Page 81 of Inevitable

“You’re all serious and businessmanly.”

Drew snorted.

“How long have you been standing there?”

“Long enough.”

He walked toward Drew and didn’t stop until he was standing directly in front of him. Bas leaned forward, palms balancing on the armrests of Drew’s office chair. He didn’t know how he could have lived for so long without kissing Drew every day, but he was determined to make up for the lost time.

“What brings you by?” Drew asked after Bas pulled away.

“You.” Bas nuzzled his cheek, pressing a quick kiss underneath Drew’s ear. “And lunch. We’re taking you out.”

“We?”

“Ezra should be here any minute. Get your stuff so we can get going.”

Bas started to straighten himself, but before he could do that, Drew was pulling him in for another kiss.

“Couldn’t help myself,” he said, and Bas laughed.

They headed outside, side by side. Drew linked their fingers in the elevator, and they walked outside hand in hand. Ezra was rounding the corner just as they stepped out the door.

Bas squeezed his hand as they watched Ezra approach with that deceptively languid gait of his. It was all a front, though. Drew had learned that Ezra was alert at all times. The only exception was when he was with Drew and Bas, which in and of itself was quite a compliment.

The corner of Ezra’s lips tilted into a half-smile as he walked straight into Bas and Drew.

“Your boyfriend is trouble,” he informed Drew.

“Sure. Now he’s my boyfriend.”

Ezra shrugged. “Somebody has to claim ownership.”

“I’m pretty sure keeping Bas in line is a two-person job,” Drew replied.

“Sounds like you need help, in that case.”

“Mmm… If only I knew somebody who was available.”

“Assholes,” Bas grumbled, but he smiled when Ezra kissed him.

Ezra’s palm remained on Bas’s waist as he lifted his head to kiss Drew. Ezra’s lips parted, and Drew could taste Bas on Ezra’s tongue.

There, standing in the middle of the street, with people passing them left and right and the hundreds of cars adding to the cacophony of the city noise, Drew had never felt better. It was perfection. Everyday, chaotic, messy perfection.

He wasn’t sure if it was the noise of the street or the buzzy happiness that made him blind to everything that wasn’t Bas or Ezra, but he didn’t notice the familiar figure before it was too late.

The shocked, “Oh my God,” somewhere on his left broke the moment like a clash of cymbals.

“Drew? What is this? What is going on here?”

He turned around slowly, taking a step back from Bas and Ezra.

“Ellie,” he said.

Somewhere in the recesses of his mind, he knew he should say something. Try and explain. Try and fix this situation.

One moment he’d been overwhelmed with the feeling of rightness, but that had disappeared almost immediately at the sight of his sister and her wide-eyed expression of disbelief.

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