Page 27 of You & I, Rewritten

I live for these stolen moments with him, ones where we get a glimpse into what a real future together could look like. Sitting side-by-side, the simplicity of sharing every meal together…the thought makes my heart ache in the best possible way.

“Someone’s a little competitive, huh?” Graham says, nudging my thigh under the table.

“Not in anI’m going to be in a bad mood if we losekind of way…” I say trying to appear as innocent as possible. “But let’s just say that I may or may not be known to go alittleoverboard.”

Graham shakes his head at me, the sweetest smile plastered across his face. “You would think I’d have learned by now to not be surprised by all your hidden talents.”

I lean forward so that our knees are touching under the cramped table. “I can think of a fewtalentsI’d like to show you…” I say with a wink.

Graham’s lips part and I force myself to not lean across the table even further and invade that mouth of his with my own. “Name the time and place, handsome…you can show me whatever you’d like.”Right now? Thanks.

* * *

“Hey, Will? I’m going to need you to at leasttryto roll those salami flowers better,” Klair scolds, a sentence I never thought I’d hear in my lifetime. I look down at my measly attempt at making oily, preserved meat lookartsyand shrug. From the moment we got home, she’s put me to work setting up for our couple’s night in. Dean arrived shortly after we did and is rinsing off in Klair’s bathroom after sneaking in a workout before the real competition starts.

“First of all, this is literally the first time I’ve ever done this,” I say, holding up my meat flower proudly, though it’s looking more like a meatball at this point. “Second of all, not that I’m complaining because youknowI love a good cheese moment…but don’t you think this istoo muchfor just the four of us?”

I glance down at the elaborate charcuterie spread Klair has laid out. Endless cheeses, meats, and crackers are accompanied by fruit and vegetables, sweet jams, and other delicious-looking spreads, taking up nearly every inch of our kitchen island. I should have known when she suggested game night it would be a slightly more elevated evening.

Klair bumps me with her hip, taking my place as the designated salami flower folder. “There is no such thing as too much cheese,” she says, her laser-like focus now turned toward fixing what I’d been working on.

“That’sfor suregoing on your headstone.”

“You know what’s going on yours? Mediocre at handling meat.” Jaw. Dropped. Getting roasted by Klair is easily one of my favorite pastimes, but this one just might take the cake.

“Holy shit…that’s going in the book,” I say, struggling to breathe between my laughter as I take out my phone and add this exchange to my ever-growing note of Klair burns.

“What book?” Dean pads into the kitchen, coming behind Klair and wrapping his big arms around her waist as she finishes laying out the rest of the food. The smile on her face when he does tells me everything I need to know about how she feels about him. We haven’t spent too much time together since meeting at the bar—the two of them either sneaking away into Klair’s room when I’m around or I’m off with Graham—so it’ll be nice to spend some quality time with the guy making my best friend swoon.

“Will and I started jotting down all the funny and stupid things we’ve said to one another over the years.” Klair turns to face Dean, her arms reaching up to weave her fingers in the still-damp hair at the base of his neck.

“Consider me intrigued,” he says, pulling her body flat against his, his lips moments away from crashing against Klair’s when the doorbell rings.Thank God.

“I’ll get it…I’d hate to interrupt whateverthisis…” I say, feigning disgust as they feel each other up, when in reality, I’m over the moon Klair has found the same intense level of happiness I have.

Even though I literallyjustsaw him at work, I still get the same feelings of excitement every time I see Graham. Tonight is no different as I open the door and see him standing there leaning against the doorway, a covered tray in his hands.

“Hey, you,” he says, flashing me a million-dollar smile that stops my heart. Closing the door behind me for a moment alone before the madness begins, I rush toward him, ignoring the fact that his hands are full and press my lips to his. He shifts the container he’s holding to one hand, wrapping the other around my waist as he deepens our kiss, his now-familiar scent causing me to fully relax since coming home from work.

“Hi, stranger.” I bury my head in the crook of his neck, letting his warmth envelope me. “Is it weird that I missed you? Likegenuinelymissed you?”

“I’m glad I’m not the only one,” he whispers against my ear, his smile unmistakable against the side of my head. “You ready to dominate game night?”

“Let’s show ’em how it’s done.”

* * *

“Oh,come on…you’ve got to be kidding me,” I shout, all but slamming my drinking glass down onto the coffee table. Graham has just answered his fourth trivia question in a row correctly and if Klair hadn’t suggested we mix up the couples, I would be celebrating right now, but instead, Dean and I are getting our butts handed to us.

Crossing her legs across from us, Klair grabs a new question card with a smug look on her face. “How are you boys doing? Had enough yet?” she asks.

When Graham mouths ‘I’m sorry’ from across the living room, I childishly respond by sticking my tongue out at him, causing a deep, throaty laugh to escape his lips.

“Oh, we are just getting warmed up,” Dean playfully responds.Goodness, stop flirting with the enemy.She blows him a kiss.

“How about you quit stalling and ask the next question?”

Klair shakes her head at my impatience while reading the question on the card. “Oh, my sweet, Will…You’re going to love this one.Who scored the first three-point basket in NBA history?”

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