Page 28 of Love Potion

“Been a while. How long?”

“Uh, well, almost twenty years.”

Marcus raises an eyebrow. “I don’t think I need to point out the obvious here.”

I laugh softly. “Fair enough. I’m afraid of ruining everything because of this, you know? What if he needs more than I can give him?”

“What if he doesn’t? Or what if you both find different ways to deal with it? What if you’re missing out on something great because of fear? If he’s been your friend for twenty years, that has to mean something. You should talk.”

“Good advice.” I’m not gonna take it though. He doesn’t know me or Bane, and there’s way too much at stake. What if wedecided to try and it didn’t work? My heart would be broken. It could make things super awkward. It could ruin everything.

Marcus pats my arm. “I hope it works out for you.”

“Thanks. You too.”

Marcus says goodbye, goes to the table and picks up a few flyers, then turns to leave. He’s greeted at the door by two absolutely gorgeous younger men. I think I expected a big age gap, but they look close to my age as they hug and kiss Marcus like he’s been gone for years. A smile tugs at my lips. That’s sweet.

As I walk out the door, I pull my phone out of my pocket to order a ride, then I open my text thread to Bane.

Me: Apparently I need more magnesium.

Three dots appear quickly.

Bane: Is that all you got from it?

Me: Yep. Same shit.

Bane: Sorry. At least you tried. You coming to Moby’s now?

Me: Sure. See you in a bit.

My mood perks up. At least I have Bane in some capacity. That’s good enough for now.

Forty minutes later,I walk into Moby’s. It’s decently busy, and as I look around, I spot most of the guys but not Bane. I head to the bar and tap Salem on the shoulder.

“Hey, Jerr.” He looks up from the stack of t-shirts he’s digging through.

“Hey. Do you know where Bane is?”

“Saw him on the patio a few minutes ago.”

“Thanks.”

I head in that direction, but before I get there, I feel his arms around my waist from behind, lifting me briefly off my feet as I laugh in surprise. Turning around, I put my hand on his chest to catch my balance.

“What are you doing?”

“Greeting my bestie. What are you doing?”

“Just getting here.”

“Got you something. Follow me.”

Bane takes my hand, leading me through the bar to the patio. In the corner of the space there’s a table with a cloche sitting on it.

“What’s this?”

“Dinner. I know you didn’t eat before you went.”

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