Page 57 of The Intimacy of Finding You

“It was worth it. Every second. And a great deterrent, but not the main reason.”

Crew wrapped his fingers around Price’s wrist, holding them at his shoulder. “We’re proud of you, so just remember that.”

“Kind of weird to hear. You’re proud of me for trying to stop poisoning myself.” Tobi sighed. “I’m not proud of myself yet, but I’m sure I will be. I see a therapist soon, so I bet she’ll work with me on that.”

“You’re going to therapy?” Price asked.

I squeezed Tobi’s arm, almost in a way to reiterate my pride in him and also because I just liked the feeling of him. I liked having him so close to me. “Yeah, we found someone who sounds pretty good.”

Crew nodded along, his eyebrows raised. “Y’all know how therapy changed things for both of us. I’m glad you’re going, Tobi. Have you thought any about what you’re going to do for work?”

“Yeah, sort of. I just know I need to look at applications. Cal got me a new phone so it actually works right, and I can start applying now. The ten-year gap won’t look good on my pretty lackluster resume. But I’m determined, so I know it’ll work out eventually.”

Crew tilted his head back, looking up at Price, who nodded. “Price and I were talking about this, actually. We know how difficult the job market has become, and we knew you might have some trouble. We’d like to have you back here if you’d be willing.”

Well, I definitely wasn’t expecting that. Neither was Tobi, seeing as his jaw had dropped and he was staring at the two of them almost blankly. I nudged his arm again, whispering. “That’s a pretty good opportunity, don’t you think?”

“I, uh…” Tobi blinked a few times, shaking his head. “Wow. That’s really generous of y’all.”

“We’ve missed you. You as a person and your skill.” Price rounded the table, sitting on the edge of it right in front of us. “You’re talented. You always have been. If you’re serious about getting your shit together, we’re serious about helping you. Whether you stay here another two years or you leave in two months. We want you back in our family.”

“Family?”

“Tobi”— Crew leaned forward, putting his elbows on the desk—“You have to know that’s what we are. The OG staff has been family since day one, and even if you leave for a while, that doesn’t make us any less than before. You’re one of us. A part of the OG. We’re willing to do a lot for you as long as you keep going. You don’t even have to be a cook at first if that’s too much. You can do what I did when I first started working at The Arch.”

“Like, do inventory and fuck the manager?”

I snorted, Crew’s eyes widened, and Price let out one loud, startling laugh. He had a point, though…

Putting his face in his hands, Crew shook his head with a laugh. “That’s between you and Callum. He’s the floor manager, so take that as you will.”

I pretended to write notes on an imaginary notepad. “No fucking in the office… Got it.”

Price groaned. “We never fucked in the office. You guys just like to make shit up and then make fun of us based on the shit you make up.”

“Hey, if the shoe fits, okay?”

“The shoe doesn’t fit. There is no shoe. That doesn’t even make sense in this context.”

Crew waved his hands around. “Boys, hush. Now is not the time. Tobi, just think about it, will you? Get our numbers from Callum, and you can ask us any questions you have. Consider the offer indefinitely on the table.”

Tobi looked happy. Honestly happy. His eyes sparkled under the office lighting, and the smile lines I loved so much were so prominent. Finally, we would get to be the ones to deepen them. “I’ll definitely think about it.”

Tobi had decided not to meet anyone else after getting the full tour of Fire and Ice’s renovations. I couldn’t say I blamed him. I’d felt weary myself, and I wasn’t in the position he was in.

We didn’t do much for the rest of the day. I’d shown him some of my abandoned woodwork projects in the shed, we cuddled with Fishy on the couch, and we watched some of the episodes Price starred in on TV. It was getting late, the stars twinkling our names to lure us to sleep.

Fishy was already on his bed, all cozy and comfortable, when Tobi shuffled past me. “I’m gonna head to bed. Night.”

I stopped in the hallway, looking up as he climbed the stairs. After so many nights of ignoring it, I realized just how much I didn’t want to ignore it anymore. I’d let him have his moment, and now I wanted to share it with him. I didn’t want him to be alone, even in this.

So, I called out to him from below just before he made it halfway up. “Why are you going to the guest room when we both know you’ll just end up in my bed?”

He stopped. I watched as his back muscles went rigid, his hand frozen on the railing. “You noticed.”

“Of course I did. How could I not?”

He slowly turned, looking down at me. “I don’t know. That sounds silly, don’t it?”