I stop to hunt down the owner of the familiar voice, which is a feat considering how dark Guido keeps this place.
“Ten?”
I hear one of his friends—Archie—whisper, “Dude…”
Archie’s a very blond and very soft-spoken guy, the sort who’d be shocked by such a forward comment. Bolt, on the other hand, is the exact opposite. Dark hair, dark skin, and incredibly outspoken. He was class president several years in a row.
I amble over to their table, smiling. “You don’t have to pretend to like it.” I spy empty plates piled high with fire-browned crusts. “What did you think of the pizza?”
“It was almost as good as the ones back in New York.” I’m sure Ten’s saying this to rile me. Pizza in New York can’t possibly be better than the puffy yet thin dough here.
“You guys knew this place, right?” I ask his friends.
“I come here with my grandma once a week,” Archie says.
I can totally picture him bringing his grandma here.
“I’m a regular, too. My girl’s obsessed with their cheesy bread,” Bolt says.
“Ooh. It kicks butt here,” I gush.
Ten cocks his head toward my table, which he can see over the partition separating the booths. How I didn’t see him is beyond me. Then again, I wasn’t looking around.Andit’s dark.
“How’s the double date?” he asks.
I look away from where I should be sitting. “Awesome.”
He tilts his head to the side. “Really?”
I can sense his friends looking at us.
“Okay. No, it sucks.” I perch on the edge of the booth next to Ten. “You think I can hide out here until the check comes?”
Ten grins as though he’s so damn happy I’m having a crap time.
“How was your track meet?” I ask.
“You’re looking at number one, two, and four,” Bolt announces.
“Whoa! Which one of you won?”
Ten tips his glass of Coke toward Bolt. “Where do you think this guy got his name?”
I grin. “Congrats, Bolt. Who came in second?”
Archie palms his hair. “Unfortunately, not me.”
I elbow Ten. “Nice. We’re going to have to find you a nickname now.”
Ten chuckles.
I catch Mike scanning the aisle that leads to the bathroom, and then Rae’s turning around. I duck a little, but Rae and I are connected on some other plane, so I’m totally not surprised when she struts up to the divider and rests her forearms on top of it.
“Hey, Ten, Bolt, Archie.”
Archie goes red, which makes his blond eyebrows resemble crescent moons.
“Hon, did you lose yourself on the way back?” She’s smiling, so I know she’s not mad.
