Page 21 of The Bro Date
I swear to God, he better not fall again.
Thankfully, he makes it down safely, turning the corner and casually strolling into the kitchen.
“About damn time, Tobias!” Jake shouts from the island as soon as we walk in.
I pop him on the back of the head as I pass him on my way to the stove. “Hey!” he shouts, rubbing the spot. “What was that for?”
“For always fucking yelling at people,” I tell him, turning the burner on to start the water boiling. “It’s rude.”
“Yeah, yeah. It’s also rude to hit people. But whatever, who’s counting.”
I ignore the comment, stirring the hollandaise sauce before I start the poached eggs. While they’re cooking, I make the toast, buttering multiple rounds and placing two per plate. Once the eggs are done, I season everything nicely, adding slices of avocado on the side and drizzling hollandaise on top of the eggs. Last but not least, I add the bacon crumbles I prepared earlier and take everything to the island.
“Wow. This looks amazing, Shane.” Toby smiles at his plate, then at me. “Thank you.”
I nod, wishing we could have finished our conversation earlier, and take my spot across the island from everyone. I stand there and lean over, inhaling my food in a quarter of the time it took to make it.
“You did it once again, man,” Spencer compliments, everyone else nodding vigorously while they finish their last few bites.
“So good,” Toby sighs, rubbing his full belly.
“COD tournament, anyone?” Jake asks, pushing his plate away.
“First dibs!” Toby shouts before standing up and stacking everyone’s plates, carrying them to the sink.
“What are the stakes?” Spencer asks with a dark brow raised.
“Loser has to do the dishes,” Toby replies with an evil smirk, stacking the rest of my pots and pans in the large farmhouse sink.
Everyone groans, reluctantly agreeing to the bet as we pile onto the living room couch, starting up the PS5. After several intense rounds, Jake loses, shouting profanities and cursing loud enough to piss off the neighbors.
“Don’t be a poor sport,” Spencer teases, but Jake just scowls before disappearing into the kitchen to complete his punishment.
“I gotta pee, then we can start another round,” Spencer says, leaving Toby and me alone in the living room.
Now’s my chance to finish the conversation.
Toby’s phone vibrates on the coffee table, cutting off that thought, but he grabs it before I can catch a name. His eyes scan the screen back and forth rapidly, a dreamy sort of smile slowly overtaking his face.
Who the fuck is making him smile like that?
Toby bites his bottom lip, abusing the soft flesh while his thumbs fly across the keyboard. Despite the desire to grill him right now, I sit in silence instead, waiting for our friends to come back, while Toby talks to someone else.
Five minutes later, Spencer wanders back in, plopping down on the couch and turning toward Toby. “So, you got a girlfriend or something?” he asks bluntly, instantly making me want to protect Toby.
“W-what?” he stutters. “No. What do you mean?”
“Oh, come on, Toby. You’ve been smiling at your phone and going missing a lot lately. Who are you seeing?”
“No one.”
“Bullshit,” Spencer retorts with a laugh.
“That’s enough, Spence. Mind your fucking business,” I growl, placing a protective arm around Toby’s shoulders.
Spencer holds his hands up in surrender before zipping his lips with his fingers and picking up the controller. He goes to the online store and starts browsing the PS5 games on sale. No one says a word.
“Phew!” Jake shouts dramatically, strolling back into the living room and cutting the tension. “I’m off dish duty for the rest of the week. Your cooking is amazing, Shane, butdamnthat was a steep price to pay, my man.” When no one laughs, Jake glances around, trying to read the room. “What’d I miss?”
