Gino ran a hand through his hair, his eyes searching around The Cutting Board for his friends once he entered the restaurant. He had been back from New York for a few months, but had been busy moving to a new apartment and adjusting to working back in his home state. He was finally able to find time to meet with his college friends, but a certain girl's face kept popping up in his mind. He shouldn't be thinking about her.
The amount of people inside the restaurant was testament to its popularity. The scents of steak, fries and roasted sandwiches filled his nostrils, and the rather dim lighting added a sense of formality in the casual eatery.
"Good evening; welcome to The Cutting Board! Do you have a reservation?"
He turned to the source of the voice and saw a pretty receptionist smiling at him. As soon as he turned to look at her, the receptionist's mouth opened slightly, and she blinked at him.
Gino cleared his throat. "Yeah, under the name of Tristan Williams?"
The receptionist glanced down at a list of names and tapped her finger on the paper. "Oh, table 27. Please follow me."
He watched with amusement, as she seemed to attempt a seductive smile, but made no comment. The receptionist led him to a table towards the middle of the room, and lightly touched his arm as she pointed to his friends. "Over there."
Gino instinctively pulled his arm back and gave her a tight smile. "Thanks."
"Hey, Gino!"
"My man!"
He grinned at them as his friends stood up from their seats and strode towards him. He was rather aware of the numerous pairs of eyes trained on them, but ignored it nonetheless. After giving and receiving pats on the back and hair-ruffles, Gino, Tristan, Tyler, David and Devon finally went back to their seats while urging him along. His old friends all looked the same, pretty much. The only differences were that Tyler and Devon's jawlines looked stronger, Tristan was sprouting some stubble and David had bulked up on muscle.
Tristan, his brown-haired blue-eyed best friend since freshman year of college and fellow teammate on the varsity soccer and football teams, was still going strong with Stephanie. He had met Tyler, a young Korean American man, and Devon from the Just Dance squad in university; the former was apparently discussing engagement plans with his Greek girlfriend and Devon and his girlfriend Elli were still very much in love as well. David was notorious in their group for hosting and letting himself go at parties that could either be incredibly insane, or just casual.
"That receptionist is a pain in the ass, huh?" David asked with a knowing smirk.
"No shit," Gino grumbled, and they chuckled in response. "Did you guys order already?"
"Not yet. We got here about ten minutes before you."
Devon waved a waitress over to their table, and they all placed their orders; Gino wasn't in the mood for anything too heavy, so he ordered a sandwich and fries.
He had a feeling that his friends knew something was bothering him, but they were smart enough to not say anything yet. He was happy to see his friends after three years, but that encounter with Alana---
"So how is it being back home? Anything major happen? Got a girlfriend?"
"Yeah, actually," Gino replied, surprising even himself with the answer.
Tyler raised his eyebrows expectantly.
"She came with me from New York," he explained. "It doesn't really impact her a whole lot because she designs her own handbags and sells them online. She makes quite a bit of money though, because they're all handmade."
YOU ARE READING
Because I Love You
Romance(Sequel to I Love that You're in My Life) It's been three years since Alana and Gino last kissed and parted on that beach. Gino's business in New York and constant absences led their relationship to break off. Since then, Alana has focused on her...
