Page 56 of The Intimacy of Finding You

“Nope.” I put the car into park, staring at the back door. I made sure to bring my key this time. “It hasn’t slowed down at all. Instead, it’s gone the opposite direction. Price got more and more popular, and then all the TV shows and interviews happened, and then we had another video go viral recently. We’ve lost a lot of people because they couldn’t keep up with the pace, and we’ve hired a lot more who could. I don’t think we’ve worked a single slow night since we went viral the first time.”

“Jesus, that’s quite the change. Why did it take them so long to consider opening a new location? I mean, that’d bring in so much more revenue. They could do a lot with that.”

I shrugged. “You’ll have to ask them yourself. I think they were hesitant to put more stuff on their plates. That, and change is scary. We’ve all gone through a shit ton of change over the years, so I know just how daunting it can feel.”

He stared at the door, not even blinking. “Yeah, I get that. But sometimes change is good. Sometimes, it makes everythin’ better. I know Crew isn’t the type who likes to gamble, though.”

“No, he really isn’t.” I watched the door in solidarity, trying to figure out what he was seeing. Was he waiting for something to jump out of it? “Are you ready?”

“Ready as I’ll ever be.”

It was early enough that only Crew and Price would be there for now, and if we started getting close to shift time, Tobi would have time to decide whether he wanted to stay or leave. I got out of the car, waiting for him at the door.

We stood in front of it together for a moment. I reached out, grabbing his hand with mine, and squeezed his. “I’m here with you, okay? I’m right here, and I’m not going anywhere. If you need a second, or if you want to go, just tell me. They’ll understand.”

He took a deep breath through his nose, letting it out through his mouth before squeezing my hand back. “Okay. I think I’m ready.”

I took the keys out of my pocket, using one hand to unlock the door while he kept holding my other one. We went down the hallway together slowly, letting Tobi take everything in. Price had contracted a company to remodel a few years back, so it looked quite different from what Tobi would’ve remembered.

“Wow. This is so different.” His head was on a swivel as we neared the kitchen. He stopped in his tracks entirely when we came upon it, his mouth slightly agape. “Holy fuck. This is some high-dollar shit.”

I followed his line of sight, trying to look at everything with fresh eyes. “Pretty cool, huh?”

He let go of my hand to walk straight toward the grill station—the same station he’d worked on when we all started at The Arch. “This is amazing. I bet it cooks like a fuckin’ beast. These are like fifteen grand a pop.”

“Oh, are they?”

When he turned his head to look at me, he had the biggest, most genuine smile on his face. “Oh, yeah. I’ve looked into a few of these before online. I don’t know how they cook, but I do know they’re expensive for a reason. Fuck, the things I’d give to work on these babies.”

His pure excitement had me excited, and I never even liked cooking all that much.

The doors swung open just as Price stepped into the kitchen, his shoes squeaking against the floor. He paused, staring at Tobi’s back. I watched his chest rise and fall just before his Adam’s apple bobbed, and his lip twitched. He cleared his throat, giving the barest hint of a smile. “Been a long time since I’ve seen you in front of a grill.”

Tobi turned on his heels, his body tensing as they stared at each other. I was watching them get lost. Lost in the years of denial and pain they’d unknowingly shared, just without each other. “I honestly never thought I would be again. It, uh, feels nice. This is some good lookin’ stuff.”

“Yeah, I had no idea we’d be at a point where we could afford all this.” Price jerked his head to the side. “Come on. Crew is waiting for us in the office. I’ll give you a tour in a little bit if you want.”

Tobi turned to me, almost like he was looking for reassurance. I held my hand out, letting him choose to take it before following Price and me.

Crew lifted his head from the computer, a big grin on his face. “Well, hi. Did you get to take a look around?”

I took a seat in front of the desk, pulling my hand away just long enough for Tobi to take the seat next to me. “We looked at the kitchen, but we haven’t had a chance for the rest.”

“We can look at all that later, then. You look good, Tobi.”

“Do I?” Tobi scratched the back of his neck. “Thanks. I’ve gotten a bit more sleep lately, so I’m sure that’s been helpin’.”

As long as you’re in bed with me, I wanted to say. But I didn’t because I understood tact and had social awareness. For the most part.

Price stood behind the office chair Crew was in, placing his hands on Crew’s shoulders and squeezing gently. “How was detox?”

“Hell on earth. Torture. I’m pretty sure I died and came back to life.”

“Did it scare you into staying sober?”

Tobi shook his head. “No. I want to stay sober because I want to stay sober, not just because of how awful withdrawal is. Which, by the way, is truly fuckin’ awful. There were some really scary moments.”

I nudged his arm. “I told you they’re no joke. The safest way is always with medical staff on standby. Just in case. It’s why a lot of people don’t get sober.”