Page 32 of Touched By Destiny

“I’ll see you in the morning,” Eric said.

Gabriel nodded. “Ghost-hunting on Monday?”

“Yes.”

“Are you going to let me out of the car?” Richard exclaimed from behind him, and Eric wondered how long he’d been staring up at the handsome inspirit holding the car door open.

Eric shuffled out of the way, and Gabriel winked at him.

“Come along, Eric; we need to have a little chat,” Richard commented, sliding his arm through Eric’s and urging him to move with an ungentle nudge. “Say goodnight to Gabriel.”

“Night,” Eric murmured to Gabriel and wished he could follow him to his house instead of being grilled by Richard.

“Rest well,” Gabriel replied.

Impatient as ever, Richard would’ve dragged Eric to the front door if he hadn’t obliged by moving his feet and keeping pace with his brother. His brain was urging him to grab anotherglance at Gabriel, but he didn’t give in to the temptation. He went into the house, and Richard snapped the door lock closed.

“Kitchen,” Richard ordered.

Since Eric could use a snack, he didn’t argue, and they quickly traipsed through the silent house. Their mother refused to allow anyone to walk into a dark house, so she’d kept a few lights on for them. That didn’t stop Richard from flicking on the chandelier in the kitchen once they were in the room.

“Drinks?” Richard asked.

“Food,” Eric replied. “Are there any of those cookies David made yesterday left?”

Richard popped open the cookie jar and grinned. “Yep, we need milk.”

“I hate milk.”

“I know. It’s weird. You get water instead.”

Soon, Eric had a chilled glass of water and a plate full of cookies. He dug into the snack, but Richard stood there without touching his own milk and treats.

“What?” Eric asked around a mouthful of food.

“That’s disgusting,” Richard replied with his nose scrunched. “What the hell happened between you and Gabriel? And you better swallow that damn cookie before you respond.”

“We had sex,” Eric said, then grinned devilishly. “Twice.”

“Lucky bitch. Well, clearly he didn’t spout that regret nonsense afterward or you wouldn’t be all dreamy eyed.”

Tempted to weep with relief and joy, Eric breathed out. “This has to stay between you, me, and Mari, but we’re gonna try. He wants to explore our relationship without involving the world. We’re going to rebuild our friendship and go from there.”

“No more sex?”

“He asked me to give him a crystal so I can teleport to his house whenever I want. Sex is definitely happening.”

“Don’t let it overpower everything else.”

“I know,” Eric said. “I want my soulmate, not a fuck buddy. I want to proudly hold his hand for more than the few minutes it takes to get to a hotel room to get our rocks off. I’d like to confide in him and know he can trust me too. I won’t settle for less than everything with him.”

“Good, because that’s what you deserve. I want you to have everything. It was just a matter of time until you started to mend your friendship.”

“I think this is a good start for Gabriel and me.”

Richard smiled and snagged a cookie from his plate. “Me too, not that you need my approval.”

“No, but you’re my best friend. You and Mari. It helps to know you don’t think I’m making a colossal mistake or heading straight into a tragedy.”

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