Page 63 of Take Me Slowly: part 2
"Thanks," I muttered, my chin almost to my chest. "Let's eat." If only to deflect from the attention.
Fortunately, that was what everyone did, digging into the fresh ingredients and talking amongst themselves. As for me, I quietly basked in everyone's presence and the fact they'd all turned up for me. Every one of them. I'd known them for a handful of months and they still took the time out of their Sunday to celebrate with me.
Brooks might have anyway; he'd surprised me with a gift of a few books. I hadn't expected anything from anyone else. Which was exactly why I hadn't told them about my birthday. I wasworried they'd make a fuss. Okay, part of me was worried they wouldn't. That they'd shrug and no one would care.
The worry was silly, and unfounded, but there it was.
But the reality? I had a feeling, with more notice, they would have thrown a bigger party. Just as well they didn't.
"This is so good," Holly said, groaning around her mouthful. "What's in the sauce you made, Connor?"
He shrugged. "A bit of truffle, some other stuff. Secret recipe."
"It's delicious," I told him. I wasn't disappointed he'd decided not to become a chef, because he loved what he did, but he really was good in the kitchen.
"There's nothing nasty in there is there?" Whitney gave him the side eye, then looking dubiously at her half eaten sandwich.
"What sort of nasty?" Riley asked, barely containing a smile. "Like cum?"
"I was thinking anchovies, but yeah that too." Whitney wrinkled her nose. "He knows how much I hate them."
Connor scoffed. "You can't even taste them. But no, there's none of that in there."
"This time," Riley said ominously. "Beware of future mayonnaise."
Connor pulled off a piece of crust and threw it at him. "Bro, I don't put shit like that in my food."
"Of course you don't, that would mean having to share," Riley said.
"Yeah, let's go with that," Connor said.
Whitney was still giving him a doubtful look, she resumed eating.
"I'm sure he wouldn't put anything gross in there," I assured her.
"Not knowing you're going to eat it," she agreed. "He'd totally do that to me though. One time, he made a cake with salt instead of sugar."
"That was anaccident," Connor said from behind gritted teeth.
"It was not," she scoffed. "You replaced the sugar with salt and forgot you did it."
He opened his mouth to argue, then shrugged. "It was worth it to see the look on your face."
"You bit into it too," she said with a laugh. "I wish I had a camera to take a photo of the expression on your face. And how fast you spat it out."
"I remember that," Riley said. "That was hilarious. Worst. Cake. Ever. Hey, Holly, there's not salt in the one you made, is there?"
"I guess you'll have to wait and find out," she said looking cagey while forcing back a smile.
Connor broke off another piece of crust, this time throwing it at Holly. "If you put salt in Leah's cake…"
Holly caught the crust and threw it back, hitting him in the side of the head. "Score!"
"What the hell?" He wiped crumbs off his head, while Riley and Brooks struggled not to laugh.
Josiah leaned over and spoke in my ear. "This is why I stay away from people." But he seemed as amused as everyone else, if in a quieter, more reserved way.
"That's very wise," Fiona told him. "I've met people. Some of them are very dubious. Most of them are sitting around this table."
