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“Yeah, looking forward to it,” Leo said before they hung up.
The worst thing was—he meant it.
FIVE
Itwasabeautifulfall day on Saturday. Cool enough to wear a jacket while the sun cut through the air, lighting up the trees into flames of orange and yellow and red.
Josh looked adorable all bundled up as if it were the middle of winter, a huge scarf hiding half his face. Damon was dressed much more appropriately in a brown leather jacket paired with a classic white tee and jeans combo, looking good enough to eat.
Josh’s face lit up as he spotted Leo, smacking Damon on the chest none too gently and pointing.
Leo smiled, butterflies gnawing at his stomach lining with their evil little butterfly mouths. “Hey.” He waved awkwardly.
“Hey!” Josh greeted enthusiastically, getting on his tiptoes to give him a hug.
Leo held him back, taking in a lungful of his scent. Fuck, how had he missed that smell so much in such a short amount of time? It was even better when Damon joined in with a one-armed hug, their three scents mingling familiarly. It was as if something tense and aching eased inside Leo, letting him rest.
He had to pull away eventually, though, glad that he was practised at hiding his emotions. “Ready for some shopping?”
“Yep.” Josh grinned, pulling at Leo’s sleeve as Damon fell into step on Leo’s other side.
They were only a minute away from the market, a closed-off street in upper Greenpoint lined with stalls and bursting with people.
Josh looked up at Leo brightly. “We thought we’d make a vegetarian lasagne…what do you think? There’s a stand that has fresh pasta and the veggies are amazing, obviously.”
“That sounds great,” Leo assured.
“Sweet!”
They waded into the crowd, Damon and Josh clearly familiar with the vendors as they made conversation while sifting through the produce for the perfect items.
Damon grabbed a mason jar full of tomato sauce. “We have to shop local more often.”
Leo winced. “Me too. Shit, I never go to markets. I literally get my groceries delivered, is that bad?”
“It’s hard to not do the convenient thing, honestly. Do you cook a lot?”
“Yeah—I mean, I get takeout at least once a week, I won’t lie, but mostly I like knowing what I’m eating, you know? And it can be fun, putting on a podcast and making something.”
“Same. Except when I’m cooking with Josh, and he makes me listen to true crime podcasts. I don’t wanna listen to how people were found in a bunch of barrels while I make a quiche, thanks.”
Josh shoved his way between them. “Bear Brook is an awesome podcast, don’t even front. You so got hooked.”
“It was still gross,” Damon grumbled. “People are gross.”
“I’m not gross.” Josh sniffed. “I’m perfect. Back me up, Leo.”
Leo snorted. “Almost perfect. The whole not liking reality TV is kind of a dealbreaker.”
Damon pointed at Leo. “Exactly, thank you.”
“We’re not having this conversation again. Let’s get some eggplant and spinach.”
Leo followed the pair through the crowd. “Do they sell garlic here?”
“Yeah, let’s get some of that too. I think we have a little at home, but you can never have too much garlic,” Josh agreed.
Leo nodded. “Amen to that.”
