“What? I thought you were speaking from experience.” Jamie just stares. “You weren’t? Oh. Um. I mean, of course you weren’t, because you’re amazing at every single thing you do.” Noah kisses his cheek. “Love you.”
I hear footsteps on the stairs. “Shit, I have to go.”
“Make sure you cradle his—” I hang up the phone.
The door opens and Sawyer steps through, freshly showered by the state of his damp hair. He’s been at the gym for a while with his friend. He looks around the room, at the sparsely scattered rose petals and candles lit on the table with my sad attempt at makingkhao soi.
Dishes are piled in the sink. There were so many fucking components to make this, but last week, when I brought up the idea of doing something nice for Sawyer to his friends, Hunterhad insisted I make this. I have no idea why. I had a hard time finding half the ingredients. Luckily, Cam and Bo helped me find a small Asian Mart and I found everything I was missing. Cam loves to cook, so he’s the reason this is even edible.
When I told Hunter I didn’t think I’d be able to make it, he insisted I try. Whatever. Maybe it’s Sawyer’s favorite. “Is thatkhao soi?” He takes in the petals on the floor. “Rose petals?”
“I would have gotten more, but they’re expensive.”
Sawyer smiles softly, looking at the table. My fingers twitch to scratch my balls, but I’m biting the inside of my cheek to stop myself. “Did you make all this from scratch?”
“For um, the most part. I bought the pickled cabbage and chili flakes from a market. I um... there are some other things I didn’t know how to make from scratch, but I had help.”
“From who?”
“Cam. He came over and helped me.”
“And the rose petals?”
“Noah’s idea. And Jamie’s.”
“You had my friends help?”
“I mean, yeah.” Fuck, I should have done this on my own. How pathetic is it that I needed help? “I mean, I should have done it alone.”
Sawyer loops his arms around my waist. “You asked my friends to help you. That’s sweet. This...” He swallows. “Let’s eat, yeah?” He clears his throat.
I watchSawyer across the table, silently using his chopsticks to place condiments into his stew. I take a bite of the chewy noodles. I was worried about them getting soggy while I waited,but they’re perfect. The broth is extremely rich and full of flavor. It’s delicious.
Thanks, Cam.
He takes a bite of chicken and looks at me, then sips some of the broth. Honestly, while Cam had a huge hand in helping me, I feel proud. “Jesus, Aiden.” He shakes his head, taking another bite. “This is crazy.”
“It’s not a great first attempt at romance.”
“What do you mean? It’s perfect,” he says softly, eating without looking at me. I sense something’s wrong.
“What’s wrong?”
He sets his chopsticks down and takes a drink of water. “My mother used to make this all the time. It was my favorite.” He grabs a piece of cabbage, eating it with a piece of chicken and shaking his head. “It’s amazing.”
“Can I assume it doesn’t taste like hers?”
He laughs, shaking his head. “It doesn’t, but my mother was an amazing cook. It’s what she loved to do more than anything—feed people and just be around family and friends. Realizing now how small her world must have seemed, I get why she always loved to do this for her customers. They were family to her.” He takes another bite. “Did Hunter tell you about this?” I nod. “He’s a good friend.” He bites his bottom lip.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t want to upset you.”
“Not upset. Just so happy. I guess I’m finally finding the light now. I miss her and she’s gone, but no one can take away the impact she had or the memories that are mine. I’ll continue to get little reminders. That feels nice. This feels nice. Not sad.” He brushes a stray tear from his face, and I shift in my seat. Fuck, it’s getting harder. I want to strip out of my skin. “What’s wrong?”
“Huh?”
“You haven’t stopped moving since you sat down.”
I sigh. “I um. I have an issue, and I’m trying really hard to ignore it so you can eat, but I’m dying.”
