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“You do good work. I appreciate you so much.”

“I love you, Des. All I want is for you to be happy.”

“I am.”

A woman wearing a sleek black dress approaches our table with a bottle in her hands. Her blond hair is slicked back in a tight bun, and I’m starting to pick up on the aesthetic. She doesn’t smile but her expression softens somewhat.

“Good evening, gentleman. I understand we have a special occasion.”

Marco’s smile lights up his face. “We do. My husband’s birthday.”

The woman bows her head slightly. “Happy birthday. Please accept the complimentary champagne.”

“Oh wow,” I whisper as she expertly pops the cork and fills our glasses before setting the bottle in an ice bucket and walking off. “A whole bottle of champagne?”

Marco nods. “Brent had his assistant call for the reservation and tell them it was a special occasion for a deserving employee. I practically owe him my ass now, but it’s worth it.”

I chuckle, lifting my glass. “There are worse sacrifices.”

Marco laughs softly. “Very true.” He clinks our glasses. “To our wildest dreams coming true.”

“Together.”

“Always together.”

I sip the champagne, scrunching my nose as the bubbles tickle up past my mustache. This is way fancier than me or Marco ever act. We’re beer and burgers guys. He loves his pizza and I love my wings. We’re football and horror movie kind of men. But ever since I showed an interest in expanding my horizons, Marco has been a hundred percent on board, just like he is with all my whims. Last year, he supported me through my new woodworking hobby, which died off after three months. Then there was the hiking fetish I developed after I watched a documentary about nature and wanted to learn about what New Onyx and the surrounding areas had to offer. He’s been by my side for all my short-lived hobbies and I love him even more for it.

Marco leans back in his seat, stroking his thick black beard. It’s his tell when he has something on his mind that he’s keeping in.

“What’s up, love?”

He shifts his honey-brown eyes to me, smiling and revealing his perfectly white teeth. I’ve always loved the way his eyes crinkle when he smiles.

“Nothing, babe. I was just taking it all in.”

“Liar,” I tease.

He nods, sitting forward and folding his hands on the table. “I guess I was thinking about Liam again. It’s been three years.”

I was not expecting that reply. “Liam? Why is he on your mind?”

Marco gestures around the room. “Isn’t this the type of place he always wanted?”

“Yeah.” I nod, rubbing my chest. It always tightens up when we talk about Liam. “He would’ve loved it, but you know he’s off chasing his dreams. Dreams we weren’t part of.”

Marco reaches across the table and squeezes my hand. “He loved us, Des. I know he did, and I believe our paths will cross again someday. Wouldn’t that be amazing?”

“Sure, but he doesn’t even keep in touch. I doubt he thinks about us anymore.”

“Or…” Marco tilts his head. “It was just too hard. I know all too well the tension between love and ambition. We both know it. We can’t be mad that he went after his goals.”

“I’m not. I don’t hold that against him at all. He would’ve resented us if he’d stayed.”

“Yeah.”

“I wish I knew where he is. What he’s doing. If he’s okay. I hope he knows I’m not mad at him. I can’t bring myself to look at his socials though.”

“I hope he knows we’d take him back. We would, right?”