NowQuentin smiled, a genuine smile, and it showed that one of his incisors was chipped. He had an almost wolfish smile. Joel’s stomach twisted again. He wished it would stop doing that.
Their main courses arrived. It was good food, and they ate quickly without talking anymore.
Joel was calculating when he would be able to escape from lunch, and how soon was too soon for him to leave, when his phone vibrated with a message:
Shiv the Shark:Get a selfie with him. We’ll post it to your socials.
He rolled his eyes. “Shivonne says we need to get a selfie.”
Quentin looked pained. “Is the paparazzi photo not enough?” He looked over his shoulder. “Have youseenany paparazzi?”
Joel shook his head. “No, and I doubt we will. They’re good at hiding.”
They were done with their meal. Quentin sighed dramatically. “Fine. Let’s get a selfie. Give me your phone.”
Joel clutched his phone. “No. I’ll take it.”
“My arms are longer.”
“And I’m better at taking photos.”
Quentin raised an eyebrow. “How do you know?”
Joel huffed. “I just do.”
“Jeez. You’d make a great lawyer.”
Before Joel could stop him, Quentin whipped out his phone, turned in his chair, and snapped a selfie of the two of them. Joel was sure he looked absolutely horrible in it.
“Hey!” Joel protested. “Delete that.”
Quentin was grinning and typing on his phone. “Too late, I just posted it to my story.”
“Oh, my god.” Joel stuck out his hand. “Let me see.”
“I’m not giving you my phone. You’ll just delete the photo.”
Ah, so he was smarter than he looked.
“At leastshowme.”
Quentin pulled up the picture on his story, and Joel felt vaguely nauseous. “I look terrible.”
“You look fine.”
“I lookterrible.”
Quentin grinned. “You really don’t.”
“Take that downimmediately.Mymouthis open.”
“Generally, a requirement when you’re smiling, isn’t it?”
“I’m not smiling. I’mgaping.”
Quentin let out a genuine laugh. He had a rich, deep laugh, which surprised Joel. It was the laugh of an older man than Quentin really was. “I’m only taking it down because you used the word ‘gaping,’ and I hate that,” Quentin conceded. He tapped a few times on his phone. “There. It’s deleted. But, like, nine hundred people already saw it and probably took screenshots, too.”
“Ugh,” Joel said. He stood up. “Okay, come here. We’re taking a photo.I’mtaking a photo.”
