Page 62

Chapter 18

Ruben

“Hey, Ruben. Pass the guacamole over here!”

Pass the guacamole over here. Seriously?

“Sure thing, Chloe. Maybe over the dancers?”

Chloe doubled over with laughter. “Come on. I’m not getting up. And the tortilla chips are here.”

What a bunch of peasants. My team and I had worked our butts off to conjure up the perfect amuse-bouche. And some smartass had brought chips and put them on the table.

This guacamole was made from the finest ingredients, and the toasted bread to go with it was right there. Peasants. I would never be able to change these people.

Adriel came up to me and held out his hand. “I’ll give it to her.” Before he turned away, he briefly grabbed my upper arm. “Thanks for all this, Ruben. You guys outdid yourselves.”

“Thank you, Adriel, I appreciate that.” I didn’t need recognition for my work. But it felt good when someone said something about it. Fuck it. I obviously wanted the recognition.

He tilted his head slightly. “Relax. It’s fine here. You’re not here as a caterer. You’re a guest too. Have fun. It’s your party too.”

The small staff party, a spontaneous decision for which we had had barely twenty-four hours to prepare, was buzzing. Everyone who was free was dancing, eating, sitting in small groups and chatting.

Adriel was right, of course. The chefs weren’t the ones who initiated the party, nor were we officially hired to cook for them. Torin had no problem doing nothing for once. Which was his prerogative. Just like mine. Unfortunately, I couldn’t flip a switch and do the same.

George came bouncing over to us with a beer bottle and a big grin.

“Where did you get that?” Adriel asked.

Our caretaker winked at him. “I have my ways. This IPA is incredibly delicious, I can’t give away my supply that easily. Most people here can’t tell the difference between stale brew from their red plastic cups and award-winning craft beer. If you ask me nicely, I’ll be happy to give you some.”

“Let me get rid of this bowl first,” Adriel said, handing the guacamole to George.

Adriel turned to Chloe, and George already had his hand out as if he wanted to put it on Adriel’s back. But at the last moment, he pulled it back.

I understood George. Adriel was cute.

Not as hot and seductive as my roommate, but I could understand the temptation. Thinking of Shane, my gaze wandered over the crowd.

As expected, he was the center of attention at the party. Women, men, and people of all genders hung on his every word.

His full, smiling lips. I wanted to sigh loudly.

It was the same scene at every party. The little group stood at the edge of the dance floor and talked about whatever.

A girl danced up behind him, and Shane immediately fell into her rhythm without interrupting his conversation with the others. They both moved to the beat of the music, swaying their hips.

By now, she was glued to him, and then Matt came up from the front and made a sandwich with Shane’s dance partner. Shane tried to exchange a few more words over his head, but eventually the group burst into laughter, and he devoted himself to his dance project.

Shane had put one arm around the dancer in front of him and swung the other back around the girl.

My sigh, which I couldn’t let go of, nearly choked me. I didn’t mind partying. But I couldn’t imagine being the center of attention.

I watched Shane laughing, enjoying the hustle and bustle, completely absorbed in the party. I was happy for him. That was what made him who he was. That carefree attitude. He trusted that everyone was taken care of, because no one would go hungry or thirsty. I knew that—and yet something held me back from doing what I wanted to do. To throw myself onto the dance floor with him and show everyone that we belonged together.

It wasn’t what I wanted. It was more of what I thought might work. What certainly wasn’t ideal was standing at the other end of the room like a desperate teenager, pining for the object of his desire.

I couldn’t even be angry at his dance partners. No one was stopping me from doing the same. No one except my brain, which had lowered my self-doubt like a barrier in front of my need to rush after Shane.