“Take a look, sweetheart. We have guaranteed privacy up here, since no one has access to the elevator other than the five of us.”
The view up here is something else. I can see for miles and as the sky is darkening, the city lights grow brighter.
“It feels like we’re tucked away in our own little world,” I murmur. “Thank you for this.”
“It was Iri’s idea, actually,” Micah tells me quietly.
I twist my head to where Iri is hanging back, an unfamiliar, almost uncertain expression on his face. If I had to guess, I’d say he’s not too sure if I’m still pissed from earlier.
But as much as it hurt for a moment, I understand what he was trying to do.
“Tell me one big thing and one small thing,” I call to Iri as I make my way to the table with Micah’s hand entangled with mine.
Iri sets to work uncovering the dishes and ladling food onto a plate that I just know is for me. He hands it over, and I can see it’s overloaded with all of my favorite things. I grab the plate with one hand and squeeze his fingers with the other, pressing a quick kiss to the back of his hand.
“I’ll start,” I tell him. “For my small thing, I think I could eat these little cheesy things all day, every day. Aaand for my big thing, today sucked donkey balls. I think maybe I’m not cut out for having friends.”
Dorian snorts. “Don’t worry about that. My mom and Cal’s sisters keep arguing about who’s going to end up being your BFF. They have a group chat and everything.”
I raise an eyebrow. “I’ve not met any of them, though. For all they know, I could be a raging asshole.”
“Yeah, well, Cal’s family has already unofficially adopted you. And that’s something you can’t get away from even if you wanted to. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself kidnapped and taken to their cabin in the mountains so that they can ply you with the best food you’ve ever eaten and tell you all the embarrassing shit he did as a kid.”
“We both did,” Cal counters. “You grew up with them, too. Don’t think you’ll get away with being fodder for their bullshit.”
Dorian’s smirk slips slightly, but he shakes it off. “Well, fuck. My mom also won’t shut up about you. I’m pretty sure she already likes you more than me.”
Cal snorts and Dorian chucks a bread roll at his head, which Cal catches in midair and promptly chomps in half.
“Thanks, man.” Cal grins and I find myself smiling at their antics.
“My one small thing and a big one,” Micah says, drawing everyone’s attention before a full food fight can break out. “I set myself a challenge to order a veggie burger from every place we’ve visited on tour, and I only have one place left to tick off. And I sometimes have these dreams about people I’m guessing were my family at one time, but I could just as easily be dreaming about someone I saw in a magazine or on the back of a bus.”
My chest squeezes despite his casual tone. “You don’t remember anyone from before?”
He shakes his head. “Maybe I did when I first got here and I’ve forgotten, or maybe I didn’t have a past to remember. Who knows?”
The conversation shifts to more general topics as the five of us decompress and relax together. Somehow, they’ve brought the same cozy atmosphere up onto this rooftop as we shared in the cabin.
A few hours later, I’m full and content, sitting back in the comfort of Cal’s lap as he gently massages my feet. I feel boneless and so relaxed, I could melt into a puddle. Then he presses a slow, deliberate kiss to my neck and another as his fingers slide up my calf and along to my thigh. I let out a soft moan that has him shifting underneath me.
“I'm gonna head out and check on a few things,” Iri says, getting to his feet.
I open my mouth to tell him to stick around, but he’s already gone before I can get the words out.
Glancing at the others, I cock an eyebrow. “Is he okay?”
“Who the fuck knows? We have a clear day tomorrow, then a bunch of PR shit the next couple of days, I’d guess the cat’s out the bag about us being in town so he’s probably checking in to see if security is up to the job this time around,” Dorian replies.
“But you don’t have to worry about any of that,” Micah says. “It feels like it’s about to start raining again. How about we warm up in the hot tub?”
Hell yes.
Since none of us have swimwear at the ready, we all strip down to our underwear. I glance down at my bra and briefs and consider whipping them off since they’re likely to get ruined by the chlorinated water. But then the thought of my bare ass touching the communal hot tub makes me reconsider.
Dorian scoops me up and dumps me into the hot water before I can climb in. I shriek as water splashes everywhere, any lusty thoughts thoroughly doused in place of semi-murderous ones.
“Asshole,” I mutter, but there’s no heat to my words. He chuckles, wrapping his arms around me from behind, pulling me into his lap.
