I grip Lie’s shoulder, making sure he knows he can stay with Cash for a few minutes, and I return to work. I keep an eye on Ben as I move back to the customers waiting for drinks. He’s still lingering around the bar, maybe waiting to be served.
Sam looks at me, and I give him a subtle shake of the head. This man doesn’t get a drink. He’s volatile without alcohol. I’m definitely not condoning alcohol right now. Something that’s probably going to set Ben off further.
Lie stays close to Cash, and I keep Ben in my peripheral vision until he gets back on stage. Only then does Lie allow himself to attend to patrons farther from his best friend.
After a while, Lie slides up beside me as he pours a beer from the tap to my left.
“Are they like that at home?” I ask.
He sighs. “Yeah. I’m afraid for Cash. I keep thinking that if he continues to push Ben, it’s going to escalate into a physical confrontation. It never has before, but… I swear, Ben is unraveling.”
“I’m glad Cash sticks up for himself. What about their parents?”
Lie shakes his head. “I don’t know. They definitely don’t condone Ben’s behavior and put a stop to it, but they worka lot. They’re not home as often as they were when Cash and Ben were younger, believing them to be adults and able to function as such.” He gives me a dubious smile.
Our conversation pauses as he taps someone out and hands over their drink. He takes the next order and moves beside me again to mix it up. I’m enjoying watching him. He’s come into his own. I know by the mixture of ingredients—that he doesn’t have to look up—that he’s making a Cosmo.
“You’re doing really well, Lie,” I tell him.
His dark eyes meet mine with a soft smile. “Yeah?”
“Very.”
He sighs. For just a second, everything around us falls away, and it’s only the two of us. Warmth surrounds us. My heart beats in my ears. My hand raises to touch him.
“There are my two favorite guys.”
Nason’s voice snaps me out of the moment, and I catch my breath for another reason entirely. Fuck. Did he just see the way I was looking at Lie? This time, the pulse in my ears is loud because I’m waiting for Nason to lose his shit.
But he’s staring at me with a smile, his eyes moving between me and Lie. Lie’s naturally darker complexion is flushed. I can see the tint of pink on his cheeks. Is he feeling the same dread that I am?
“Hey,” I say, wiping the counter in front of where they take a seat. “What brings you in?”
“Wanted to see my son in action,” Nason says, winking in Lie’s direction.
Lie huffs. “It’s mixing drinks, Dad. I’m not performing heart surgery.”
“You’ve been here for two months. I think that’s worth celebrating. You don’t hate this job.”
Lie’s eyes flicker to mine, and I see him flush again. Those were words that he said to me practically verbatim the other night when he knocked on my door late.
“Lie, serve your parents,” I say, moving by him toward Cash. I’m carefulnotto touch him this time.
I keep them in the corner of my eye, waiting for some indication that they saw how Lie and I were looking at each other. I’m sure everyone saw it. I can’t help but wonder… if they saw it, does that mean they aren’t upset with the idea?
“They didn’t notice,” Cash says, and I raise my eyes to his. He’s giving me an amused but sympathetic smile.
“Notice what?”
He rolls his eyes and leans across the counter. “Are you going to pretend that Lie doesn’t tell me everything? I can keep up that façade if you like.”
I laugh under my breath. “They didn’t notice? How can they not?” I murmur.
“Some people see what they want to see, and they’re not expecting to see something between the two of you. So they didn’t see it.”
Fuck. I didn’t realize a well of hope had begun forming in my chest at the thought that maybe they’d seen and… approved? That’s unrealistic.
“I’m weirdly disappointed,” I admit.
