Felix whined. “Seriously, it’s so bitter. How do you stand it?”
I raised a brow. “Well, there’s other bitter things thatyoudrink, so--”
Felix nearly yelped. I imagined the expression on his face right now. His cheeks were probably more red than my wine.
“Elijah, cut it out,” he whispered harshly.
I laughed. “If you say so.”
The aroma of our food caught my nose before I heard Martha’s steps approaching our table. It smelled so delicious that even River lifted his head. Unfortunately, we were in public and he was working, so he wouldn’t get any table scraps from me this time.
“Here we go.” The plates clinked against the table. “Roast duck for Felix, and the steak for Elijah.”
I inhaled the scent of my medium-rare steak and sighed in satisfaction. It was difficult for me to cook steak at home, and I’d missed sinking my teeth into a well-prepared slab of meat. Across the table, Felix’s duck was just as aromatic, with notes of garlic and spice glaze.
“This is wonderful, Martha,” I said. “Thanks.”
“Not a problem. Please let me know if you need anything, you two.”
“I hope your duck tastes as good as it smells,” I remarked to Felix.
“Yeah.”
I paused at the hint of uneasiness in his voice. “Is something wrong?”
“No,” he said quickly. “I’m gonna try it now.”
The clinking of his silverware didn’t lie. I let his tone slide and began to carefully carve into my steak when the sudden, sharp squeal of Felix’s chair against the floor startled me. His utensils clattered. He ran away.
“Felix?” I exclaimed.
I paused, not knowing what to do. Felix didn’t even say anything before bolting. What happened?
My pulse racing, I reached for River’s harness handle. He got up immediately and we moved down through the tables in the direction I’d heard Felix run in.
“Martha?” I called, hoping she was still around.
Her concerned voice came from my side a moment later. “Elijah? What’s wrong?”
“I don’t know,” I said. “Felix just ran off out of nowhere. Do you know where he went?”
She took a second to look around.
“He seems to have run to the men’s room,” she said beneath her breath.
“Is it still down the hall, to the left?”
“Yes.” Martha paused. “Do you need anything else? How can I help?”
I tried to smile, even though I was overwhelmed with concern for Felix right now. “No, thanks. I’ll call if I need you.”
“All right.”
When we reached the men’s room, I hesitantly pushed the door open and held it for River. Judging by the silence beneath the casual lounge music, nobody else seemed to be inside. At first, I didn’t even hear Felix and was about to call for him when I heard a sob coming from the furthest stall.
“Felix?” I asked. “Is that you?”
I would recognize his voice anywhere, even just from a choking noise, but I wanted to confirm before I barged in unannounced.
