Page 46 of Numbers Boy
“He’s taking me on a date tonight.” My cheeks hurt from the smile that accompanies those words.
“That’s awesome, Stevie. Want me to hang out with Stacy while you’re out?”
“If you want to. I don’t know what we’re doing yet, so I’m not sure how long I’ll be gone.”
Stu hums, and I bet he’s already planning out their evening. “Stacy and I should totally have a hang session, then. I’ll bring these treats I picked up for her.”
Called it. I laugh, loving how my best friend talks about my dog. Ahead of me, I can see Love at First Bite come into view. “Hey, I’m at Sean’s bakery. Want me to get you anything for tonight?”
“You know what I like,” Stu says with a suggestive tone lacing his voice.
I roll my eyes, grinning widely. “Please don’t –”
My words are cut off by Stu starting to singChantilly Lace. I spot Leighton through the front window of the bakery and give him a wave. He smiles and waves back as I clip Stacy’s leash to the bike rack, knowing I’ll only be inside for a few minutes.
Over the phone, Stu finishes singing. “No, but for real, whatever looks good.”
“Anything with chocolate, got it.”
“Hey, Steve,” Leighton greets me as I push open the door. I tell Stu goodbye and hang up, putting my phone in my pants pocket. “Was that Stu on the phone? Where is your other half today?”
I internally scoff at the insinuation that Stu and I are two halves of one person. I know Leighton is joking, but it’s kind of comical the assumptions other people make sometimes.
“Yep! He’s at work right now. Got anything chocolatey that I should take home for him?”
Okay, so maybe I get why people misunderstand that we’re just friends. Maybe.
“Actually, yeah, one of the specials this week. Everything is breakfast themed, and we’ve got two different cupcakes with mini Stroopwafels on top. One is Sean’s hot chocolate cake base; the other is a coffee-flavored chocolate cake.”
My eyes widen as I take in the cupcakes along the top row of the brightly lit display case. There are the ones Leighton just told me about, but next to them are a few more varieties. Cereal marshmallows sit on top of white frosting and a vanilla-looking cake, labeled Cereal Milk. And next to those is –
“Is that bacon?” I gasp, mouth already watering.
Leighton laughs, his gray eyes crinkling behind his glasses. “Yep. Candied bacon with maple bacon frosting and a pancake-inspired cupcake.”
“Okay, two of the hot chocolate ones, two of the bacon, and one each of the other two.” At the very least, I can lure Noah back to my apartment tonight with promises of cupcakes. Not that I think he’ll need any luring. Really, I just want an excuse to buy more cupcakes. Leighton gets a container out and starts packaging my order. As I look at the rest of the goodies out in thedisplay, the continued breakfast theme makes me curious. “Any reason for this theme?”
“Yeah, apparently, today is International Waffle Day or something?” Leighton shrugs, closing the box and placing it on the counter. I take out my wallet while something Noah said in his text niggles at the back of my mind. He said our date was inspired by the penis day celebration we had. Would he have looked up other random holidays and picked one to base our date off? I push the thought back, knowing I’ll find out soon enough.
“That’s fun,” I reply, swiping my card, but not picking up my cupcakes just yet. Leighton and I rarely get a chance to talk one-on-one, so I want to take advantage of the fact that we can now. There aren’t any other customers in the shop at the moment, and it’s not like I’m in any rush. Plus, there’s been a soft sadness hanging around Leighton more often than not recently. I know he was excited to start working with Sean, but I get the sense that something’s still off with him. “How’s everything with you, Leighton? Actually, want to split a cupcake with me and chat for a bit?”
Leighton’s mouth quirks up on one side, and he nods. “Sure, let’s go sit outside since it’s nice out and you’ve got Stacy.”
We make our way outside to a table, and once Stacy is settled at my feet, I pop open the box before pushing it toward my friend. “You choose. I’m good with whatever.”
“Thanks, Steve.” He smiles wider, dimples threatening to show, as he picks out one of the maple bacon treats, and I let out an excited sound. He laughs a bit and holds it out to me. “I chose, so you get the first bite.”
I happily take the cupcake from him, getting about half of it in my mouth with one bite. A moan spills out of me before I even register what’s happening. Leighton laughs again, taking the rest of the cupcake back and popping it in his own mouth.
We both chew contently for a few seconds, savoring the sweet and salty perfection, before I ask again, “How are you, babe? Really?”
Leighton sighs, playing with the cupcake wrapper on the table in front of him, folding and unfolding it as he talks. “I’m doing alright. Working here has been amazing, and I love that we’re making an effort to make sure the guys see each other regularly.”
“But…” I prompt, knowing something is missing from that report. Toward the end of last year, when everything was coming to a head with Adam, I kind of lost track of what everyone else was going through unless it was brought to the group’s attention. I think whatever’s on Leighton’s mind has been happening on the down-low, and it wouldn’t surprise me if Leighton wants it that way.
“But the guy I lo– like is super busy right now, and I can’t even be there to support him.”
I don’t miss him cutting himself off, but I let it slide.
