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“He saves that for the bedroom,” I said as I fist-bumped Xander. If we didn’t love one another, we’d be cited for harassment.
“I’d subscribe to that OnlyFans page.”
If I had just said that, it’d have been teasing. But as Bernard mumbled the words with a straight face, the rest of us broke into laughter. This breakfast was the perfect end to a long night at the bar.
“No, I save that for the bedroom. And, no, I have good news about Sebastian. It appears that Mr. Bossman—“
“Can we take a moment to discuss the name?”
I waited for one of them to pile on the comments. But neither Xander nor Bernard spoke. Really? Was I the only one who found it ironic that Griffin’s boss was named Bossman? I questioned our friendship.
“He’s taking a less active role in the magazine. Since Damien Vex tried to poach one of his employees, Bossman returned the favor. Sebastian is the new bossman.”
Griffin worked for a superhero magazine, and after some drama with the local competition, they stepped up and promoted him. Meanwhile, his boyfriend worked for their rival, and yet somehow, they maintained a picture-perfect relationship.
“Congrats.” Bernard held up his coffee in a salute. “It’s good to get him out of there. Now, for Aiden.”
Xander’s boyfriend worked at the rival magazine. Was there something in the water cooler over there I needed to check out? Maybe if I hung out at the entrance, I’d find myself a bearish man to bring home. It appeared they were a dime a dozen.
“That’s not it.” Griffin’s excitement oozed from every word.
“Your pregnant?” Xander asked.
“No.” Griffin gave him the finger.
“Not for their lack of trying,” Bernard snickered.
“I hate you all.” Griffin tried to look irked, but the smile persevered. I finished the last of my eggs and drained the cup of coffee. I probably shouldn’t drink this much, but I would not make it to the end of the conversation without a boost of caffeine. My bed was calling to me.
“Since he’s going to be working in the Ward. He’s decided to move in.”
I choked on my coffee. “Whoa. Moving in? That’s a big step, like masivo.”
“I think we’re there. We’ve been talking about it for a while, but it just didn’t make sense working on opposite sides of the city. Now, we’ll be able to walk to work.”
Work. Commute. Home. I was struggling to see how any two people could tolerate being around each other that much. While Bernard and Xander congratulated the man, it felt as if the walls were closing in. Somebody in my space all day, every day?
“Won’t you get tired of each other?” Oh. I didn’t mean to say that part out loud.
“What? No?” Griffin spat back.
Bernard kicked me under the table. I’m pretty sure Xander did the same. “I mean, that’s going from seeing each other in the evenings to all day. Every day. I can’t imagine being around anybody—”
Kicking hadn’t worked, so Bernard leaned forward, clutching my leg under the table. I stopped as his fingers drilled into my thigh, threatening to leave bruises. I wasn’t trying to rain on Griffin’s parade. He found something that worked for him and Sebastian. But me? That type of commitment might very well be my kryptonite.
“We’re happy for you, Griff. Aren’t we, Alejandro?” Bernard’s smile might be saying one thing, but the side-eye was telling a different story.
“Whatever works for you and that studly man. I’m happy for you, Griffin.”
“Ditto. But isn’t your apartment small?” Xander asked.
“Oh,”—Griffin was like a kid in a candy store. I’m not sure I could handle this level of excitement as I fought off drooping eyelids. Chad was going to need to just pour the pot in my mouth at this rate—“With two incomes, we’ll find a much nicer place in the Ward.”
Before we could continue the congratulations, the entire cafe went silent. The sudden change in volume, coupled with the vibration in my pocket, could only mean one thing, the HeroApp™. Vanguard City’s personal app used to help citizens keep track of the diabolical villains that gravitated to our city. With our plethora of heroes, I never understood why the bad guys didn’t find a nice rural town to lord over. But as everybody scanned their cell phones, it was obvious a superhero battle was imminent.
Both Xander and Bernard jumped to their feet. Bernard needed to go find his supersuit and squeeze those beefy thighs into the form-fitting fabric, and Xander rescued fallen superheroes as a paramedic. They’d be off to do their part to save the world. For me, if it was a big enough battle and the heroes won, it meant the club would bustle this evening. Good, I needed a full tip jar.
Xander and Bernard bolted for the door without so much as a farewell. I turned to Griffin, who was rolling his eyes back in his head. “I swear they do this just so we have to pick up the tab.”
