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“It’s in here.” Rune taps the side of his head. “Couldn’t forget a thing like that.”
Unfortunately, yes,I want to tell him. Youcanforget a thing like that.
Swallowing one mouthful nearly defeats me. Somehow, I get it down and hope it stays down.
Cian swallows twice as if the food wants to come back up again. It’s a feeling I understand all too well. I wish I didn’t, but I do. “Well, maybe you should have,” he says, looking around for the glass of water none of us has, which we all desperately need.
Kylian drags his hand across his mouth, giving his bowl a look of disgust. “Maybe you shouldn’t. This tastes like garbage. To think we destroyed the kitchen for this. Nancy is going to be pissed.”
Rune glares across the table. “Garbage?What are you talking about?” He stabs his fork into his plate. “I’ll have you know that this is world-famous.”
He shovels the large forkful into his mouth.
We watch him chew once. Twice.
Rune glances down at his plate as if he wants to make sure what he’s eating is, in fact, his family’s famous dish and someone didn’t replace it while he wasn’t looking. He lifts his head and chews again. Slower this time. I don’t see how he could. It’s making my stomach turn at the thought of having to chew the thing I put into my mouth, which I hope to never taste again.
Finally, his face twists, and he swallows. Hard.
“How could I forget something so important?” he breathes, setting his fork down on his plate with a clatter. He stares at his dish with his shoulders slumped, so forlorn it almost tempts me to eat more of this disgusting meal.
“It wasn’t that bad,” I say quietly.
It was. It really was.
And I look down at my plate and wonder if I can summon the will to eat another mouthful without spitting it out. I tighten my hand around my fork and prepare to do it. If only because I have a feeling this meal went all wrong because the rest of us spent so much time distracting Rune, and he couldn’t focus on his family’s recipe.
I swallow to prepare myself for what’s coming.
“Cher?”
I lift my head and meet Rune’s wry smile.
“Don’t you dare put another bite of that foul stuff in your mouth.” He pushes himself to his feet.
“Where are you going?” I ask, so relieved I could kiss him. I’d have taken a bite, but my stomach wouldn’t have appreciated it one bit.Ifthe mouthful made it that far.
“Ordering a pizza. Pepperoni okay?” He pulls his cell phone from his pocket.
I return his smile as I lower my fork. “Pepperoni is amazing.”
Chapter17
Everleigh
Recalling Hali’s whispered words about being on the landing at seven fifteen, I drag myself out of the closet early the next morning.
Still rubbing sleep from my eyes, I spend several minutes wrestling the bedside table away from the door and creep down the hallway to the landing.
From somewhere downstairs, a door creaks open. I pause with my back to the wall next to the staircase and peer around the side so whoever it is won’t see me.
Arousal punches so hard it’s like a linebacker just tackled me to the ground.
All the air leaves my lungs in a rush. I actually press my hand on my lower belly as I force myself to breathe in through my nose and out of my mouth.
And I stare. At no point do I ever stop staring.
Rune is stepping through a door in the entryway. He stops to pull it closed behind him.
