I look away. Look at the menu. Look anywhere except at him.
Bells resumes chattering about Jamie's mask workshop and the hundreds of creations covering every wall. About the weird horror props scattered throughout the tower. About how Orion looks and acts like a gothic prince. And how she thinks Rex and Jamie might actually be sort of friends even though Rex hates everything with a pulse.
My eyes flick to Phoenix. He leans forward when Bells talks, genuinely interested in everything she says even though he's usually so distractible, he checks out five words into every other conversation. His eyes keep finding mine, too, and I keep glancing away awkwardly.
Every time I look at Phoenix, my mind is like,"Hey! Look! Phoenix's giant fucking cock in your face! REMEMBER?"
May slides our plates onto the table and adds a basket of spring rolls that definitely wasn't part of our order.
Phoenix's whole face lights up.
"Thanks," he says, already reaching for one.
She pokes his shoulder affectionately. "Big alphas need to eat more."
She walks away and Phoenix is still grinning when he looks back at the table. At me. He flexes his biceps playfully, earning a giggle from Bells, who already has a mouthful of noodles.
I stare at my plate like I might be able to disappear into it if I stare hard enough.
Then Bells makes a happy sound next to me, this little hum of pleasure that goes straight to places it shouldn't. My eyes lock on her just in time to see her tongue curling out to eat off her spoon.
Fuck yeah, brain, think about THAT. That's better.
"This is really good," she says. "Like,reallygood. Way better than the takeout. Why have you been holding out on me?"
"We've been a little busy," Phoenix points out. "What with the blackmail and the stalker and the..." He cuts himself off, glancing around the restaurant. "Other stuff."
"Other stuff," Bells repeats dryly. "Is that what we're calling it?"
"Do you have a better term?"
"I was thinking 'absolute clusterfuck,' personally."
I snort before I can stop myself. Bells grins at me. "Clusterfuck works," I admit.
We eat in something closer to comfortable silence after that. The food is good—it's always good here—and having shit to do with my hands helps. I focus on the flavors, the textures, the familiar routine of a meal I've had a hundred times before.
I'm halfway through my noodles when Bells's fork invades my plate without warning.
"The fuck?"
She snags a piece of chicken before I can stop her, popping it into her mouth with zero shame. "Wanted to try it."
"You could'veasked."
"And miss that look on your face?" She's already reaching for another piece. "Never."
Phoenix shakes with laughter across the table as Bells grins at me like she just won something. My chicken, specifically.
"You're a menace," I tell her.
"Absolutely." She steals a baby corn. "But I'myourmenace now. You're stuck with me."
Yourmenace.
The possessive pronoun shouldn't hit as hard as it does. Like she belongs to me. To us. Like whatever this is has already been decided and we're just catching up.
Her hand finds mine under the table and her fingers lace through mine, palm warm against my skin. Her thumb traces the lines of my palm and I fucking melt.