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One of thebonuses of knowing Jules was that he came from an obnoxiously rich family. Shiloh would have loved him as a friend anyway, but he’d long since stopped protesting whenever Jules insisted they take advantage of his trust fund and book things like first-class tickets for trip that barely lasted an hour.
It seemed a waste except on late afternoons after a week-long education conference run by snobby assholes. Jules was at a little bao bun cart before they departed, and Shiloh was able to put his feet up and enjoy the drawn shade, where he could see properly without a headache stabbing him in the temples.
He was holding his paper swan, thinking about Dom’s face, and his laugh, and his grin with the two perfect dimples in his cheeks. He was thinking about his lips, and how he’d tasted them only once when Dom asked to kiss him because Shiloh knew he was just experimenting, but he also knew he’d never get the chance again.
The kiss had been terrible. Dom had tasted like garlic and onions, and it was too wet, and he clearly didn’t know what he was doing with his tongue. But Shiloh had been patient and soft, and the kiss had turned into every fantasy Shiloh had ever had at his young age.
And then it was over.
Dom curled onto his side, linking their hands together. “Thanks,” he’d whispered into the dark.
And the next morning, neither of them had spoken about it and never would.
With a sigh, he carefully unfolded the little swan and stared at the text. It was written in fat, block letters the way Dom always wrote notes to him because it was the only way Shiloh could read them properly. The spelling was atrocious which meant no one had helped him, which made it all the more precious.
There once was a teecher caled Shiloh
Who wood never tel a singel lie
He brot me pork buns
Bcoz of my puns
And wont judg me for being a guy
(who con’t fenish this poem bcoz I con’t think of a good line. I miss you. Com home soon.)
Shiloh jumped half a foot when Jules dropped into the seat next to him, and his nose filled with the rich scent of barbeque and spices.
“Paper swan?” Jules asked. “You need me to read it to you?”
Shiloh quickly folded it back up and slipped it into his pocket. “It was just one of his limericks about the pork buns.”
Jules snorted a laugh. “I don’t know why he likes these things a day old.”
“I stopped questioning the way his mind works years ago,” Shiloh said with a small smile. He’d only been away from Benld for a week, but Christ, he missed Dom. He glanced at the window in front of their seats, seeing the late afternoon glow, and he could picture Dom and his dad on the farm, doing the evening feed for the chickens, then having tea and likely playing music since Shiloh wasn’t there to complain about it.
“You’re smiling.”
Shiloh snorted. “Happy to see the back of this place.” He took the box Jules offered and slipped it into his bag, then adjusted his seat back a bit, turning to rest his head against the train wall. The car gave a small jerk as it prepared to depart, then it shot forward. Once they were safely en route, Shiloh cleared his throat. “So tell me about this proposal, then.”
Jules clapped his hands together with a massive grin. “Alright. So here’s what I’m thinking—and tell me if it’s crap because I want it to be perfect, and I need your help.”
Two
* * *
Setting his phone down, Domenico deliberately kept his gaze on the counter, not bothering to look up at his friend, who was clearly trying to spontaneously develop laser vision so she could bore holes into his chest. He knew if anyone could randomly manifest powers in order to make her displeasure known, it would be Sarah.
She began to drum her fingers on the marble, and he continued to knead the dough a bit rougher than he should have been.
Which meant he’d have to discard that batch. The last thing he needed was customers complaining about scones with the texture of river rocks.
“So are we going to talk about how you’ve decided to torture yourself some more, or…” she finally said, disturbing the tense silence that had been wrapping around them since she’d strolled through the supply door.
Dom swallowed thickly, eyeing his cup of tea, which was half gone and probably stone cold. “Nope.”
“So…we’renotgoing to talk about how you’re coming to my party as Shiloh’s plus one?Again.”
