“I told him I love him,” David blurted out.
“Holy fuck!” Rhett cried. Thankfully they were still stopped; David had visions of Rhett swerving across lanes, his reaction was so loud. “Are you serious?”
David nodded.
“And?”
“And what?”
“Did he say it back?”
David bit his lip but nodded. His cheek muscles were getting strained from how much he’d been smiling the last two days.
He loved Farzan.
And Farzan loved him.
Fuck, what was he going to do?
Long distance would suck, but they could make something work. And some small, unrealistic part of him still wanted to ask Farzan to come with him. He knew Farzan wouldn’t, couldn’t, not with Shiraz Bistro and all his family there, but David couldn’t help imagining their life in California. Sunshine and palm trees and sunsets at the beach. A little condo they could share.
They finally (finally!) made it onto the highway. David could see the synapses firing behind Rhett’s eyes as he processed the news.
“I’m really happy for you,” he finally said, voice a tiny bit pinched.
“Yeah? Then why do you sound like I kidnapped your dog?”
“First of all, you know Titus is too lazy to get kidnapped. And the LA weather has made him even lazier.”
David snorted. Titus was Rhett’s dog. He didn’t know how long Chihuahua mixes were supposed to live, but Titus had to be pushing twenty-five. All dogs were good dogs, but that didn’t mean all dogs werecutedogs. Titus always looked like he was getting ready to eat your shoes and then vomit them back up. Which he had only done to Rhett a few times. Four, maybe five.
Last year.
“Second,” Rhett continued. “I’m not going to say I’m jealous, but I am willing to admit my dating life has taken a hit since moving here.”
“You? Really?” Back in Chicago, Rhett was famous for the never-ending parade of pole and hole that always had him mired in some drama and nearly late for a shift.
Rhett shrugged. “I’m getting older. And it turns out managing a new restaurant is an exercise in frustration.”
“Sorry,” David said.
“Don’t be. Soon you’ll be in the shit right with me. Misery loves company and all that.”
David didn’t know what to say to that. Yeah, he’d be glad to help, and yeah, he knew it would be a lot of stress, getting Shyla’s place up and running, building a list that would put their wine program on the map.
But he was going to miss how chill everything was at Aspire. How his colleagues did their jobs with a smile. How Jeri teased him but was always happy to see him. How she and Kyra had bullied him into having a social life again, meager though it was.
This was the job, though. This was what he’d signed up for, worked toward, sacrificed for.
“Okay. You want lunch first, or you want to go see the restaurant?”
David’s body wanted lunch, but it was barely past ten a.m. on the West Coast. “Restaurant first.”
“Great.” Rhett turned on his blinker. “After lunch we can drive around the valley so you can get some ideas about where you want to live. Or you can always rent in my building. Pretty sure I get a referral, actually. Titus needs a new dog bed.”
David laughed. “What, are there no bridges for him to hide under?”
“Are you calling my dog a troll? I’ll have you know, if he’s any mythical being, he’s a dronkey.”
