Page 117 of Five

“Did you upgrade his software last night?” Rami asks me about Gabe.

“He upgraded mine repeatedly. Wink, wink.” He gags at my answer.

“We shouldn’t be here having fun,” Uri suddenly barks. “But out there looking for Phoenix!”

“We are doing that,” Rami replies. “Serena is looking non-stop.”

“We need to do more!”

“We stopped the drug from spreading in Chicago and took care of whoever was related to it,” Raph says.

“You need to be patient.” Sometimes Gabe can state the obvious.

“It’s not enough!” Uri yells.

“Meg wouldn’t want you to go crazy about it. She only ever wanted for you to feel happy,” Linda interjects with a calming tone.

“Well, she isn’t here. Not really,” Uri replies, turning his back to all of us.

“Oh, but she is. I see her in all of you. I see her strength in Gabe and her clarity of mind in Bez, her big, soft heart in Sari. Rami has her persistence, Raph her objective point of view, Rague her resolution, and Michael her empathy. And you, Uri, you have her quick thinking.” She stands up and places a hand on Uri’s shoulder. “I miss her too.”

“We all do,” Michael whispers. I glance at her lying still, pleading with her to open her eyes. Herkidsneed her. But she remains still, like a beautiful princess waiting for her true love’s kiss.

Uri nods and walks outside the room, sitting on one of the chairs in the corridor. Hands in his hair, elbows on his knees, looking…helpless. We put on a light front, but we all feel the same inside.

We eat in silence for a while until Ollie tells me, “I’m still waiting for you to say it.”

“Say what?” I pretend ignorance.

“Lor, say it, or I’ll sing to you.” That’s a real threat, Ollie’s singing voice is glass-cracking and shatteringly terrible.

I huff loudly. “You were right,” I grant him.

He raises his hands victoriously in the air. “God, it’s petty of me. But it felt so good.”

I smirk at him. “Right? Just like my fiancés’ cock a few hours ago after he proposed.” I raise my ring finger and show him the engagement ring.

“Fiancés?” Ollie repeats.

Rami gasps and then starts coughing, choking on his sundae’s cherry. Hunter slaps his back, and the weaponized fruit flies out of his mouth, hitting Ollie’s hand.

“Disgusting.” Ollie grabs a tissue to clean his skin.

I laugh, followed by Rague, Linda, and Michael. I can’t help it. I can’t stop, because that was fucking bonkers.

“It is funny when it happens to someone else.” Gabe raises his brow at Rami, who glowers at him.

“Tell your laptop to shut up!” His voice is raspy as he hisses at me. He accepts the water Hunter is handing him and keepstrying to turn us into ashes, glaring from the edge of his glass. There’s no real menace in it, though.

“We should use it in the FUNS room as a torture technique. Spitting cherries.” Michael chuckles at his own joke.

The congratulations arrive all at once. Linda and Michael ask about the ring, and Ollie evenawwswhen I tell him about the three stones. So mushy!

“Pay up! Today is my day,” Rague suddenly says, and grumbling and muttering, everybody tosses money on the table.

“This family and their bets!” Michael shakes his head, hitting his husband with an elbow—since he betted as well and lost.

Did they have a pool on our engagement? Why didn’t they tell me? I would have bet and lost, never expected Gabe or Bez to propose ever.