Page 148 of Pistols and Plush Toys

“Okay,” Elliot said again, still looking at Nikolai and smiling so brightly. “I’ll let him know he can come, if he wants to.”

“Good,” Nikolai said, turning to his own phone and resolutely ignoring the butterflies.

***

Meredith and Gerard were already at the restaurant when he and Elliot arrived, so they were guided back into the private booth seating they’d reserved. Gerard had left off the leather jacket tonight and was just wearing a black button up. Meredith was in a deep blue dress that matched the sapphire teardrop earrings dangling from her ears and the polish on her nails.

They did greetings all around as Elliot slid into the booth next to Meredith and Nikolai followed after.

“I like your dress,” Elliot said shyly to Meredith.

“Oh, thank you,” Meredith said with a smile. “And you look very nice in your new clothes too. Everything we get working out for you?”

“Yeah. Um, thank you,” Elliot said. “It’s all been—everything’s been great.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” Meredith said.

Elliot opened his mouth to speak, but then his eyes caught on something across the room. He waved, and Nikolai turned to see Xander walking in, his bright shock of red hair unmistakable.

Xander scanned the room, lighting upon Elliot, and started in their direction. He was wearing a button down and apair of dark wash jeans, and uncertainty was written all over his face.

When he got to the table, with the way they’d slid into the U shaped booth, the only available seat was next to Gerard.

“Oh,” Elliot said, as Xander hesitated. “We can move–”

“He can sit next to me, no worries,” Gerard said with a grin. “I don’t bite.”

That seemed to put Xander more at ease and he smiled. “Ever?” He asked as he slid in next to Gerard.

Gerard’s eyes brightened, “Only if they ask nicely.”

Meredith groaned.

Xander laughed before his attention moved to the rest of the table and he sobered again. “Uh, hi. Hey everyone. So, uh, I’m sorry for crashing your thing.”

“No, no, the more the merrier,” Meredith said. She offered her hand across the table. “I think I’m the only one you haven’t met. I’m Meredith. You must be Xander.”

“Yeah,” Xander said, shaking. “It’s nice to meet you. You’re Gerard’s college friend, right?”

Her brows went up. “Oh, you’ve been talking?”

“Yeah, we’ve been texting about concerts,” Gerard said, with a shrug like it was no big deal. “I was telling him about how you and I used to go to punk shows in college.”

“Oh,”Meredith said, but now her smile had a knowing tilt to it. “Yeah, we had some good times.”

“Xander’s into music,” Gerard added.

“Oh?” Meredith said. “Is he now?”

Before Xander could answer, they were interrupted by the waiter coming up for drink orders. None of them had touched the menus yet however, so they all quickly reached for them.

Well, everyone but Nikolai. “Water, please,” he said to the waiter while everyone else looked over the menu.

“Same, please,” Elliot said from beside him.

“Water, thank you,” Xander said.

“I’ll have an uh…” Gerard flipped through two pages of the menu. “I’ll have the San Pellegrino, thanks.

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