Page 52 of Numbers Boy
“Of course,” Steve says, snuggling against me again, and my hand goes back to its relaxing circuit. “They’re all going to love you. And while it’s technically a book club meeting, that usually only takes up a little bit of the time.”
My smile widens before I press a kiss to his forehead. “I would love to come to brunch.”
“Yay,” he cheers quietly. Then he pops his head up again, excitement sparking in his emerald eyes, his next words mirroring what I was just thinking moments ago. “Oh! You should totally bring Blake along! I haven’t had a chance to talk to him aside from that movie night and little bits here and there, and that way, you’ll have someone else that you’ll know. I mean, I’ll of course be there, but there’s a lot of them, and I know sometimes we get overwhelming as a group. And –”
My lips cut off his rambling with a soft, chaste kiss.
“I’ll invite Blake,” I tell him. “Not because I think I’ll need the backup but because I think he would also enjoy meeting your friends. Will you tell me about them?”
And so he does. Steve talks all about his group, from how they met to what everyone is up to now. The entire time, I make mental notes of things to remember, how to tell everyone apart, and just think to myself that I love that Steve has this tight-knit group in his life. As we drift off to sleep, Steve cradled in my arms, I can’t help but hope that someday I’ll be considered part of his inner circle as well.
AS SOON ASwe walk into the restaurant where we’re having brunch the following Saturday morning, I see a group of tables that has to be the Working Boys. Not only is it the only table filled with guys, but there’s a tiny twink glaring at us who can only be Henry.
To be more specific, he’s glaring at me. Steve, Stu, and Blake seem to be spared from whatever thoughts are running through his head. Once we get closer, ocean blue eyes ping down to where I’m holding Steve’s hand, fingers intertwined, and the glare softens a touch.
“You’re late,” accuses Probably Henry.
Steve and Stu share a look before pulling out chairs at the exact same time.
“Relax, Hen,” Stu says.
“Yeah, I had to get my face on,” Steve adds.
Henry’s eyes rake over Steve’s hastily applied makeup. Not that it looks sloppy, but I happen to know he didn’t have as long to get ready as he had originally planned, so he was a little rushed. Whoops. It’s not my fault that Steve looks especially edible first thing in the morning.
“Well, you look really nice,” Henry says, a smile finally gracing his cute face. He has a bit of makeup on as well, if the shine on his lips and the thick lashes are any indication. “I love that color lip on you.”
“Thanks, babe.” Steve smiles back, and Henry relaxes into his seat, reaching for his mimosa.
I feel like I just passed some sort of test that I had no idea even existed, and a weight lifts from my shoulders. Since Blake and I are the only ones standing, we grab the last two open chairs and settle in. We’re at one end of the tables, with Steve and Stu across from us. Pouring myself a mimosa from the pitcher on the table, I bring it to my lips as I let my gaze travel along the rest of the guys, trying to match faces with what Steve has told me about his friends.
I’m pretty sure it’s Leighton next to Stu, followed by Mark, who I recognize from the bar. I wave at him, and he waves back, a small, friendly smile on his lips. Then Henry is at the other end, across from a bigger guy in plaid. He must be Chad, since I vaguely recognize the next two, Greg and Andrew, from the photo Steve sent me from their football game. And that brings us around to Blake. It’s nice to feel like I already kind of know everyone, even if we haven’t formally met yet.
From my other side, I hear Steve giggle at something Stu says. The sound fizzes inside of me like the champagne in my drink and makes me feel just as bubbly. I would do anything to keep him as happy as he is now, surrounded by people who love him and see him for the amazing person he is. I’m so caught up in watching Steve across the table from me, I don’t even realize Blake has leaned in until he’s speaking low right in my ear.
“Bro, you’ve got hearts coming from your eyes. It’s kind of disgusting,” he teases, grin evident in his voice.
“Jealous?” I taunt right back, eyes reluctantly pulling away so I can turn toward my best friend.
“Of you looking at me like that? Hell, no. Of you finding your person? Little bit.” He holds out a hand and leans it from side to side. “But that’s neither here nor there right now. I’m happy for you, Noah.”
Before I can reply, Henry claps his hands once, and all eyes turn to him. From the little bit I know of the man, both from Steve’s stories and our first interaction, I’m sure he’s loving having all our attention on him.
“Alright, everyone, time for the book part of book club so we can lull the two newcomers into a false sense of security before we grill them with questions.” He winks toward me and Blake, obviously having thawed enough to tease us. “And by we, I mean me, since all the rest of these guys will probably try to be nice and not scare you off.”
I laugh lightly while Blake raises his glass in acknowledgment of the smaller man’s challenge.
Bring it on, Henry, I think as I catch Steve shaking his head, a tiny smirk on his pretty lips. They’re a deep pink today to match his cropped long-sleeve shirt, and the color makes his green eyes seem to glow. Henry’s right, it is a great color on him.I’m not going anywhere.
Mark pipes up next, which surprises me a bit since he seems to be one of the quietest of the group. Even when he was showing me around at the bar, there wasn’t any extra conversation. But it quickly becomes clear that reading is something that brings out another side of him. Once he gives his opinion on the book – a thriller about a list of people who start to get murdered one by one – the others all join the discussion. And while we didn’t read the book, Blake and I are effortlessly included. We’re asked about our favorite books and what we would do if we were sent a random list that included our name but no other information. Once the whodunit talk dwindles down, they move on to deciding next month’s book and where they want to meet.
Throughout the conversations, my gaze keeps being drawn back to Steve and Stu. More than once, I catch a glance like the one they shared right before they sat down in unison. Each time, they either do or say something that is so completely in syncthat, if I wasn’t watching so closely, it would seem like they were reading each other’s minds. From the cough that tries to cover a laugh next to me when they both answer a question exactly the same, I’d say Blake has noticed the same thing.
“Dude, did you guys take twinning pills or something today? You’re even more creepily in tune than normal,” Greg mutters, then freezes, brown eyes swinging apologetically to Steve like he’s worried he said something wrong.
“Nope,” Stu replies with a shit-eating grin. “You’re just jelly you could never figure out how we do it.”
Greg shakes his head at that, and I laugh. Henry leans forward at the sound, head cocked to one side.
