Patchwork Paradise(4)

“Not to mention all the mimosas I’ve had already.” I sniggered into my beer, and Imran laughed.

“Good show?” he asked Samuel.

“Not bad.” Samuel hooked his arms over the back of the chair, resting his chin on his wrist, and I couldn’t tear my eyes away from him. His eyes twinkled with pride, and I squeezed his knee. He didn’t like to brag about anything, ever, but he’d done well and he knew it.

“You were amazing,” I told him, and beside me Imran made a gagging noise.

“You two put all the couples in the world to shame,” he said. “I’m disgusted.” He drank his beer, and Sam tugged my hair again. I threaded my fingers through his. Yeah, we were sappy, and I couldn’t care less.

Out of nowhere Cleo dropped into Imran’s lap and snatched Samuel’s water, which she downed in one go.

“Darlings,” she said and blew us kisses. “How did opening night go?”

“It was perfect,” I told her.

“So you hated every minute of it.”

Sam laughed at my indignant “No!”

“He did. You should’ve seen him, Cleo. Pressed against the wall like a frightened little flower.”

I sniffed when they all laughed at me. “Well, those old ladies have very sharp nails. And that bald guy was either going to make me buy illegal art or force me to become a running boy for his Mafia diamond-trade operation.”

“I think he just wanted to make you his bum boy,” Samuel said, and I felt my cheeks stain red while the others hollered at me in glee.

“Come dance,” Cleo said, and she gripped my hand. She was sweating head to toe, her dark hair hanging in thick strands to her collarbones, and she still managed to look radiant. I fought her tugging long enough to kiss Sam, because I knew once I was on that dance floor with her, I wouldn’t be coming back anytime soon. Our mouths brushed together, and for a moment the music seemed to dim, the noise around us fading into nothing. There was just me and him.

“God, Ollie,” he whispered, and then he let me go. The noise returned with a bang, the music heaving in the sweltering heat. I lifted my free hand, gave in to Cleo’s tugging, and whooped. She laughed and swung her arms around me. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Thomas making out with the buxom blonde, and after that my world dissolved into the hot rhythm of Latin music and Cleo’s lithe body against mine.

Around three in the morning, the music slowed a little and Imran came to steal Cleo away. Right behind him was Samuel, and we slipped into a slow dance as if we’d rehearsed it. He didn’t say much and neither did I, but I felt the moment deeply, like a comforting weight in the center of my soul, grounding me to earth. I closed my eyes and smiled as I laid my head on his shoulder.

“Can we go soon?” he asked me when the song ended. “It’s been a long day, and I’m tired.”

“Yes,” I said. “Of course. Let me just go grab a glass of water. I’m parched.”

“Sure. I’ll be waiting in the courtyard. I need some air. Thomas said we can take his car.” He held out a bunch of keys, and I was relieved we wouldn’t have to walk home.

The place was still busy but not packed anymore, and I got my water pretty quickly. Cleo and Imran were snuggled up in the corner, so I just gave them a little wave. When I saw Thomas standing all by himself, I went to go say hi.

“What’s up?” I asked. “Where’s your girl?”

“Her name’s Liesbeth. And she’s in the bathroom,” he said. A strand of his long brown hair had gotten stuck between his lips. He’d pulled it back in a bun, but a lot of it had come undone and clung to his neck in sweaty peaks. I plucked the hair out of his mouth.

“So you won’t need our couch?” Thomas lived outside of Antwerp in a small village by the Schelde. He always talked about moving to the city so he wouldn’t have to deal with traffic on the E17 anymore. So far he hadn’t made real plans yet.

His gaze trailed to the bathroom, and I followed it, seeing the girl emerge. She waved, and we both waved back. He smirked at me. “Doubtful, but I’ll call if I do.”

“I’ll leave you to it. Good luck.” We hugged quickly, and he rubbed my back.

“Take care,” he said.

I nodded and walked away.

Samuel was waiting for me by the big wooden door that led to the street. “Ready to go?” he asked as he held up his arm. I walked underneath it and snuggled close.

“Yes. Did you have a good time?”

He smiled down at me. “I had a great time. You know I love watching you have fun.”

“Yeah, but I don’t want you to sit through these evenings because you have to.”

“No, I had a good time talking to Imran. His hospital stories are always incredible.”

Thomas had left his car by the docks. We crossed the Ernest Van Dijckkaai, a wide road that hugged the water. The night smelled of the sea air the river brought with it. A cool wind had picked up and made me shiver, and Samuel hugged me tighter.

Little light covered the parking lots, and we fell quiet as we hurried along. Samuel held Thomas’s key out, and in the distance a car beeped once as its indicators flashed.

We walked toward it, and a chill ran down my spine. Every single hair on the back of my neck rose. Either my eyes were playing tricks or the world was turning darker. The foreboding hung so thick I could taste it. “Sam,” I whispered.