Page 82 of Dirty Martini
“Sorry. I knew that. I—” I clear my throat, seeing that the more I speak, the sadder he gets. I laugh as lightly as I can. “Have fun at dinner. We can catch up later.”
“Yeah, sure,” he says, but he can’t hide his disappointment. “Whenever you want, little bro.”
He leaves, and I’m left all alone to wonder just when that’ll be.
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
Rhys
“Okay, spill. Tell me everything.”
I snort, taking a sip of my soda as I shake my head at Elton. We haven’t even ordered our food yet, and he’s already jumping straight to it. I thought he’d at least finish the beer he ordered before the line of questioning started.
“Well, Einstein first discovered the Theory of Relativity in 1905?—”
“Ugh,” he groans dramatically, giving me a mock glare. “You know that’s not what I meant.”
I chew the inside of my cheek. It’s not like I didn’t see this coming. Elton’s always been too nosy for his own good, and he has three months’ worth of gossip to catch up on. Thankfully, I’ve prepared for this and, unlike Everest, I know how to be chill under pressure.
“Fine,” I say coolly. “What do you want to know?”
“How’s Everest been? Has he been alright? Everything going well with him? Is he eating okay?” he questions, one after the other, in a great rush of breath.
“He’s great. You know, he passed all his finals.” That’s something I would know, but the pride that shines through my words can’t be hidden. “Worked really hard too.”
Elton must miss the obvious affection in my voice because he just nods, although it’s obvious he’s impressed. “That’s awesome! What else?”
“Well, he still likes those deviled ham and Cheese Whiz sandwiches he did when he was a kid,” I say, thinking back fondly to the cracker sandwiches we fed each other during the hurricane.
He throws me a look, not as impressed with that insight. “Anything juicier?”
I shake my head, fucking with my straw. “It’s not my place to tell you all the dirty details.”
Although there’s so much I could tell him. I could go on and on about how the affection and protectiveness I felt for Everest when he was younger never faded. I could talk about how sweet he is—vulnerable and pure—when you least expect it. I could boast about how confident he can be sometimes, like a little shit, keeping me on my toes.
But I keep that all in, even though I’m just dying to shout all the things I love about Everest Hill.
Elton doesn’t like my answer, but he sighs regardless. “Okay, true. You’ve got me.” He takes a long, contemplative sip of his beer. “He seems a bit weird, though.”
“What the fuck do you mean by that?” I snap, my blood suddenly boiling like a match struck.
Rearing his head back, he blinks at me repeatedly. “Woah, you good?”
Wow, that was a bit hostile for someone trying to keep it cool. But, fuck, I couldn’t help it. I know that Elton meant nothing by it, but the thought of him insulting my boyfriend sent me from zero to a hundred in a matter of seconds.
I clear my throat. Now is certainly not the time to get into this. Not on Elton’s first day back and definitely not at a restaurant. “Ugh, yeah. But what do you mean?”
“I don’t know. He’s squirrelier than usual,” he muses with a shrug. “He acted all twitchy when I asked him to go out with us.”
Yeah, I love the guy, but Everest can’t hide his feelings for shit. “I’m sure he’s fine.”
“There’s something wrong with him,” Elton presses, and I don’t like what I hear in his voice. It’s almost accusatory which, I guess, he has the right to be given the secret we’re keeping from him. It’s almost like he’s sniffing it out. But still, his words strike me again.
“There’snothingwrong with him.”
“Seriously, what’s up with you?” he asks, chuckling to himself sheepishly like he’s not quite sure what to say.
“Nothing,” I grit out rather harshly. “Just don’t want to shit talk.”
