Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 93267 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 466(@200wpm)___ 373(@250wpm)___ 311(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 93267 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 466(@200wpm)___ 373(@250wpm)___ 311(@300wpm)
“But you told me back at my place that you loved cheese.”
This fucking tease. Gregori could count on one hand the number of times Salem had teased him, and to see him doing it while on a date sent Gregori’s head spinning. He’d tease back, but only after he got his brain firing again. Right now, it was too busy crooning and making happy noises to be of any use.
Thankfully, the server returned a moment later, saving him from blurting out all kinds of ridiculous things. He shoved the warm, crusty bread with the soft interior into his mouth as he listened to the specials.
“Would you like a selection of cheese to start?” the dark-haired server inquired.
“No, I’m good. Salem is giving me all the cheese I can handle.”
“Wine. Let me order some wine while we figure out our meals,” Salem cut in when the server just looked confused.
Gregori placed his flowers on the edge of the table and turned his attention to his menu, leaving the wine selection to Salem. The rest of the dinner passed enjoyably, and the food ended up being as spectacular as Dimitri’s claims.
But it didn’t compare to Gregori’s lively dinner companion. Salem told story after story of university mischief and shenanigans, from streaking across the campus to cadaver mayhem. There were even a few mentions of childhood nonsense with Sam. The only thing he didn’t talk about was work. There were a few times it seemed like he came close, but Salem caught himself at the last second, smiled, and changed the direction of the conversation.
It wasn’t until they were sharing a delicious flaky fruit tart that Gregori called him out over it.
“Do you miss it?”
Salem blinked wide eyes at him. “College?”
“The hospital. Your job.”
“Oh! Nah. I’m good.”
Gregori totally didn’t believe the ridiculous denial.
He shook his head as he stabbed a strawberry, then held it out on the end of his fork toward Salem. “I don’t want the hospital and your job to be a dirty word between us. Yes, I think you pushed yourself a little too hard, but you also saved a lot of lives, and the kids loved you. I’m proud of all you accomplished there.”
A soft blush stained Salem’s cheeks as he bit the strawberry off the fork and chewed. “Well, a little, I guess. Alexis sent an email, updating me on a few of the patients I was particularly worried about, and she told me which doctors were assigned which of my patients. They’re all in good hands, so I find myself thinking about it a lot less than I would have expected. Definitely less than when I was here before for Sam’s bonding ceremony. But I don’t find myself missing it, per se. Maybe just the routine and the camaraderie. I’m more excited about what I’m learning here with the other mages. And, to be honest, it’s only been three days. Right now, it feels more like I’m on vacation. I might miss it later. Are you worried?”
“You did cite your job as one of the reasons why you wouldn’t move to Brazil,” Gregori pointed out. “I’m right to be worried.”
“Eh. Yeah, okay, good point. But it wasn’t so much the job, it was turning my life upside down for a man and not having it work out. I’ve done it before. It…was an absolute disaster, and I didn’t want to do it again.”
“You were scared.”
“True, but that’s not a good reason to hurt other people or to run from things. It’s just…I had this set plan in my head for my life, and I couldn’t fathom changing it for a guy who was little more than a stranger. Yet, if I’d sat down and simply talked to you, or called my brother and talked to him, so much frustration and animosity could have been avoided. You would have at least felt more comfortable about telling me you were sick. I’m sorry.”
Gregori flipped over his hand and squeezed Salem’s. “Don’t. You have nothing to apologize for. Just because we’re fated mates doesn’t mean our coming together is easy. It’s still a relationship that requires work. You had zero reason to trust me when we first met. I’m glad we’re getting a shot now. So, no more regrets tonight.” He lifted Salem’s hand to his lips and brushed a kiss across the knuckles. “Now, do you have something else planned for our night out?”
“I do.” He twisted in his seat and motioned to the hostess. She smiled and hurried over with a large brown envelope that she handed to him. When Salem turned back to him, he was back to bouncing in his seat. His grin was so wide it nearly split his face in half. “This is for you.”
“I wasn’t expecting a gift. This is too much, Salem,” Gregori murmured as he opened the envelope and slid out a playbill for West Side Story. But it wasn’t an ordinary playbill. It was covered in autographs from the cast who were currently performing the musical at Teatro Riachuelo Rio.