I leaned into him, my cheek brushing his shoulder, and he exhaled like I’d knocked the breath out of him just by existing. His arm was around me, so casually public, respectable enough to be newlywed-perfect and romantic enough to mean more to the two of us.
If anyone knew what he looked like under the table, they’d call the police.
I didn’t. I was busy being happy.
“I swear,” Ivy said, pointing vaguely with her fork at nothing, “everything feels like agood idearight now.”
“That’s how you know it’s a bad one,” Kimi replied.
Lucy laughed too loud. “What if we all got tattoos?”
Silence.
Then Marco blurted, “I’d do it.”
Ivy gasped. “You would not.”
“I absolutely would.”
“Everyone says thatafterwine.”
“I say itbecauseof wine. Remember? Drunk and stupid. Perfect time to add to my sleeves.”
Someone saidmatching. Someone saidtiny. Someone saidabsolutely not matching.
I tilted my head back against Callum’s shoulder, staring at the low golden lights above us, the way they blurred at the edges like stars you couldn’t quite focus on.
Married.
The word still didn’t fit in my mouth. It was so permanent, so surprisingly off-track of what I’d pictured for my life.
I traced lazy circles on Callum’s thigh and felt him tense again, subtly controlled, like a man gripping the edge of a cliff and refusing to fall.
“Are you okay?” I murmured, genuinely concerned.
He laughed a little too fast and winked at me. “Never better.”
I smiled, satisfied, and stole another sip of wine that might not have been mine.
“I want something permanent,” Ivy announced. “Like…problematicpermanent.”
Lucy nodded solemnly. “Something we regret but secretly love.”
“Like my lower back tattoo,” I heard myself say, but my lips were numb and everything melted together.
Marco raised his glass. “To regret.”
“To love,” I added.
Callum kissed my temple. The table was louder now. Or maybe the world was softer. I wasn’t sure which.
I remember dessert plates, chocolate somewhere, honey on someone’s fingers.
I remember standing up and being surprised my legs worked.
I remember Callum’s hands on my hips as he kept me in front of him, awkwardly waddling through the restaurant, both of us laughing at nothing.
And then we were outside.
