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“Telling me what?”
Lauren dipped her head down, leaning in toward Casey. Pineapple clung to her breath as she spoke. “Austin had a really rough few months before he moved here. I’m not sure how much he told you, but he had it pretty bad for Mavis. And he didn’t handle it well when Josh...” She sighed, widening her eyes as she peered back at him. “It was hard to watch.”
Casey nodded. “Yeah, umm. Mavis kind of filled me in.” She sucked down the cocktail in full. “And Austin’s been pretty upfront about it all too.”
This is so awkward!
“He seems better now though. Back to his old self.” Lauren reached across the table and squeezed Casey’s hand. “Thank you.”
Her heart faltered, the insecurity consuming her earlier in the day slowly evaporating as the mojito tipped her brain upside down.
Lauren tugged her hand back as Austin returned, ramming his phone into his pocket. “I’m sorry.” He sighed and stuffed his hand in his wallet, digging out the infamous blue credit card.
“Everything okay?” Casey asked, accepting the card he held out.
“Yeah, yeah, no big deal. But hey, I’m sorry. I have to run back to the office real quick. Can I meet you guys in about an hour?”
Casey nodded. “Yeah, just text me. I’ll tell you where to meet us.”
Austin grinned and leaned forward, pressing his lips to the top of her head. “If you’re at a Backstreet Boys concert, you’re on your own.”
“Are they in town?” Lauren straightened as a smile tugged at her lips.
“God, I hope not.” Austin snorted and stepped away. “One hour!” he called over his shoulder as his feet carried him up the steps toward Michigan Avenue.
“Eh, I’m more of an N’SYNC girl anyway.” Lauren shrugged and drained her glass as Casey handed Austin’s credit card to the waiter.
“They are the superior boyband.” She snickered. “Austin told me you were a fan.”
Lauren giggled and tilted her head to the side. “You guys talk about weird things.”
Laughing, Casey gripped her stomach as the waiter returned and dropped the receipt on the table. “Thanks for coming in, ladies. Enjoy the rest of your day!” He winked and walked away.
As she scooted her chair back to stand, the metal legs grated against the concrete. “Come on. Let’s start with Millennium Park. You can’t come to Chicago without taking a picture in front of the Bean.”
Lauren smiled and looped her arm around Casey’s as they left the patio, following in Austin’s footsteps toward Michigan Avenue to hail a cab.
And to think I was nervous about meeting you.
