Page 140 of Absolute Certainty
Then, at once, Patrick’s smile shifted into an uneasy frown. “Where’s Alex?” he asked.
“In the car. Said she’ll be in soon,” Jay replied.
He nodded, gesturing for them to come further inside, and Sahar wondered if she’d just caught him sighing in relief at the confirmation that Alex would be here.Did he—
Eddie and Tina were already seated at the rectangular glass table, alongside one other blond man, whom Sahar didn’t recognize. There was a wooden pergola above them, covered in twinkling lights, and she could already imagine how dreamy it’d be when the sun went down.
Tina stood up and skipped over, giving Sahar a hug. “Ah! I’m so glad you’re here. How long has it been?”
“Two years now, I think?” she answered into their embrace. “And congratulations again, you two,” she added, referencing her and Eddie’s engagement, which she’d also initially said something about on social media a few weeks ago.
“Small freaking world,” Eddie commented, giving Jay a pat on the back before he went in on a quick hug with Sahar.
“Good to see you, mate,” Sahar returned.
“Dec’s still walking around shirtless, I imagine?” Eddie added.
Sahar laughed. “Wouldn’t be Declan if he wasn’t.” She turned to Jay. “Dec was also inLes Miswith us.”
Jay’s brows curved in an understandingah.
Then, the door behind them creaked open, and Alex stepped in. “Hi hi,” she said aloud to everyone. Patrick, who’d been next to Jay, sprinted over to her, arms wide open. With a mischievous smirk twisting along her lips, she shook her head and hugged him.Did they—
Jay nudged Sahar forward andpulled up a chair for her. He introduced her to the other guy, Tim, and later, when one of his writing mates, Geoffrey, showed up, he introduced her to him, too. Sahar was generally an extrovert, but it was nice not to do all the work herself—to have someone who was happy to stay beside her.
Throughout dinner—taco night—he kept his hand at the back of her chair or on her knee. It’d been lovely. Warm. As it should be.
After dinner, they’d all migrated from the backyard to Patrick’s living room, where there were conversations about the industry, what a horror AI was continuing to be, and how they were all genuinely nervous for the future of creative endeavors.
Seated at the end of a comfortable, suede sofa next to Jay, Sahar looked toward where Alex and Patrick were standing by the screen door. He was leaning against the handle, and whatever she said must’ve been hilarious because Patrick’s guffaw echoed through the chatter surrounding them. As Alex turned sideways, Sahar caught her rolling her eyes before she affectionately shoved Patrick aside and walked out.
Where was she going? And why had Patrick’s entire face dropped when she left the room? It was the same frown that had materialized on his face when he realized she hadn’t been with Sahar and Jay when they first arrived. She looked at Jay to see if he noticed what was happening in front of them, but he was on his phone, texting his mom.
“Everything okay?” she whispered, leaning into him.
He snaked his arm around the curve of her hip and pulled her close to him. “Yeah, my mom says Ellie’s okay now.”
“That’s good to hear,” Sahar returned.
Inching forward, he hovered his mouth along the side of her temple. “What about you? Is any of this too much for you?”
He isn’t afraid of showing everyone that you’re his.
Sahar shook her head, dropping her hand to his knee. “I’m good,” she promised.
And she was. She really, truly,wholeheartedlywas.
Pressing a featherlight kiss to her forehead, Jay then darted his attention to where Patrick stood, his eyes fixed on the wooden floors.
“Pat,” he called out, hurling two fingers toward him and gesturing for him to come by.
Patrick pulled up a chair from the dining table, flipped it backwards, and sat.
“Wanna tell her the news?” Jay asked.
His whole face lit up, and Jay beamed, too.
Sahar flipped her gaze between them.What on earth was going on?
