Chapter 24

ShopGuy24:

Where are you? All the good snacks will be gone if we’re late!

Wash972:

Be there in 5. Had to pick up something.

ShopGuy24:

Ok, good. Bennie is raring to go!

I pulledup in front of my condo a few minutes later. Austin and Bennie emerged from the front door, my dog pulling at the leash excitedly.

“Honey, I’m home!” I called playfully.

Austin grinned. “You’re home late!”

“Sorry, babe. Turns out running my own business is a bit more complicated than managing my grandmother’s.”

He chuckled. “Welcome to being an indie.”

Bennie watered the grass, then barked a greeting to me. I leaned in to kiss Austin, savoring his sweet taste. He’d taken to coming over to my place to feed and walk Bennie while I worked long hours.

It had been a busy week getting all the pieces in place to officially close on the sale of Fox Entertainment and collaborate with my family about their roles moving forward. Working without Gigi’s oversight was scary but exhilarating.

But coming home to Austin was the best part of my day by far.

Tonight, we were overdue at Zach’s place for movie night. My first movie night as an official boyfriend.

And Bennie’s first night as a guest, too. Once Zach’s brother found out about my dog, he’d insisted I bring him along to play.

I opened the car’s back door so that Bennie could jump in, then the front door for Austin before rounding the car to get behind the wheel.

Austin carded his fingers through the hair at the nape of my head, and I sighed and sagged in the seat, my eyes closing.

“You’re tired,” he murmured. “If you’d rather stay home, my friends will understand.”

“No way.” I turned, reaching over the backseat and picking up the grocery bag. “I got all these great snacks.”

Austin took the bag from me and peeked inside, then laughed. “Bisexual Oreos. A must.”

“Most couples have songs. We have cookies.”

Austin smirked. “I’m a record store owner. We’ve got to have a song.”

“I Will Always Love You by Whitney Houston?”

“Too sappy.”

“Died in Your Arms?”

“Too cheesy.”

I laughed. “Okay, Love Shack it is.”

Austin smacked my thigh. “We’ll keep working on that.”

I threaded my fingers with his. “We’ve got plenty of time. I’m not going anywhere.”

Bennie barked his agreement from the backseat. Austin smiled at us both. “Don’t worry. I’m not either.”

When we arrived at Zach’s, the driveway and front curb were crowded with cars. Austin hustled me up the walk, muttering about getting stuck watching Sleepless in Seattle again.

Apparently, Zach credited the movie for being the inspiration behind his relationship with Tristan and picked it to watch whenever someone wasn’t ready with another selection.

“How was a movie behind their relationship?” I asked as we approached the front door. “Did they meet at a screening of it or something?”

Austin’s lips twitched. “No, his brother heard us talking about Zach’s lack of a love life, decided to play matchmaker, and reached out on the SeattleLife social media channel. He set them up, kind of how the kid in the movie set up his dad with a new love interest.”

“Huh.” I leaned in. “That’s a pretty sappy way to meet.”

Austin smirked. “I know, right?”

“I like our love story. We’re feisty.”

“Damn right.”

Bennie barked.

The door opened, and a young teen grinned wide. “Hey, Bennie’s here!”

“Just Bennie?” Zach’s voice asked, amused.

“Oh. Austin and his boyfriend too!” He stepped back, waving us in. “Come in. Can I pet your dog?”

“Of course, that’s why he’s here.”

Bennie was ecstatic to have a playmate who wanted to do more than sit like a lump on the sofa. He bounded after Eric, chasing him around the sofa.

“Can we go in the backyard?” he called.

“Just for a while,” Zach said. “If Chase doesn’t mind?”

“Go. Bennie will love it.”

The rest of the friends were already seated around the living room. Tristan was in the corner of the sofa, Becca on the other end, with a space in the middle that Zach must have left to answer the door. Ellis sat in an armchair, and Jordan on the footstool.

Between the dining room and living room, there was a new love seat.

“Hey! You got more furniture,” Austin said, throwing himself into the left corner.

“It seemed like I needed it,” Zach said. “The friend group keeps growing.”

“Sorry,” I said with a sheepish smile.

Austin reached for my wrist, tugging me down beside him, and immediately dug into my bag to pull out the Oreos. “Don’t apologize. You brought your own snacks, which makes you a better friend than the rest of us.”

Zach laughed. “That’s true.”

Austin wiggled on the cushion, getting cozy, and pulled my arm around him. “Yeah, this is good. Tristan, you can have my old spot on the sofa. This is better.”

Tristan looked confused. “Your spot…”

“Don’t listen to him,” Zach said with an eye roll as he picked up the remote. “What should we watch tonight? Skylar isn’t going to make it. Apparently he’s too busy having a life, so how about Sleepless—”

“No!” a chorus of voices called.

“You’ve Got Mail?” Becca suggested.

“I’ve had my fill of rivals to lovers,” Austin said, giving me a playful nudge. “I’m ready for something sappier.”

“Ooh, Legally Blonde?” Ellis asked.

Jordan groaned and shook his head.

“What? You don’t like it?” Ellis asked, sounding hurt.

“It’s more that I think you like it for the wrong reasons,” Jordan said, a frown creasing his forehead.

“Do you have a better suggestion?” Zach asked.

Jordan sighed. “Not really. My Best Friend’s Wedding seems appropriate.”

I sensed an ironic subtext to that suggestion.

“Bzzt!” Austin said. “I hate that movie.”

“Fine,” Zach said. “Chase, why don’t you pick?”

“Geez, that’s a lot of pressure. You guys take your romance seriously. Um… How about Red, White, and Royal Blue?”

“Ooh, bringing the gay spice!” Becca exclaimed. “I love it.”

“I could watch that again,” Zach agreed.

“And again and again,” Ellis joked, fanning himself.

“Usually, we wouldn’t subject Austin to it, but…I guess a little man-on-man action is no longer out of the question, hmm?”

“Nope,” he said. “This man was just impossible to resist no matter how hard I tried.”

“The words of love every boyfriend wants to hear,” I joked.

He elbowed me. “Aw, you know I love you.”

“I love you too, pookie.”

Austin’s friends laughed at the face he pulled. “Never call me that again.”

“Snookums?”

“No.”

“Cookie?”

He tilted his head, considering. “Maybe. As long as you keep feeding me snacks whenever I require.”

I kissed his cheek. “It’s a deal, my little bisexual cookie.”

“Excuse me while I go vomit,” Jordan said.

Ellis sighed. “Well, I think it’s adorable. True love is a great thing. I remember when I was with my boyfriend. He called me the sweetest names.”

Jordan’s face tensed, and I could see the subject was no small source of pain. But he didn’t say a word. He forced a smile and nodded. “You deserve that, El.”

Ellis glanced over his shoulder, flashing an oblivious smile at his friend. “Yeah, we all do.” He shrugged. “If Austin can find it when he’s not even looking, then I guess there’s hope for the rest of us.”

“There’s always hope,” I said. “Even when it seems hopeless, you have to keep believing.”

Austin looked at me, his eyes knowing. “I’m glad you kept believing.”

“I always will.”

He snuggled into my side, a smile on his face as the movie began to play. “Me too.”