Pete snorts. “She’s like a kid in a candy shop.”
“There’s so many new things to try!” I explain with glee.
“I’ve never had any of this either,” Dex says, offering me a smile of support.
“I admit, most of this is new to me, too,” Pete confesses. “I’ve only been twice, and both times I ate chicken cutlets, noodles, and cheese wontons.”
“As I said,” Sly says, picking up a pair of chopsticks. “You could all use a little more culture. Here.” He places a roll on my plate. “Start with that.”
Pete nudges my knee under the table. “Bet you drop it.”
I give him a challenging glare as I try to mimic the way Sly’s holding the chopsticks. I pick up the roll and drop it halfway to the soy sauce dish. Pete laughs, Dex snorts, and Sly picks it up, making it look so simple as he places it back on my plate.
“Here,” he says, calm as ever. “Try again.”
I manage it this time, although it almost doesn’t make it. When I finally place it in my mouth and chew, a delicious burst of flavors fills my mouth. I moan in approval and cover my mouth. “That’s amazing.”
Dex grins. “I wanna try.” I watch as he tries to use the chopsticks, but it’s like his fingers are too big for them. Using my chopsticks, I pick up his roll and dip it in the soy sauce before moving it toward his mouth.
He smiles at me, and I can see the spark of joy in his eyes. He takes the roll in his mouth and chews. “Umm!” he humsin surprise before turning to me. “You’re right, that was delicious.”
Pete’s hand rests against my thigh under the table as he maneuvers his own chopsticks to try the different foods. After a few minutes, he points his chopsticks at a smear of green paste. “What’s that?”
“Wasabi,” Elias says. “Careful, it’s spicy.”
Dex scoops up a chunk with the end of his chopstick and sticks it in his mouth.
“Don’t—” Elias starts, but it’s too late. Dex starts coughing hard, and his eyes start watering as he grabs his cup of water and starts chugging it down.
Pete bursts out laughing. “You okay, Dex?”
Sly slides him a second glass of water, shaking his head. “He warned you.”
Dex chokes down a few more sips before he finally croaks out, “Totally worth it.”
I pat Dex’s arm, smiling. “Maybe less wasabi next time?”
He wipes his mouth. “You may be right.”
Elias shakes his head. “It’s like being with a bunch of kids.”
Pete looks up. “Who are you calling a kid? You’re the youngest one here, except for Wren, and you only have a few months on her.”
Elias frowns at him. “How do you know that?”
Pete grins. He offers him a shrug as he leans back in his seat, pleased that he has something over him. “A little birdie told me.”
Elias’s eyes shoot to mine. “You told him?”
I narrow my eyes on Pete. “Traitor,” I whisper before turning back to Elias. “Sorry, I didn’t know it was a secret. It came up when I told them about our childhood together.”
“It wasn’t a secret,” Elias says, his eyes softening the longer he watches me. Pete tosses a cheese wonton in the air and tries to catch it in his mouth, but it hits his cheek and tumbles into Sly’s lap. He sighs dramatically, as he quickly grabs it and tosses it away like it burnt him. It hits Dex in the chest, and he happily snags it up and throws it in his mouth, undisturbed by the fact that he just won the game of hot potato.Or did he lose?
“Like I said, you’re like a bunch of kids,” Elias says, shaking his head. “You’re wanted fugitives,” he whispers as he stares unamused at them. “And you’re sitting in public, drawing attention to yourselves.”
Sly meets his eyes. “I am doing no such thing.”
I try to ease the tension that’s starting to grow between my men and Elias. “The food’s really good,” I say quietly. “Way better than I expected.”
