Leo gave him an apologetic look. “I’ll clean it up?—”
“Oh, you will,” Rafael grumbled, snatching a towel from the hook. “And you’re on butter-fetching probation.”
Cassian finally lost it and let out a laugh that startled even him. Dorian peeked out from behind the mixer and gave me a thumbs-up like this was the best class he’d ever been part of.
I straightened up, cheeks aching from smiling. My heart swelled just a little at the sight of them. They were flour-dusted, laughing, and bantering like brothers.
Maybe they weren’t the easiest class in the world. But they were mine, for today at least.
By the time we got back on track, we were all covered in flour, laughter echoing through the kitchen as the layers of awkwardness peeled away, like, well, croissant dough.
There were still some clumsy folds, some too-thin sheets, and one very tragic rectangle that looked like it had been mauled... but we made it through.
And somehow, they listened. They asked questions. Even Cassian leaned in during the chocolate filling demo and nodded with approval.
When we wrapped up, Rafael smacked his hands together. “I vote lunch before I inhale a sheet tray.”
“Diner?” Beau asked, already reaching for the bakery keys.
“Yes,” I said immediately, not even pretending to resist.
Beau’s favorite diner was a ten-minute walk from the bakery. One of those places that always smelled like coffee and nostalgia.
The vinyl booths creaked, the waitresses knew every name and order by heart, and there was a jukebox that always seemed to play something from the ‘80s no matter what button you pushed.
We piled into a big booth in the back, the six of us crammed in like a litter of oversized puppies.
I didn’t even mind that I’d somehow ended up squished between Dorian and Cassian, who immediately started stealing my fries like it was a full-time job.
“Hey! Get your own fries,” I mock-glared, shielding my basket like it was sacred.
Cassian didn’t even flinch. “Nah,” he said, completely deadpan, snagging another one with zero remorse. “It’s funnier this way.”
“Pretty sure that’s theft,” I said, narrowing my eyes at him.
“Pretty sure you’re feeding me voluntarily,” he shot back, chewing slowly just to make a point.
Dorian leaned around me with a grin. “If you kiss him, he might stop.”
Cassian raised a brow. “I might ask for more.”
I groaned and shoved a fry in my mouth before either of them could escalate. “You people are unhinged.”
Beau, across the table, was laughing into his coffee, his eyes soft when they flicked to mine. “You say that like you’re not one of us now.”
And just like that, something in my chest loosened.
I looked around the table. At Rafael teasing Leo about his “butter crimes,” at Dorian enthusiastically recounting the moment he yelled “bear down,” at Cassian subtly nudging more of my fries onto his plate and felt it settle in, warm and low and steady.
Maybe I was.
Maybe I was one of them now.
And honestly? That thought scared me a little… but it also made me smile.
I noticed Beau had this soft look in his eyes like he couldn’t quite believe this was real. I felt the same way. For the first time in what felt like forever, I was laughing.
Really laughing. No mask, no tightness in my chest, no pretending. Just… happy.
