“Tell us." Arnaud leaned on his elbows, his hands crossed under his chin. “How’s London?”
“Oh, um.” Luka flinched slightly when everyone looked at him. “I really like it here, actually. There’s a lot more to do than back home. I like that the weather is a little cooler.”
“Ha, for now,” Arnaud said. “Soon this place will be muggier than Sebastian’s ass-crack.”
“So mean," Sebastian said, not looking offended. “At least it’s not as cold as Sweden. I don’t know how Angel lives there.”
“They didn’t grow up in a southern continent. Probably helps,” Arnaud said. “You think they’ll move here if you two get serious?”
“No, we are content with long distance for now. We will visit.”
Arnaud nodded, and Reno knew he understood. Next to him, Luka was frowning, lost in thought.
“Wait," Luka asked, “Angel? Like, the bassist from Hearts n Hell, right?”
“Yup." Sebastian’s honey-brown eyes went dreamy. “We hooked up officially during the last Europe tour and they’re everything a guy could dream of.”
“Is it easier to date another musician?” Luka asked, his shoulders tense. “I’d imagine the scheduling would be a nightmare.”
“It is," Sebastian agreed, still drifting far away, lost in a fantasy. “But it’s nice to have someone who understands the pressures of it all, who won’t get freaked out when things get busy or tense, and who is similarly obsessed with making music. It helps we write almost the same genre but listen to a lot of different things, it brings a nice middle ground to writing sessions and sharing things together.”
“I see,” Luka said, and Sebastian watched him for a moment in a way that made Reno feel wary.
Sebastian asked Luka, “What do you have in common with Reno?”
“Can’t we wait to eat before you all start interrogating him?” Reno sighed, and Luka started laughing behind his hand. Reno watched him, surprised, and when Luka glimpsed back, he didn’t appear so anxious anymore.
Instead, all Luka said was, “You’re so sweet. It’sokay.”
The waitress tapped a knuckle on the door before opening it, then several dishes, heavy and piled high with meat, vegetables, and other rich-looking foods, were set on the table.
When the waitress and other servers had left, Luka waited until everyone had started filling their plates with food before he cleared his throat.
“Well, we both love music. Even if how we love it is different.”
“Fuck, I’d hope so,” Jaewon said around a bite and Reno shot him a look. It didn’t deter Luka at all, however.
“You don’t need to hope. I’ve been listening to your music for over ten years, but I also listen to a lot of other stuff. I don’t play an instrument or write music, but I always have it on in the background while I draw. We both enjoy travel and a lot of the same foods—although Reno is, um, he likes and knows more about food, I think, than I do. We’ve watched a few movies together that we both enjoyed. And, it’s fun.”
“Fun?” Arnaud asked.
“Yeah," Luka shrugged, then accepted a plate full of food from Reno. “We have fun together. We laugh a lot. Play. I’ve never really gotten to do that before.”
“Reno is good at fooling around,” Sebastian said, and Reno scowled at him but it made Luka laugh.
“It’s true,” Luka agreed. “I’ve always been nervous and too serious, and it’s nice being around someone who doesn’t let me get so caught up in my head. Stay in the present, you know? Enjoy what’s in front of me instead of always stressing about what’s next.”
“Fuck," Arnaud swore. “I was really praying that it’d be the other way around.”
“You don’t mean that,” Luka said, and any fight Reno had in him melted immediately. “You know better than I do—everyone works him too hard, always making him think about the future. What if he were naturally inclined to be someone like me who worries constantly about what might happen? It would make him more neurotic than he already is.”
“Oh my god.”
Reno pointed a fork at Jaewon, who had just burst out laughing and ordered, “Shut up, man.”
“Your boyfriend thinks you’re crazy.” Jaewon ignored Reno’s request and laughed even harder until he choked on something. Arnaud had to swat him on the back a few times.
“Of course I do,” Luka said. “I’m not blind and I’m not stupid.”
