Page 24 of Love Spell

Laughing, Noah would have shaken his head if she wasn’t smoothing some kind of mineral mud goo on his face.“My birthday’s not until October 6th.”

“My favourite month.I know spring has its merits, but I’ve always thought October was the most beautiful time of year.”

Silly as it was, Noah couldn’t help feeling a bit chuffed, as they said in England, by that.He’d been slow at learning to love October.It had been hard to greet it with joy growing up when it meant the settling of snow and failing light that wouldn’t reverse until April.Give him summer any day.Now, though, he did love October, the colours and change and new texture to the air that had been too warm, too soft, until October touched the leaves and wrapped a filter around the sun.

While he lay back for the full facial treatment, sinking into silence, only a water fountain bubbling in the background, Noah remembered why he was dreading October this year: He didn’t even have until Halloween to wrap up his life here and leave the country.

It was frustrating to think of such things when he was supposed to relax and enjoy this moment.Nothing he could do about any of it on this weekend away, and trying would be a total waste of the free vacation.As soon as he got back, he had to move out of the current Airbnb, but at least he’d been able to leave his bags there since it was all paid through Monday.Small blessings.

Worry on Monday.Not now.Not today.Today he was part of the team, fitting it, just another one of the guys.Today, he was relaxing, as people did on weekends and vacations.Today, he was even grateful for the first time for a boss like Timo.

* * *

“To the Wolf Pack!”Cheers, howls, clattering glasses.The earlier toasts had started with AAM and reasons to celebrate.On the third round of drinks, everyone was getting more and more chummy — not to mention loud.

Noah would rather be in the company of actual wolves, who were quieter, formed loving family groups, and were all-around far more civilised.

Still, he’d had a good Saturday.Best time he’d had since he’d reached England just over a year ago.The hard morning workout when he wasn’t used to it left him sore all over; his hand and leg ached, but he felt loose and drowsy after his spa afternoon and an hour’s break to read before the rowdy dinner got underway.

No one had been really nasty to him all day, and he’d even got the chance to talk a bit with people on the team he actually enjoyed being around, like Ranveer and Spencer.

He’d figured out at dinnertime why Timo hadn’t wanted Noah booked in all-inclusive as soon as Timo suggested they drive down to the village to experience local Welsh cooking and more sights before sunset.Not the team; just him and Noah.

Noah chose a place between two occupied chairs to make sure of keeping a distance from Timo at the big hotel dining room table, but he needn’t have worried.Once Noah refused the offer of date night, Timo returned to his role as pack alpha with his hyena smile by settling at the head of the table.

Noah got the chance to talk with Haoyu about his own work visa status and the process he’d been through, having followed Timo back from Hong Kong to join his new venture in London.It wasn’t the kind of thing Noah felt he could ask about at work, but Haoyu seemed happy now to go on at length about timelines — long — and paperwork — lots — plus institutional racism he’d encountered.

Noah capped his own intake at two cocktails, not because it wouldn’t have been fun to overindulge on a night like this, but because he couldn’t let his guard down with Timo still prowling around, pretending he wasn’t.

Besides, it wasn’t every day he had a Michelin-starred dinner and he didn’t want drinking to blunt the experience.Dessert was another matter.He’d always had a sweet tooth and he was happy to go all in on the large round of dessert orders, then swap with Spencer and Haoyu so he got to try not only his own chocolate orange mousse cake but the pistachio cake with glazed cherries and the refreshing crème fraîche panna cotta with cucumber sorbet.

He’d forgotten all about his injured hand by the time the final plates were cleared, all the men talking shop, showing no sign of letting the party run down, and Noah couldn’t help thinking it was the ideal end to a great day.Might he even have a soak in the bath before bed?He’d had to shower off mud earlier, but that wasn’t the same.The whole weekend was for indulgence, right?

Sunday morning was supposed to be sunny.They’d get another bike ride and lunch at the hotel or a beach visit and fish and chips before starting back for London.Then all he had to do was make sure he was in Ranveer’s car, not Timo’s, for the return and he was home and dry.Pretty damn perfect weekend, really.

Some chairs were pushed back, the talk breaking off into groups of two or three, so Noah didn’t feel too conspicuous being the first to stand.He might just take a lavender tea up with him if the kitchen had it.He made his way into the next room to ask a bartender.

He’d no sooner reached the now sparsely populated bar with a welcoming murmur of voices instead of the loud voices and laughter of the team, when Timo appeared beside him like a shadow.

Noah jumped, not only startled, but unsettled that Timo, who’d been talking and laughing with Maksim and Ranveer seconds before, had been watching Noah closely enough all the time to dart after him.

“Nightcap?”Smiling, Timo rested a hand on his shoulder.

Noah pulled away, though he found he didn’t mind as much as he should have.Perhaps he was buzzed from the drinks and sugar and overall day, but he almost didn’t mind Timo following him either.

“I’ve had enough.”

“You eat light and you hardly drank anything.”

“How do you know?”

“We just had dinner together, Noah.”

“I was four people away from you.We didn’t ‘have dinner together’ like that.”

“Have a seat.”Timo pulled out a barstool for him.“Just one drink?How’s your day been?Hand okay?”

“It’s fine.”Noah still stood, but didn’t retreat.“And it’s never just one drink with you, is it?”

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