Page 29 of Up In Smoke
“Flores!” Colt cries. He’s got empty plates and beer bottles loaded up in his hands, but he grins and does his best to salute my way. “So glad you could make it! Welcome to our humble abode.”
The house way bigger than my apartment, but I don’t point that out. Colt and Del have walked a long, hard road to get where they are now, so it probably does feel quite humbling to them to finally be here, under the same roof as husbands.
It’s all quite romantic, really. I try not to think about possibly having my own husband sometime soon. That would be atotallydifferent scenario. Still, I wonder if I could get a quiet moment with Colt later and pick his brains about how bad an idea getting married for an insurance claim would be.
Hypothetically, of course.
“Sorry about the mess,” Del says as the group disperses, either heading to the kitchen with Colt or to the living room where I’m being steered.
“Are you kidding?” I ask incredulously. “Didn’t you just move in yesterday?”
“This morning,” Del corrects me with a chuckle. “Sawyer and Lili insisted on helping, then Portia and Preston wanted to come over after work, so we figured why not throw a spur of the moment housewarming?”
“There’s no furniture, but we have plenty of alcohol and good company,” a strawberry-blonde woman says with a grin, extending an elegant, manicured hand my way. “Portia Bamford. I believe we met at the wedding.”
“I think we did,” I say, accepting her firm shake. “Nice to see you again. Rico Flores. I work with Del.”
“Colt’s parents tried to set us up,” she says without missing a beat. “Oh, so we would have actually met when that sushi bar fell on our heads, yes?” She turns and raises her eyes at Del.
“Um, yes,” he says, sounding sheepish. What a call that was.
“Well, I’m glad to see you on the other side of that happy ending,” I assure her with a laugh.
She lifts her wine glass. “Cheers to that.”
A guy with a Captain America sort of vibe stands up from where he’d been sitting in a camp chair talking with Bell—Lochlan—Beast…whatever. My colleague’s boyfriend, Dario. Lochlan didn’t even realize he was bi until Dario came into his life, and they’ve been together almost a year now. Dario’s pretty shy, but I like him a lot. He’s clearly good for Lochlan, who’s completely smitten by him. They’ve been discussing getting their own place as well. I wonder how long before the whole rest of the One-Thirteen is paired off?
Where will that leave me?
I shoo that complicated thought away and smile at the all-American guy who’s now standing by Portia. I vaguely remember him from the wedding as well, but not the sushi bar. I think.
“Preston Windward,” he says, giving me an equally firm shake. “Another friend of Colt’s.”
“Did his parents try and set you guys up, too?” I ask, slightly surprised by my own humor. Maybe I haven’t forgotten how to socialize, after all.
That gets a laugh from both him and Portia. “Definitely not,” he says, shaking his head. Ah, now that I think about it, I remember Colt’s parents had a bit of an issue with him coming out as gay. But from these guys’ expressions, I don’t think I’ve made a faux pas.
Damn it. Small talk is feeling like a muscle I haven’t strengthened in forever. I’d wonder how I’m going to navigate the next few hours, but then Colt reappears, offering me a glass of the wine I brought along. Although I absolutely don’t want to get drunk as that would be completely irresponsible to go back home to Jesse in such a state, I’m sure a little social lubricant will go a long way.
“Cheers to your new place,” I say, tapping drinks with Colt, Del, Portia and Preston.
The rest of the party is milling around, chatting and helping unpack boxes. I am slightly dubious as to how much the happy couple are appreciating Sawyer’s efforts to unwrap their coffee mugs. I just hope he doesn’t drop one.
Or all of them.
Lochlan comes back in and snuggles up beside Dario, sharing a plate of nibbles he presumably got them from the kitchen. My heart pangs a little, seeing how they are together. Dario’s previous relationship was really bad. It’s so wonderful to see Lochlan doting on him like he’s the only guy in the world.
I’d do that for Jesse.
The thought takes me by surprise. Well, yeah, I guess I would. I’m still fretting about what he’s eating and how frequently, given the state he’d been in back in LA. And if we were pretending to be married…I suppose cuddling with him like that would sell the rouse. I’d be okay with that. Jesse seems like he hasn’t been hugged enough in his life. And that’s something friends can do together, right? The thought wasn’t so weird.
I’m distracted when the doorbell chimes and we’re joined by young Teddy Foster and his new boyfriend, the one and only Cassius Garda. I’m still getting used to the fact that a very famous former football player is now part of our regular friendship group. He does seem like a pretty regular guy, though, when you forget about all the records he’s set and still holds, not to mention the Super Bowl rings.
It’s silly, but the fact that I’m not the last one here makes me feel better somehow. Like I get a tiny plus point in socializing. Although, with everything going on with Teddy and Cassius’s situation, I wouldn’t be surprised if their minds are all over the place. I’m not even sure where they’re living right now. However, seeing as Cassius is a multi-millionaire, I can’t say I’m worried they’re struggling after the flooding. In fact, I have it on good authority that he’s been helping out all the other residences affected by the recent disaster as well.
That’s one of the downsides of living in SoCal. We do get a lot of nature around here on top of all the other emergencies the firehouse has to deal with. But as I look around at most of my team crammed into this box-filled room, I couldn’t be prouder to serve with anyone else.
For all I fret a lot about everything, I know I’m lucky to have such great work colleagues. Maybe I can continue working on remembering that they’re also my friends.