“My point is, if you’re hungry… I’m just across the street fromthe bookstore. You could come to dinner whenever you wanted. If you wanted to.No pressure.”
“Thank you,” Max said. “I might just take you up on that.”
“It’s an entirely serious offer,” Connor said. “Anytime.”
He wanted to roll his eyes at himself for sounding so desperate,but… hewasdesperate. For company, for affection--even if it wasstrictly platonic--and for a friend.
As much as he wanted to be Max’s friend, he wanted Max to behisfriend, too.
Connor was just now coming to terms with how lonely he’d been.He’d barely noticed until he’d had the smallest taste of what it was like tohave someone in his life again, after so long working himself to death, andthen hiding away from the world.
“Feel free to use your fingers,” he said, pouring two glasses ofwine and passing one to Max. He’d set out plates and silverware, but he didn’twant Max to feel pressured to be polite.
“I can eat like a grown up,” Max responded.
Connor shrugged. “You can, but I have no intention,” he said,tearing off a chunk of garlic bread and putting it on his plate to cool. Thechicken and potatoes would take a while longer to be cool enough to eat, but hewas hungry now.
Besides, if Max saw him eating, he’d be less likely to hesitate.
Max took a chunk of garlic bread as well, hissing at the heat, butnot even pausing before he tore a smaller piece off and shoved it in his mouth.Connor watched him close his eyes as he chewed, happy noises rumbling deep inhis chest.
Connor squirmed in his chair, thrilled that he was making Maxhappy.
“So I’m thinking blues and creams with silver accents,” Connorsaid, sliding his laptop over to himself and opening it up. “This is supposedto be micro-budget, so I’m keeping it simple. Fake flowers, dollar store vases,lots of handmade details… I think it’ll be cute, but I want you to sign off onstuff.”
“I trust you,” Max said around a mouthful of garlic bread, loadingpotatoes onto his plate and eyeing the chicken off eagerly.
Connor pushed the cutting board it was on toward him, hoping toencourage him to justeat.
“I know, but I could use the reassurance that what I’m doing isn’thideous,” Connor said.
“You’re asking the wrong guy,” Max responded. “But show me whatyou’ve got?”
“Well, first of all, I want to do an all-in-one wedding andreception. I want people to get comfortable when they arrive, say our vows, andthen pick at breads, cold cuts, and cheeses. Maybe some fresh fruit and nuts,too. We’ll see how the budget goes.”
“Whatisthe budget?” Max asked.
“We have to keep it under a thousand dollars,” Connor said. “Butit still needs to be anicewedding, and picnics are nice.”
“Picnics are nice,” Max agreed. “I haven’t been on one of thosesince… wow. It has to have been ten years, almost? Zoe was only a kid. Dad wasstill alive.”
Connor made a soft, sympathetic sound, but Max didn’t seem toreact. He’d been wondering about Max’s dad, and that answered at least some ofhis questions. It seemed like the kind of thing he shouldn’t pry into just now.
Instead, Connor pulled up an image of a single flower in a smallvase. “I wanna keep the centerpieces simple, but I also… want more glitter thanthis. It’s a gay wedding. I feel like it needs glitter.”
Max chuckled, finally reaching out to tear a leg off the chicken.Connor smiled to himself, watching Max pick the perfectly-crisped skin off itand shove it in his mouth.
He looked like he was enjoying himself.
“I was thinking jeans and a button-down shirt for both of us. To,y’know, sell the casual thing. It’s the only way I can think of right now tomake a wedding this cheap this good. Also… a wedding cake is beyond my skilllevel, so unless you’re secretly a talented baker…”
“I can more or less put together a batch of muffins,” Maxresponded, picking apart his chicken leg eagerly. “But that’s my limit.”
“Yeah, so… I was thinking we could order a small cake to cut andthen a few dozen cupcakes with the same theme? I talked to Marcus, the baker,and he said that’d be cheaper. Also that he’d give me a discount for not makinghim make anything with multiple tiers.”
“Marcus is a good guy,” Max said. “I mean… I don’t know him superwell, but he’s been cool to me every time I’ve talked to him. He even gave me afew shifts at the bakery before I got the job in the bookstore.”
“People look out for each other around here, huh?” Connor asked.He’d noticed that everyone in Hope Springs tended to know everyone else, atleast in passing.
