Total pages in book: 128
Estimated words: 119011 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 595(@200wpm)___ 476(@250wpm)___ 397(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 119011 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 595(@200wpm)___ 476(@250wpm)___ 397(@300wpm)
Shane looked at Zolt for a second too long but didn’t make any comments. “I heard you’re in Reno now, Leo. Why don’t you visit me sometime?”
He probably had an inkling what Zolt was doing for the club, then.
“Sure, call me anytime,” Leo said with a widening smile.
Shane poked at Leo’s breastbone. “Or you know what? Dad’s throwing Jack a birthday party next week, and I’m going. We can meet up there.”
“I’ll have to talk to Dad about it. I’ve got some work to do here, but I hope to make it. If not, I’ll let you know,” Leo said.
“I gotta run, got a date.” Shane wiggled his eyebrows and, with one more wave, he
was off.
Zolt watched Leo stare at his brother’s back until he disappeared in the dense crowd close to a novelty ice cream parlor. “We’ve gotta plan if you want to be absent next Sunday. Maybe move the poker night, so I don’t have people in the house when you’re gone.”
Leo turned around with a thoughtful expression. “You should come too. We’ve got a week to arrange it, and it’s just an hour away. We could just pop in for two hours and come back.”
Zolt stared at him while heat teased the underside of his jaw. “You’re inviting me?”
“Yes. You’re close to the club anyway, why wouldn’t you hang out with us?” Leo pulled on Zolt’s arm to make him move, and they grabbed the shopping carts in front of the supermarket.
It felt good. The fact that Leo wanted to include him in something he did with his family made Zolt warm, even if it was only a noncommittal offer and might not be approved by Hank Heller or other members of the Smokeys. “Yeah. Okay, why not?”
Leo grinned so widely his gums showed. He pushed the shopping cart forward and into the shop. This was hardly the first time they were out like this, but it somehow felt different. Zolt couldn't put his finger on it.
“Let’s start with the fish food so we don’t forget,” Leo said and pointed to an aisle farther down.
“Careful. One wrong step and they might start treating you as their god,” Zolt said, imagining coming to feed the fish, only to find Leo’s visage drawn in the sand at the bottom of the tank.
“Oh. So you want to be their only master? Don’t worry, you’ll get to feed them yourself.” They were on their way when Leo stopped by a shelf at the end of the aisle and pointed to a package of the shoe conditioner Zolt used. “For your sneakers. I noticed you’re running out?”
Zolt’s first instinct was to lead the way to the candy aisle and pick up Leo’s favorite chocolate-covered marshmallows, but he was struck by the oddness of what had clearly become a competition of who was gonna anticipate whose needs better.
His heart thumped, creating tremors deep in his chest, which spread all the way to the tips of Zolt’s fingers, like waves. Leo kept chattering about Jack’s upcoming birthday, and that they needed to get him a present. Following him like a zombie, Zolt listened about Jack’s fiancée, about the kid they had on the way, about this possibly being Jack’s last big party in a while. He didn’t have to do much work, with Leo tossing all the usual products into the cart, as if he hadn’t lived with Zolt for just two months and had intimate knowledge of what Zolt wanted in his fridge, freezer, and even in the middle of the table during poker night.
Nachos. Like every week.
“I got this recipe for a cheese sauce to go with nachos, but I’ll save that for movie night,” Leo said.
Because they did have movie nights. It wasn’t like either of them was particularly busy in the evenings, so they did binge TV shows together in cozy comfort.
It was almost as if… as if…
“You make it sound like we’re a couple,” Zolt said, facing Leo in the cereal aisle.
Leo looked around, but they were alone between the oatmeal and granola. “What do you mean?”
Zolt felt heavy, as if he’d swallowed hot stones and was dying to spit them back out. “This whole thing. You somehow knowing what I’d buy without asking. You seeing that I’m finishing the shoe cleaner. You even invited me to family event.”
When Leo’s face remained neutral, Zolt let out a laugh, confused and embarrassed over bringing this up in the first place. Of course Leo just wanted to be considerate to his host. It was part of his personality, and Zolt had made a fool of himself by overthinking things.
“Are you sure you’re not in love with me?” he asked, winking, in hope that the joke would disperse the weird atmosphere and let them move on from this embarrassing moment.
“Why are you being like this?” Leo rubbed his forehead and lowered his voice. “You’re my boyfriend, of course I pay attention to what you want and need.”