“I’mnotgoing to cry.” I roll my eyes, even if for some strange reason I can’t stop smiling. “I need…” I let out a sigh. I have no idea what I need. “Pumpkin brioche.”
“You’re in luck. I got the last loaf in stock.”
“You lucky, lucky man.”
He laughs before his voice turns conspiratorial. “Come on. You know you want to.”
“You sound like a drug dealer.”
“So we know wine does it for ya, but autumnal snacks are also good contenders. Maybe fall consumerism in general.” There’s some static, and then the distinct sound of paper bags rustling. It’s so easy to imagine him bustling about in his kitchen, sorting through his assorted purchases and putting them away. So responsible. So adult. “I can light a pumpkin candle, if that’s the case.”
“I think you’re the one who’s a little too into fall.” I raise a brow even though he can’t see me.
“Oh, you have no idea,” he says. “Maybe you shouldn’t come over. It might get a little embarrassing for me.”
I grab my keys off the entry table. “Too late. I’m already on my way.”
But I have a feeling he already knew that.
21
Julian
I wasn’t lying about fall consumerism being my weakness. Two Bath & Body Works candles are lit in the living room and kitchen by the time Leti knocks on the front door, which is accented by a garland of faux autumn leaves. Her mouth drops open at her first look of the place, which is a little unfair given that I haven’t finished decorating yet.
“Welcome to my humble abode.” I throw out my arms and flash a grin.
“How does your apartment look so much better than mine?” She shoots me an accusatory look. “I know my brother. He’s not this clean.” She halts in her tracks, sniffing the air. It’s the most adorable she’s ever looked, but she’d cut me with a glare if I told her as much. “Do you have a Bath and Body Works candle going in here?”
“Two, actually,” I tell her. “One in here, another in the kitchen.”
“Your salt and pepper shakers are pine cones.” She picks one up from the kitchen bar. “And you ownplace mats. Bella and I have lived in our apartment for an entire year, and we don’t even own place mats.”
“She has a child. Is that not concerning for your countertops?”
There’s that glare of hers.
I hold up my hands in surrender. “Kidding. Sort of.”
“Where are these snacks you promised me?”
I run into the kitchen, gathering various bags and containers from the pantry. Once my arms are full, I meet her in the living room, where I set down two hard ciders, a box of pumpkin cheesecake cookies, the pumpkin brioche loaf she requested earlier, and a container of pumpkin butter. I wasn’t kidding when I said I bought pumpkin everything.
“Cheers,” I say after popping the caps with a bottle opener and handing her a bottle. We clink the necks and sip. “So, what happened?”
“What do you mean?” She’s distracted, her head still whipping around as she takes in the apartment, until she turns back to me. “Oh. Right. Second-date jitters.”
“Did you forget already?” I laugh before biting into a cookie. It’s pretty big, so it dangles from my mouth as I start sorting through the assorted snacks on the coffee table. The sound of a shutter goes off, and when I glance up, her phone camera is pointed straight at me. “Mmph!”
She ignores me by belly-laughing as she looks down at her screen. When I wave my hand at her, she turns the phone over to reveal the photo she snapped of me. I’d just raised my head as she captured the picture, cookie dangling from my mouth, eyes round in surprise. I make quick work of swallowing before telling her to delete it. When she shakes her head, I make a grab for her phone, but she ducks from me in the nick of time.
“No way.” She inches away from me until she reaches the armrest on the other side of the couch. “This is going to make an excellent contact photo.”
“Devil woman.” My eyes narrow on her. “Send it to me so I can get a better look at it, at least.”
“Is that my new nickname?” Her lips curl in a wicked grin. Then her expression turns thoughtful. “Sunshine boy and devil woman. Sounds like a graphic novel I’d read.”
“Or a DC series that would get canceled after one season.”
