out to grab her bag and popped it into the back seat. "Can't stay away from me, huh?" I winked.
Sofia rolled her eyes before caressing the roof of my car. "Don't flatter yourself. I've had my eye on riding this Tesla since I first saw you in it."
I tossed my head back and laughed.
"Yoo-hoo! Simon, dear!"
Francine came bounding up my driveway, a blue container in her hands. I had told her that I was going away for the weekend, and she offered to keep an eye on the place while I was gone. Wholly unnecessary, given the low crime rate in our neighborhood, but she was eager to play the role of a curtain twitcher.
