Page 91 of Something So Strong

Pausing momentarily by the sandwich board towards the front of the small designated bistro area, Jesse then pushes him in the back towards an empty table. “It’s been less than a month.”

“Exactly. Fucking forever,” Romeo reiterates, like his plight wasn’t being taken seriously enough.

“I thought eating was cheating?” Saxon says with no shortage of skepticism in his tone.

“Fuck off,” Romeo dismisses. “When there’s roast pork and crackling on offer, it’s never cheating. I’ll just have a few extra shots to counteract the food.”

“Right.” Saxon mimes before meeting Jesse’s eyes, where they share a look of understanding. The kind where an entire conversation takes place in a few seconds of microscopic facial movements. The kind I’ve never been able to have. I can tell when a woman’s on the verge of orgasm, or she’s endured just the right amount of teasing that she’s ready to give in to me. But this is deep. A lifetime of shared experiences, deep. And I can’t deny the sting of jealousy it layers on top of everything else I’m trying to work through.

“Are you quite finished?” Romeo asks with a roll of his eyes as Saxon takes a seat.

After a few too many seconds of silence, Saxon raises his hands, looks up at Romeo, and says, “You’re gonna do whatever the fuck you want anyway, so what are you waiting for?”

With a woeful groan, Romeo balls his fist in front of Saxon’s face. “I swear I’ll actually hit you one day.”

“I dare ya.”

“We’re gonna go grab the drinks.” Jesse volunteers us with a slap between my shoulder blades. “The usual?”

“Just a beer for me tonight. Something light.”

Jesse and Saxon have another silent discussion, and I look between the pair of them and Romeo like a goddamn cartoon character trying to keep up.

“You guys eating?” Romeo asks, just as I tug on Jesse’s arm. “I’m buying.”

“Uh.” I look at Jesse, who’s nodding ‘yes.’ “Sure. I didn’t have time to eat.”

“We’ll get those drinks now,” Jesse blurts and nudges me towards the bar. “They don’t need to know you didn’t have time to eat.”

I slide my hands into my pockets and stroll casually to the bar as Jesse deals with a sudden bout of gay panic. “You didn’t have time to eat, either.”

“And they don’t need to know that.”

Reaching the bar, Jesse rests a foot on the railing and leans his forearms on the edge as he plays nervously with his fingers.

“You’re letting your gay show,” I lean in to whisper it in his ear.

“I am not.” He tears his hands apart as I copy his position.

Tapping my foot against the side of his, I watch him in the mirror behind the bar. “It’s only been five minutes and I’m already struggling to not kiss you.”

“Surely you got enough of me this afternoon,” he answers my reflection.

“I don’t think so.”

“I’d say you gorged yourself.”

“Smug little prick.”

“You didn’t get anything you didn’t deserve.”

Gone are the trepidations of the shower scenario. The same calm excitement I’d felt earlier consumes me, and I can’t help but feel like Daddy is becoming far more fitting than Pretty Boy. “Keep that shit up and your buddies are gonna know about us sooner rather than later.”

Jesse has to swallow down his reply as the bartender approaches, which only entertains me more. This guy doesn’t know who we are. What’s it to him if we flirt out in the open as long as our drinks are paid for? It does resonate with me, though, when Jesse orders me a Coke instead of trying to convince me to drink. We’ve not spoken about it directly, but I’m sure he knows why alcohol isn’t something I’m comfortable with. And I’ll respect him even more if he limits his own intake as well.

“Here, you sexy brunette,” I hum down at Saxon as I slide his pint in front of him. Staring up at me, he brushes his fingers over mine.

“Kill me,” Romeo laments. “I’ve had enough of this shit, Sax.”

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