Page 27 of Sweet as Puck

His smile was small but victorious. “She may not feel up to going out, but she still needs to eat. Don’t you think we should take her some food?”

“Huh,” I responded. He was right—she did need to eat. But would she want us there?Wait, us?“Wearen’t taking her anything. I am.”

“If it wasn’t for me, you wouldn’t even be seeing her.”

“That doesn’t mean I want you there,” I retorted with a huff. The truth was, I didn’t mind spending time with Cara with other people. If that’s what made her comfortable enough to see me, then I was totally okay with it.

“I still need to apologize, so you’re stuck with me.”

I grumbled, protesting more than I really minded. When we got downstairs, his teammates would no doubt pull him into aconversation, and I’d be able to slip away with Cara’s and my dinner.

But the moment we walked into the room, a change swept over Hux. He tensed, and his gaze skittered around as if tracking exactly where everyone was. He relaxed momentarily, then the man I’d seen Cara speak to on the bus waved him over, and he tensed up again. The teammate he was sitting with called out Hux’s name, but he pressed his lips into a grim line and walked straight for the buffet, ignoring them.

He stopped short, and I almost crashed into him.

“Shit,” I grumbled. “Sorry. Wasn’t expecting that.”

But Hux was focussed on only one thing. His gaze was locked on the man standing at the buffet table. The colour had drained from Hux’s face, and every muscle in his body was rigid.

Hux gritted his teeth, the grinding loud enough that I was surprised he didn’t crack a molar. Then he exhaled slowly, muttering under his breath, “Fucking hell.”

I couldn’t help the worry, the instant concern that bubbled inside me. “Everything okay?” I asked quietly.

“Why is it when you try to avoid someone, you see them everywhere?” he murmured, his voice full of irony.

“You guys have a beef?”

Hux turned his gaze to me, his eyes narrowed in disbelief. When I stayed silent, he opened his mouth then closed it again before he furrowed his brows. “You don’t know?”

“Know what?” I asked. “Am I supposed to have been briefed on team dynamics or something? Because I’ve gotta say, I didn’t get anything like that.”

“Just a nasty rumour, that’s all. It kinda ruined our friendship. Hopefully it hasn’t killed the team’s mojo too.” He looked around and watched the groups talking and laughing together. Taken at face value, there didn’t seem to be an issue, but I hadn’t seen inside team dynamics before either.

“Why don’t you clear it up?”

Hux let out a quiet huff of laughter, but it held no humour. “It’s not as easy as that. But thanks for the advice, Captain Obvious.” His smile was completely for show. It didn’t reach his eyes, and when I didn’t return it, his lips slid back down into a flat line. “Yeah, so, Cara.”

“Yes. I’ll get her dinner. You stay here—” I gestured between Hux and the other bloke leaving the table. “—and sort that out.”

“Sure, man.” He rolled his eyes and patted me on the shoulder while I picked up a plate and handed it to him. “That conversation needs privacy and the team gossips like grannies.”

“So go somewhere private.” I bit my lip, unsure of how much to say. But I could give him advice without baring my soul to him. “Look, I’ve learnt the hard way that communication is important. Don’t leave things unsaid. If you need to hash it out, do it. Don’t let it fester.”

“That sounds like marital advice.”

I huffed out a humourless laugh to cover the stabbing pain that hit me whenever I thought about the fallout from my wife’s decision that fateful day. My voice cracked when I answered, “Mine ended spectacularly badly. Like I said, I learned the hard way.” Understatement of the century there.

I busied myself filling up two plates with a selection of food and set them on a tray with glasses of juice and a third plate piled high with desserts. Cara had a sweet tooth, and if she was still dealing with her parents’ issues, she’d need the sugar. I gestured at the door with my chin, gave Hux a nod, and started that way. I hoped he’d take up my advice, but I was out of luck. He followed me out and called the lift.

“What?” he asked with a shit-eating grin when he saw me sigh. “You can’t leave me here by myself. It’s our first night in a foreign country, and you are literally the only person apart from Cara that I know.”

“You know the whole bloody team!”

“Fuck, way to make a guy feel welcome. Pass them off to the other tourists when all they want is to learn about the local cultures.”

“It’s dinner.”

“Exactly. Local culture, local cuisine. I don’t trust doing it by myself. Cara mentioned having Vege toast for breakfast, so I asked for some. They brought me a square of this black paste.” He pulled a face, scrunching up his nose and pursing his lips. “How the fuck do you eat that shit? It was God-awful.”