Page 175 of Game Night: Truth or Dare

It’s been days since our almost-kiss, and I still haven’t found the right moment to bring it up. I know we need to talk about it and that’s part of the reason I’ve arranged today so there’d be time with just the two of us and no interruptions.

As I lay out a spread of cold meats, cheese, olives, fruit, and fresh sourdough bread, I can feel the weight of the pending conversation pressing against my chest. My stomach rolls a little and I swallow heavily as I turn my attention to arranging the food on the small wooden cheeseboard, conscious of Henry’s gaze.

“Looks delicious,” he says, his voice light. “You really know how to put together a feast, Austin.”

“Thanks,” I reply, while prying the lid off the quince paste. “Lots of practice from the tour business. We get catering from Poppy’s Pantry for the bigger bookings, but I often throw together something for the smaller groups.” Argh! What am I doing? Henry doesn’t need to hear the boring details behind my business. I’m waffling.

Food finally laid out, I drop down on the rug. Henry is sitting cross-legged opposite and looks perfectly comfortable. I feel too big next to him, an awkward oaf next to his lithe elegance. I pick up a knife and cut a wedge of brie and focus on conversation rather than my thoughts.

“So, how’s business at Azure?” I ask. I love hearing about the bar Henry and Archie run. We both cater to the recreation market, but in very different ways. They had some hard months when they first started the business, but from the looks of things and what I’ve heard from Henry, business is now booming.

“Couldn’t be better,” Henry confirms as he takes the plate I’ve loaded up for him. “We’ve got a great team, and the place has become popular with the locals and tourists alike. To be honest, I thought we’d cater more to the tourists descending on town during the peak season, so it’s nice to see the difference we’ve made to the community. I think the town was calling out for cocktails and live music.”

“Archie must be thrilled too,” I say, knowing how much he’s invested in the venture. Like Henry, he was new to town, and two city boys setting up a fancy cocktail bar was a bit of a gamble in our laid-back part of the world.

Henry nods as I pass him a cool drink of mineral water. “Absolutely. He’s managed to put his heartbreak behind him and really pour himself into making Azure a success. We both love what we do, and it shows.”

“I’m glad you’ve found something you love. Life’s too short to do something you hate.”

“Tell me about it.” Henry grins, takes off his cap and pushes his sunglasses back on top of his head. “Can you believe I once thought that a high-powered corporate job was goals? Working nine-to-five? Ick.” He shudders in mock horror.

I like that I can now see his eyes. They’re much too pretty to be hidden behind mirrored lenses. Right now they’re shining with amusement. I laugh. “I can’t imagine you anywhere but Azure. You make the place.”

“Aww. Thanks, babe.” He winks. “How are the tours going? Any interesting guests lately?”

“Ah… um…” To distract from my flush of heat at the flirty gesture, I pop a chunk of watermelon in my mouth, push the board to the side, and stretch out my legs. I’m definitely not made to be folded into a pretzel like Henry. “Ah, you know, mainly tourists keen to see dolphins or a whale. But I had a private charter for a couple that was pretty interesting.”

“Yeah?” He passes me the container of olives. I like to think he remembers the crisp, salty Sicilian olives are my favourite.

“So, the girl wanted to arrange this romantic proposal. I suggested Sandy Rock—”

“That’s around the lighthouse headland, right? You can only get there by boat?”

“Exactly. We planned it perfectly, right down to the best time to take photos at sunset. There was seafood and champagne and the weather was amazing—a glorious balmy evening.”

“Sounds amazing.”

“I know, right!”

Henry chuckles. “Why am I sensing a ‘but’ coming up?”

“The only thing we didn’t plan on was the potential fiance getting seasick. Oh my God, he puked almost from the minute we left the dock until we got halfway to the lighthouse. I had to turn around and come back.”

“So no proposal then?” Henry asks.

“He felt better once he was back on dry land. Melanie was devastated of course, but I helped set up a picnic in the park and from what I’ve heard, he said yes.”

“Aww. I told you you do an awesome picnic. Brilliant tour operator and now match maker,” Henry teases.

As our conversation flows effortlessly, I feel more and more at ease. It’s moments like these that remind me just how much I value our friendship. It’s nice to share my life with him—he makes me smile. We talk about our friends, discuss an indoor cricket team I’m trying to encourage him to join, and he tells me about his brother’s new baby.

I pack the remains of the food away as we chat. The warmth of the day and full belly combine to make me drowsy. We both lie back on the picnic rug and stare at the branches of the tree above. Sun peaks through the gaps in the leaves, providing glimpses of blue, as the waves lap gently on the shore. I’m not sure when, but I doze off, opening my eyes sometime later to find Henry’s gaze on me from where he’s sitting cross-legged across the blanket. He smiles, sending a frisson of awareness through me.

I pull myself into a sitting position and blink a few times, trying to clear my head. The shadows have lengthened and I’m not sure how long I’ve been asleep, but my mind is fuzzy.

I rummage in the esky and pull out the mineral water, emptying it into our cups. Reaching for my drink, I accidentally knock over the empty bottle, sending it spinning on the rug between us.

Henry chuckles as the bottle comes to a stop, pointing directly at me. “Looks like we’ve got ourselves a game of Truth or Dare.”

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