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Josh seemed a little unsure as he walked Leo deeper into the apartment, Damon appearing in the kitchen doorway, drying his hands. “Hey. You hungry? I made shepherd’s pie.”
The thought of eating turned Leo’s stomach—adrenalin was pumping through his body—but he didn’t want to make shit awkward. “That sounds great. Thanks.”
Damon looked at him for a moment. “Everything okay?”
Leo gave him one of his fake, practiced smiles. “Yeah. Food smells really good.”
Another pause. “Thanks.”
They all stared at each other. Leo had to do something. “So, uh. Should I help set the table?”
Leo followed Josh, heeding his instructions as they laid everything down.
“Wow,” Leo joked, “place mats. Didn’t know you guys were so fancy.”
“Good thing we didn’t pull out our white tablecloth and china plates, huh?” Josh replied.
“Oh, well, now I’m just insulted. Not worth the good stuff, huh?”
“We reserve that for royalty like Beyoncé. Or Prince.”
“So, I have some bad news about Prince…”
“This is a ghost-friendly house.”
Leo looked around suspiciously before whispering, “Is Damon one of the ghosts? He is, isn’t he?”
“Loudest snoring ghost in Brooklyn.”
They laughed quietly as Damon appeared, mitten-clad hands carrying the shepherd’s pie. He set it down, peering at Leo and Josh questioningly. “What are you guys smiling about?”
“Nothing,” Josh said innocently.
The food was delicious. Leo had always been a sucker for mashed potatoes. “Are the potatoes done from scratch?” he asked incredulously.
Damon raised his eyebrows. “Yeah, I don’t think you can get ready-made mash.”
“Uh…you can get it in powder. You know, add milk and butter and bam, best mashed potatoes ever.”
Damon looked at him blankly. Josh laughed into his hand. “Please don’t bring that up; he’s a total snob.”
Damon scoffed. “I’m not a snob. Sorry if I don’t think potatoes can be turned into sawdust.”
Leo gave him a cheeky smile. “Most delicious sawdust in all the land, though.”
“No.”
Leo shrugged. “This is really good. Garlic makes everything better.”
Josh nodded. “Amen, hallelujah.”
“Church of Garlic…now that’s a religion I can get behind.” Leo winked.
“You should try Damon’s gazpacho. Literally drills a hole in your stomach, it has so much garlic. I got a summer cold last year and that shit exterminated the sickness right out of me.”
Damon preened. “I know how to take care of my guy.”
“I get a tummy ache every time I have some…worth it, though,” Josh said.
