Page 32 of Come Back To Me
“Do what?”
“With the lighter?”
His jaw ticks. “Yeah. But you hurt for me, so I can hurt for you too.” He kisses my lips again, this time quick and gentle.
At a loss for words, I just nod and lean all my weight on the door. Seeing that I need him to stay a little longer, he pulls me into his arms and holds me until I’m able to fully stand on my own. I splash water on my face at the sink and we go our separate ways as we exit the bathroom, him disappearing out the door as I reach the table.
“What took you so long?” Leo’s forehead wrinkles and Glen’s eyes stay on his menu as he runs his fingers over the lunch specials.
“Feeling a little nauseous. Probably the leftovers I ate yesterday. Not so sure they were good anymore.” The lies don’t stop, growing into a whole new personality for me.
“Oh. We can leave if you need to.”
“I’m fine now.” I reach for my water and take a sip. The ice is a different kind of cold than Gareth’s tongue, feeling uncomfortable as it sits there too long. I like how he feels. I didn’t think I would, but my warmth and his coldness . . . they just work.
“You sure?” Glen finally speaks, eyes meeting mine.
“Yeah. Eating actually might help.”
“Maybe some soup,” Glen suggests.
“Yeah, nothing too heavy,” Leo says.
“Soup sounds like a good idea. It is starting to feel more like the right weather for it.”
“Yeah.” Glen’s face scrunches up. “I hate the cold.”
“I love it.” Leo bounces in his seat, fingers tapping on his coffee mug. “I get to wear all my cute sweaters and scarves.”
“Yeah, and change five times more than usual before being ready.” Glen shoots him a smirk and Leo scoffs, his eyes rolling back.
“Stop acting like you don’t enjoy the show.”
“It is the only reason I allow it to go on for so long.” His eyes flit down at my friend.
“Mhm. I figured as much.”
I stick my finger in my mouth, making fake gagging noises.
They both snicker, and Leo makes kissy noises at his fiancé.
“Now I know why you suggested we leave. You two clearly need to be alone.”
“We’ll have plenty of time for that later,” Leo says, batting his eyes at Glen.
“Yeah. Lots of time.” He kisses Leo’s cheek, and luckily the waitress comes to interrupt their love fest. We order our food and Leo pulls up his phone to show Glen our new costumes, telling him how many days he has left to choose his. The conversation leads to other things and then to them visiting family. The tension between them is thick after Leo says something about not being able to be around Glen’s brother for longer than a day.
When the food comes, they drop the subject and we all eat in silence. Leo grabs the check, paying for the whole thing, and when he heads out, he spends a few minutes at the car with Glen, reconciling. They kiss, sharing smiles again, and I pretend to look somewhere else until Leo meets me back at his car.
“Everything all good?” I slip in the passenger side.
He shrugs, sliding in beside me and buckling up. “It will be. It always is in the end. Looks like I have to see his family, though. They hate me.”
“Doesn’t your family love him?”
“Yeah.” He huffs out a breath, starting the car. “Probably more than me.”
“Then why doesn’t he want to go there?”
