Pride blooms in Rafael’s chest. He leans in over the blanket, and Kane meets him halfway. The kiss tastes of vanilla with ahint of chocolate. When they part, Rafael’s pulse stutters.
Kane opens the picnic basket, pulling out a pair of wrapped sandwiches. No Terra Inc. logo in sight. He made these himself. “This one’s havarti and gouda with red onions, peppers, and zucchini on sourdough. And this—”
“Wait.” Rafael cuts him off. “You made all of this? For me?”
Cooking at his apartment makes sense. They had time and the latest kitchen console. But how did Kane manage all this, especially with everything going on in Shreveport?
Green eyes crinkle. “All me.” He chuckles, arranging the food onto two plates. “Well—most of it. I didn’t grow the vegetables or catch the fish, but I made time for the rest.
Rafael’s chest tightens as he accepts a sandwich. “Wow, Kane, I…” No one’s ever gone to such lengths for him. “I don’t even know what to say. This is…incredible. I still can’t believe we’re here…How did you pull this off? And that guy in the elevator who let me up. Do you know him? He called you by name. Said—”
“Jun.” Kane rolls his eyes. “He’s a bounty hunter. Credit chaser.” His tone hardens. “Not someone you want close. But…” A smirk tugs at his mouth. “He finds a way to get the impossible.”
Impossibleis one way to describe a private rooftop garden date atop a Smile Services building. Rafael glances around, scanning for security cameras, patrol drones, anything. “Kane, aren’t you worried S.S. enforcers might find us?”
A hand settles on Rafael’s shoulders. “Listen. I’ve got this handled.” Kane releases him to retrieve a bottle of synthwine from the picnic basket. “Jun knows better than to miss any details. He owed me, and I made damn sure he delivered.”
After pouring two glasses, Kane hands one over with a grin. “Nobody’s getting up here tonight.”
Kane’s right. He always keeps him safe. Rafael takes a slow sip. The wine washes away what little tension he has left.
They start eating, trading stories about their day. Rafael tells him about baking cupcakes with his mother on V-link, then meeting up with Lian before coming here. Kane talks about back-to-back meetings with his lieutenants, smoothing over crew drama, and the few curious looks he got in the lobby downstairs.
When Kane mentions dropping off his leftover sandwich supplies at a local shop, Rafael perks up. “Frank’s Burgers? I love that place! Had one right before I left.”
“Wouldn’t know.” Kane snorts. “I’m allergic to sesame.”
Rafael’s jaw slacks. “Really?”
“Yeah. And Frank refuses to use any other bun.” Kane folds his arms. “Found out the hard way three years ago. Wren talked Coda into digging up my birthday and threw me a surprise party. Guess whose burgers they ordered?”
It takes Rafael a second to connect the dots. “Oh my God—were you okay?”
Kane chuckles, taking a sip of wine. “Yeah. Thank God for Pulaski.” His tone stays light, but the line between his brows doesn’t disappear.
Rafael’s chest tightens. He sets his hand on Kane’s leg. “He sounds like he was a good man. A good doctor.”
“He was.” Kane’s gaze drifts over his shoulder to the pond.
Rafael lets the silence sit for a moment before a nervous laugh escapes him. “Guess I owe him then. For saving you before I ever got the chance to meet you.”
The corner of Kane’s mouth lifts. He looks back at Rafael. “Then I guess he saved us both.” His hand settles over Rafael’s on his thigh, squeezes once, then releases to return to eating.
A beep from Rafael’s wristlink breaks the moment. He glances down at the message and instantly laughs. Kane raises a brow when he glances up.
“Sorry, it’s my dad,” Rafael explains. “He tried pranking my mom—changed all the light controls in their house.” Another laugh bubbles up. “She was not happy.”
“Your dad’s a prankster?” Kane asks with a chuckle. He nods. “Can I expect that from you?”
“Nope.” Rafael shakes his head. “That gene went straight to my sister.” A memory surfaces, and he laughs. “Last summer, Maria found out her boyfriend was cheating, so she sent all their cutesy V-link sessions to his coworkers. I guess that’s not really a prank—but it proves my point!”
Kane snorts. “Yeah, that tracks. You two are definitely opposites.” He finishes the glass in a long swig. “Reminds me of when Viper finally had enough of Echo. Gave her a taste of her own medicine. Took years, but he made it count.”
He launches into the story about Echo’s sabotaged synthcoffee and Viper’s perfectly timed revenge. Rafael listens, grinning at every detail while he finishes his sandwich and wine.
The rest of the meal drifts by in easy conversation. Kane shares his favorite stands in the Shreveport marketplace. Rafael admits his worst kitchen disasters. The more they talk, the more it feels like they’ve known each other for years instead of a little over a month.
Rafael is deep in the middle of his burnt pizza tale when he catches the time. His eyes widen, then flick up. The sky’s gone dark, any nearby stars drowned out by surrounding neon.