The group’s mouths drop open simultaneously as Liam falls into his chair next to me. “What’s going on?”
Lexi rolls her eyes. “Rachel and I broke up this morning.”
“Oh.” That’s all Liam says, which is more than the rest of us. His brows furrow then he adds, “Did she dump you on your birthday?”
“I broke up with her,” Lexi says with a shrug. “After she said she didn’t want to come to dinner tonight.”
“Why not?” Grady asks, angry on behalf of our friend.
Lexi glances at Jo, who has been distracting herself with a cloth napkin this entire time. After folding hers into a swan, she grabs Lexi’s off her lap and starts on that one.
My eyes naturally move to Liam. He’s watching their strange, silent interaction with a keen eye. Not an angry one—just highly curious.
Liam loves Lexi, which is not surprising. It’s damn hard not to, but there are plenty of personalities that don’t appreciate her brazenness. He, however, finds her clever wit and smartass tendencies endearing. More than that, Liam’s commented on Lexi’s loyalty more than once. She’s a buzzing ball of chaos who chooses to use that energy mostly for good—for the people she loves.
So, I don’t think he’d be upset if Lexi and Jo struck up a deeper friendship, or maybe something more.
“It’s not important.” She shrugs. “And I am honestly glad it happened. It should have been sooner, but we wanted to try.”
Out of everything in their relationship,thatconfuses me the most. Lexi has never felt the need to tie herself down, or make herself smaller, to fit someone else’s needs. But for months, she kept trying to fit her square brick into the round hole that was her relationship with Rachel.
As much as she loves to poke and prod, Lexi usually respects my boundaries extremely well. So, I let her have her space too. We always include each other in the big, important things, and I know Vivi has her back on everything else.
I’m about to change the subject before more questions are hurdled her way when Liam shrugs. “It was only a matter of time.” Lexi raises her eyebrows at him in amusement, and even Jo’s head peeks up. “I’m just being honest. She seemed nice enough, from the few times I met her, but it was not a match made in heaven. We all know that.”
Snickering, I watch everyone at the table reluctantly agree.
“Okay, great—we’re all on the same page, then.” Lexi claps her hands once at the same moment the two birthday cakes are being dropped off.
Jo’s cake is in a three-layer heart-shaped vintage style. I wasn’t sure what she’d want, other than her preference of vanilla and no fruit fillings. That’s easy enough, and left me with a lot of options. When I was mixing the colors into the icing, Ana pointed out that the color scheme I chose resembles the lesbian flag. It’s not identical, but I chose the bright pink and soft orange because Jo reminds me of a sunset. She’s as bright as the sun, but she doesn’t often force herself into the spotlight. Instead, she prefers to cast the hazy glow of attention on the others around her.
As the server sets the cake in front of her, Jo quietly squeals and claps. “This isperfect.”
A strawberry matcha naked cake is set down in front of Lexi. It’s a new recipe I spent a few evenings testing in anticipation of tonight. It’s Lexi’s go-to drink order, so I hope she enjoys it.
The employees add dramatic sparkler candles. Lexi usually treats her birthday as more of a reason to let loose than grab attention, but she’s putting on a good face for Jo’s sake.
Earlier today, I made sure Lexi was okay with sharing the evening with her. She promised it was and just said, "It's her twenty-fifth birthday.”
I don’t think there’s ever been a birthday I was truly excited for, not in the way others are. It’s just another day—the gifts are nice, though. Even in my thirties, that is a tradition I won’t turn down.
After dinner, we’re going to a new bar that hosts monthly themes called The Venue. The name really says it all. Lexi loves going, and this month’s theme is Retro Arcade.
Max's, on the other hand, has a quiet atmosphere overall, but our table is in the back and it's near closing time. We quickly sing the birthday song and take a few photos anyway. Plus, Jo knows the staff since starting here two months ago, so her co-workers even join in.
Jo’s happiness to be included, to be celebrated, is palpable. I’m glad that she’s decided to stay. Whatever it is her soul needs to heal clearly wasn’t in Portland, but maybe it’s in Amada Beach. At least for now.
“Which cake do you want?” Liam rests his arm on the back of my chair, his fingers brushing against the back of my neck.
A small shiver runs down my back, and his earlier promises flit through my mind for the hundredth time tonight. The anticipation of exploring a new side of sex with Liam makes my panties incredibly wet, and we still have hours to get through tonight. The only consolation is how close hecame to finishing earlier, until I took it away. He has to be suffering more than I am.
“Want to share one of each?” I ask and accept the matcha cake that’s handed to us.
Liam nods with a smile and accepts a piece from Jo for us. Setting it between us, he turns his body toward me. We both go for the matcha first, knowing how great the final recipe turned out to be.
“Mmm.” Liam’s hum of approval never fails to send a gooey warmth through me. Stefan cares about his physique as much as he does his image, so he never enjoyed my baking and was reluctant to take even a small bite. Not only do I appreciate Liam’s thick, strong build, but it’s such a turn on how much he loves food—specifically the foodImake for him.
Everyone begins to break off into smaller conversations. It’s easier in such a large group, and we don’t have to yell across the round table.
