Page 42 of To Cuddle A Gremlin

Isadore: Good morning! We plan to be at the café by 10ish! Hope you had a good sleep. I dreamt of you.

Sebastian blushed at the message. Even through words on a screen, Isadore caused Sebastian to squirm in delight.

Sebastian: I’ll be there. I had a great time.

When he sent the text, Sebastian groaned at the banality of it. The text didn’t convey the sheer essence of his emotions.

Isadore:

The heart emoji had Sebastian clutching the phone to his chest, causing Tiger to leap off in disgruntlement, which was a sign for Sebastian to get up and prepare for his morning brunch. Tiger needed his breakfast, and Sebastian had to have a shower before joining Isadore at the cafe.

His boyfriend.

The two words set off fireworks in his chest. Sebastian swayed as he stood. This was big and something he never expected would happen. Shaking off the excitement, Sebastian did his morning chores and slipped out to the restaurant.

Walking into the café was daunting. His stomach tightened into a ball of thorns. The dining room was packed, and people peered at him as he searched for Isadore’s shock of auburn hair. Of course, he’d be sitting at his usual table with Charles and Harry across from him. An empty chair beckoned Sebastian. As he wound his way through the dining room, Isadore turned and grinned.

“OMG, Isadorable, look at your sweetheart. He’s just so friggin’ edible,” Harry announced loudly. Sebastian froze as he approached the table. The stares from the other guests intensified as he sat. Memories of Becky dumping soup down his back threatened to come back up. He could do this. He was better than his past self.

“Harrison. What did I say?” Charles snapped.

“Not to embarrass Sebastian. But look at him, Chuck. He’s just so–”

“Unhappy?” Isadore responded dryly. He laced his fingers with Sebastian’s and squeezed. The touch soothed some of his frazzled nerves from Harry’s announcement.

“No! Well, yeah, but no. He has this glow to him. It shines from his eyes,” Harry finished. “Would you like a cup of coffee? Becks left us the pot.”

“Oh, thank you.” Sebastian settled in his seat. With Isadore holding his hand and Charles and Harry welcoming him to the fold, he had a good feeling about his future.

While Harry filled his mug, Becks came with platters of breakfast food for the whole table. She made sure to stay away from Sebastian, her cheeks bright red. “I hope I got your orders all right. There’s sausages, bacon, French toast, and fixings for waffles. Anything else?”

“That’s perfect, thank you.” Isadore took his fork and dragged a piece of toast and bacon to his plate. “Let’s dig in.”

Most of the conversation between the men was about the delicious food and the previous evening’s show. Sebastian had been worried he wouldn’t be able to participate, but he managed to hold his own.

Every once in a while, Harry would glance at the kitchen with a stark expression before taking a huge bite of food. Sebastian watched him briefly, trying to understand what Harry longed for.

“Isadorable, your man is making eyes at me. You need to have words with him.” Harry spoke loudly, attracting everyone’s attention within the radius of their table. Sebastian choked on his spit. So Harry was the type of person to bring focus to himself, and Sebastian wasn’t sure if he could handle Harry’s exuberance. People tittered and stared while Charles shook his head.

Isadore brought their hands up to the tabletop, showing them off. Sebastian didn’t understand what that proved, but by the expression on Harry’s eyes, nothing good. “Harry, we’ve had this conversation before. I’m sure even before we met here, Charles talked to you. Stop causing scenes. It makes people uncomfortable.”

“It’s okay.” Sebastian tried to interrupt, but he cowered at the fire burning in Isadore’s eyes. Though the anger wasn’t aimed at him, the heat still singed his bravado.

“No, darling. It’s not. You’re not the only victim. Harry has embarrassed others in the same way. He seems to believe if he does it first, no one will hurt him, which is the furthest from the truth.”

“I don’t think that!” Harry clutched his chest and fluttered his eyes. “And if I did, it’s only because I adore you.”

“Doesn’t work like that, Harry. So, finish your breakfast, and we’ll have a proper discussion about jokes that aren’t jokes.” Charles patted Harry’s shoulder. “He’s a work-in-progress.”

“How rude!” Harry sniffed.

“And you weren’t?” Isadore asked.

“I said I did it out of affection!”

Sebastian watched the bickering between the three friends and wished he hadn’t met Harry’s gaze. If he had kept his eyes on his plate, none of this would have happened. He’d been curious, but he would never have said anything. Not yet, at least.

“Bas, it’s okay,” Isadore whispered as Charles and Harry continued to argue. “They have these spats every other day. It’s their normal.”

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