He smiled. “No, but Zach isn’t going to settle down. He’s not interested in that.”
We both watched as Zach touched the sleeve of Oscar’s shirt before he said something that neither of us could hear.
“Are you sure about that?” I shook my head when Reed offered me some of his muffin. “That’s yours.”
He shrugged. “I’m not really hungry. I had a big breakfast this morning that’s sitting like a rock in my belly. Mom’s orders.” He tilted his head. “I promise to talk about it when I’m ready, Casanova.”
I reached for his hand and laced our fingers together. I didn’t care that people were watching us. All that mattered was Reed. “You don’t have to.”
“Thank you.”
“I love you, Reed.”
His lips spread into a giant smile. “I love you, too, Cole. So much.”
We stared at one another, Reed squeezing my fingers every now and then, not saying anything, just listening to the sound of the busy coffee shop. I’m not sure how long we sat there before Oscar and Zach joined us, while Tate ducked behind the counter to help more customers.
“You two doing okay?” Zach asked. His eyes darted between the two of us. “Or are you just talking through telepathy now?” He snorted when Oscar’s mouth dropped open. “I’m kidding. I’m kind of enjoying the way they’re looking at one another. You can really feel the love.”
Oscar hummed in agreement. “It’s cute.”
“Really?” I narrowed my eyes. “Is that what we’re calling it now?”
Reed tugged on my hand. “It’s fine.”
“I mean, you’ve been pining for him as long as I’ve known you—” Oscar snapped his mouth shut when he realized what he had said. “I mean, you know, finding the right one.”
“Okay, that’s enough,” I snapped.
Reed’s brows dipped. “What do you mean by that? Pining, I mean.” He stared at me. “Cole, what does that mean? Did you tell him about us before I came back?”
“He did,” Oscar answered.
I wanted to leap across the table to shut him up. That was something I had confided in my best friend when we first moved in together. It was right after Fiona and I made everything official, even though my heart wasn’t in it. It was also why I’d broken up with her.
“Stop. You love him. You told me that Reed was the one who got away, and you always wanted to fix things between the two of you.”
“Cole.” Reed’s pink lips formed a circle. “Is that true?”
I nodded. “Yes.”
Reed’s face crumbled, and he buried it in the palms of his hands. I shot Oscar a glare, then reached over to touch my boyfriend. “Baby, don’t cry.”
“But I hurt you!” Reed exclaimed. “How can you sit here right now with me and act like nothing is wrong? I broke your heart. You...I...Fuck!” He jumped to his feet and raced outside.
“I got this.” Zach hurried off to catch him before he got too far away.
I stared at my best friend. “Happy?”
“I didn’t mean to upset anyone. I just thought Reed should know the truth.”
“The truth? That I was miserable without him? I think he already knows that.”
Tate appeared suddenly, his fingers twisted together against his apron. “Is Reed okay? Why did he run out of here so fast?”
“Snowflake, don’t worry.” Oscar reached out to touch his cheek and blushed when he caught me watching. “Um, maybe I should go try to talk to him. Let him know that I’m sorry.”
“I’ll go.” Tate stopped him. “Reed is my friend, too, and if he’s upset, I want to try to help him.” He looked at me, for what, I’m not sure. Guidance, maybe?