Page 39 of Cultivating Caden
Chapter 11
“So then Cadensteps up to the guy and stares him down. The jock sneered and raised a hand. Matt was there in a flash, twisted the asshole’s arm behind his back, and shoved him up against the wall. He told the fucker if he ever came near Caden again, he’d snap the damn thing off.”
God, Caden had almost forgotten about Chris showing up at the restaurant the night they went out to celebrate Caden’s A on his final exam. It had been an extravagance they couldn’t afford, but decided that they’d eat ramen noodles the rest of the month if they had to. They’d been sitting at the table when Chris came up behind him and tapped Caden on the shoulder.
“Oh. What do you want?”
Chris gave that smile that always made Caden weak in the knees, but this time it just turned his stomach.
“I wanted to apologize to you about how things ended. I thought maybe we could try again. Can I buy you a drink?”
“No. I’m here with friends.”
Then, seeming to think that counted as an invitation, Chris took the empty chair.
“What are you doing?”
“Please, let’s just talk.”
The plaintive edge to his voice had Caden’s resolve wavering. Chris was still handsome and charming, but….
“Not tonight. Like I said, I’m here with my friends. Why don’t you call me later in the week and we’ll see if we can meet up?”
Chris huffed and stood. “Forget it. You’re notthatgood of a lay.”
Kieran had jumped up and punched Chris in the nose, creating a crimson spray across the tablecloth. “You’re an asshole.”
Chris’s face went as red as the stain on the tablecloth. He dragged a hand back as though he intended to hit Kieran, but like a knight in shining armor, Matt was there. He yanked Chris’s arm behind him, then pushed him against the wall. He got up in Chris’s face, his voice low and gravelly.
“That’s my boyfriend you’re raising your hand to, and if you know what’s good for you, you’ll leave now before your nose isn’t the only thing bleeding.”
Caden wasn’t sure what Chris saw in Matt’s eyes, but he stepped back and held up his hands. “Sorry, man. I didn’t know.” He grabbed a cloth from the table and shoved it against his nose, wincing when he did.
God, that had been a mess. The restaurant kicked them out without them even having a chance to eat. They ended up at a restaurant where they served all-you-can-eat pizza. As far as Caden was concerned, that was better than anything they served at Le Palm anyway.
“And the best thing of all?” Kieran was laughing now. “Before Chris stormed from the restaurant, he told Caden he’d call.”
“Which he never did. Because you know I sat by the phone waiting.”
That set the three of them off, each laughing harder the more they looked at one another.
Caden bit into his egg roll. He’d missed the cheap Chinese joint’s food. It was inexpensive but filling, and best of all, there was always enough to share.
He peeked over at Quade, who sat there quietly. He nudged him under the table. “You okay?”
“Yeah, fine.”
There was tension in the words, and Quade’s hands were clenched into white-knuckled fists. He was like a spring that had been wound too tight, and Caden worried he might snap.
“Why don’t we step outside for a minute?” Caden wiped his mouth. “Will you guys excuse us?”
He and Quade got up, and Caden led him through the door of the restaurant into the cool night air.
“Look, I’m sorry if you’re uncomfortable. I thought you guys would get along.”
“What? No, I love hearing the stories about when you guys were younger. Your friends are incredible, and the fact that they’ve stood by you like that makes me happy.” He reached up and brushed the pad of his thumb over Caden’s cheek. “Seriously, I’m having a good time.”
Fighting back the urge to lean into the touch, Caden cleared his throat. “Okay, then what’s wrong?”
