Page 99 of Just A Little Fling

“Pretty sure it’s the gym-bro vibes.” He shrugged, then glanced over his shoulder at the sudden burst of chatter from the front of the restaurant. The boys and Anders were headed straight for us. He rapped his knuckles on the table twice, then stood and nodded toward the horde barreling forward. “Looks like your friends are here. I’ll be back with some more silverware and the menus.”

“Dang, he’s fine,” Jakob said when he arrived at the table. He looked over his shoulder and the guy winked at him. Jakob wiggled his fingers in response.

“Aren’t you a happily married man?” Rory asked.

“Yeah, but I’m not a dead, happily married man,” he clapped back. The conversation devolved into a discussion about who had the hottest crush. I declined to name my own because admitting it was Babbo would sound lame, but I let them go on because I wasn’t ready to discuss the real reason we were all here.

Our waiter, whose name I learned was Casey, had already brought out the drinks and food orders before I worked up the courage to mention our abbreviated playdate. The guys started giving each other looks with a few pointed ones at Anders. Poor guy. He always got roped into the shit jobs. This time, I was grateful for it.

“Can we talk about what happened?” Anders asked.

“Like the fact that you all put me in a vulnerable place and then sprung Levi on me?”

“Uh, yeah, that’s what we should talk about,” Rory agreed with a guilty look at Jakob and Owen.

Owen glanced around and added, “We thought it would be good for you two to be around each other and…stuff.”

“I didn’t tell you anything was wrong, so how’d you know?” I asked. I kept my voice mild, but the more I thought about it, the pissier I got.

“Well, funny story, Gabe mentioned you looked rough,” Rory answered before glancing at Jakob and Owen. They jostled each other with their elbows and the occasional hand wave to get the other to talk. Anders rolled his eyes at their antics.

“And we knew you liked Levi because of the cuddle party, so yeah. You. Him. Perfect, right?” Owen offered. I knew he was hedging with the way he looked at the boys with wide eyes and nods of encouragement.

“Anders, what was your part in this?”

“I didn’t know until Owen went out to ask Levi to park around the corner and Rory told me.”

“We never tell Anders in advance,” Jakob interjected.

“Why?”

“Because he always tells our Daddies on us.” Rory snorted.

“Good, because you all need to stay out of other people’s business. You didn’t know what the issue was. You didn’t ask what the issue was. You didn’t even know if therewasan issue. And by you, I mean everyone except Anders.”

The three of them looked chagrined at my outburst, and I only felt a smidge…a nano slice…bad about it. I was salty, but it had come from a good place, and the end worked out for me.

“No more setups.” They all nodded. “No more interference.” Another round of nods. “And thank you for being my friend.” That elicited a collectiveaww.

“Okay, we promise all of that, but you gotta tell us if you and Levi are together now.”

“Yes.” I sighed. “For now.”

“For now?” clarified Jakob. The concern in his voice was evident.

“For now,” I responded firmly. “ And it’s precisely what I want. For now.”

“Nico, I’m your friend, but I’m Levi’s too. Does he want this so…open-ended?” Owen asked. His concern was fair. They’d been friends since they were kids back in Yakima, and he had every right to be protective of him.

“What’s great about Levi is he can meet people where they are, and for me, that’s the best I can do. He understands where I’m coming from.”

“I don’t want him to be hurt,” Owen added.

“Me either. But I can tell you that for right now, I’m all in, and so is he, which is why…” I fished my phone out of my pocket and looked at the time. “Oh, he’s here. We’re going to take an art class with Nonna, my grandma.”

Right on cue, Babbo strolled into the back of the restaurant with his easy, confident swagger that I adored and, well, loved. Now that he was officially free of his law firm, he was already happier and more relaxed.

“Gentlemen, this looks like a table of shenanigans,” Babbo said with a smile. When he got right next to me, he dropped a quick kiss on my upturned mouth. The boys and Anders swooned. “But I’m stealing this one. I’ve already handled the bill and added desserts. Make sure you get them so they don’t go to waste.” After a chorus of “Thank you,” Babbo added, “And you should definitely, positively, absolutely not share them with anyone at home. They are all yours.”

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