happened. He’d give just a little only to take it all back.
It could have been that he was playing a private game for his own amusement, but I knew he wasn’t capable of being that cruel. At least, not to me. That left only one possibility, and according to Wren, it was forbidden. I crumpled my napkin in my fist. If Wren were harboring secret thoughts and pretending otherwise, then it was time he tasted his own medicine.
We didn’t speak as we devoured our appetizer. My appetite was gone, but I was just happy for the distraction. Wren answered a few calls, and I didn’t bother ear hustling because he always kept it short and cryptic.
By the time he finally pocketed his phone, only one mozzarella stick remained, and we both reached for it at the same time. Wren was quicker and bit into the appetizer triumphantly. To my surprise, he even taunted me by wiggling the fried mozzarella between his teeth, and just like that, the tension was broken. If only he knew it was the opening I needed to exact revenge. Clearly, we’d both underestimated how daring I could be because, when I leaned over and bit the protruding half, his eyes widened in shock as my own heart skipped a beat. The joke ended up being on me, however, when our lips brushed. My stomach fluttered as I quickly sat back and clapped my hands over my mouth afraid of how he’d react.
To my dismay, he gave no reaction at all.
His expression turned blank, but he didn’t turn away. A lifetime seemed to pass before he excused himself to the bathroom. I watched him go before spitting the suddenly tasteless mozzarella stick into the cloth napkin. Sometimes I believed I was a fool to feel what I did, and other times, I knew in my heart I wasn’t wrong. Like when I glimpsed the sizable bulge in his pants when he got up from the table.
I allowed myself a moment of doubt, believing his body reacting to mine was pure biology, but then I decided to open my eyes and bet on my gut. The same desires building within me were also stirring in Wren, but only one of us was running scared. It was hard to feel remorse when he had only himself to blame. He should have never pursued me even if it was platonically.
The waiter returned with our food, and I snuck a couple of Wren’s fries. I was still nibbling when he came back ten minutes later, but this time, he sat across from me.
“Everything okay?” I asked, forcing the hurt from my tone.
“I just realized I haven’t eaten all day,” he said with a sigh.
“Do I have to start packing your lunch every day?” I teased. My smile slowly fell when he didn’t laugh and avoided my gaze altogether. The rest of dinner passed in tense silence until the waiter came and cleared our plates. Reaching inside my messenger bag, I stared at the gift Eliza helped me wrap, wondering if I was about to make another colossal mistake.
“What’s that?” Wren asked, taking away the choice I’d been leaning toward—shoving it in my bag and never letting it see the light of day.
My hands shook as I slid it across the table and mumbled, “Your birthday present.”
He looked up in surprise, and I sucked in a breath. I’d never gotten him a gift before.
“Breathe, Lou.”
I shook my head and continued holding my breath.
“Fuck!” Sensing what I needed, he hurriedly ripped the wrapping paper away, and I let out all the air in one whoosh when he stared down at the framed photo. I watched his Adam’s apple bob and his breathing turn shallow before he finally spoke. “Fuck.”
This one was different than before. As if I’d knocked him on his ass.
“Why?” he choked out.
I shrugged. “You shared your passion with me, so I thought it was time I shared mine with you.”
Wren always asked to see the pictures I took with the camera he bought me, but having no confidence in them, I always denied him. This was my first time showing him one of my ‘butterflies.’ Six months after we’d met and we’d both fallen into the routine of being friends—strictly platonic friends—I’d taken my Polaroid camera and used my very last shot to capture a picture of him. I’d been saving that final exposure for something special. It turns out I cherished the shot of Wren sleeping more than I