Attraction - a fraudulent marriage

5. expiry

I took the stairs two at a time and panted beneath my smile when Chris opened the door.

"Come in," he said, still dressed in a loose T-shirt and a pair of black boxers. He scratched his blond hair and yawned. I must have woken him up from la-la land.

"So, get dressed. We need to leave in like," I checked the time on my phone, "twenty minutes."

He looked less than pleased with my revelation, rubbing his eyes and pouting like a child. "I haven't had breakfast."

"We'll have something on the way." I steered him into the bedroom, chuckling as I saw Dante still fast asleep. Chris had told me that the guy was a heavy sleeper with a foul morning mood. "Are we waking him up?" I asked.

"No, he's got a rehearsal in an hour. He's got an alarm."

I poked Dante's foot. "He looks dead." The foot slipped away out of sight, hidden beneath the cover. Maybe not dead, then.

"You seriously have no concept of personal space," he gestured around the room, "or privacy." If he hadn't been chuckling, I might have taken offense.

"You're right, so why don't you get dressed while I wake your boyfriend." Dante and I had met several times since the charity dinner, building our friendship in a weird fashion. He could be completely silent for hours only to say the deepest shit a second later. I had a vague suspicion that he knew me better than most. He had a warm heart that needed to be treasured and a mind that put most others to shame.

"I said, don't wake him up. He'll be moody and we don't have time for that if you're serious about those twenty minutes."

"True. I'm sure he wouldn't mind my cuddles, though."

Chris gestured in defeat. "I rest my case. Personal space around you is nonexistent."

With a wide grin, I helped him through his closet. He had a vague fashion sense—and that was me dishing out a compliment. It was kind of refreshing to have a friend who didn't obsess over clothes or appearance. As long as he was fine with me making a fuss, our differences worked out perfectly.

We left the apartment and Chris immediately began to walk faster than necessary. It was a condition that plagued the entire city all hours of the day. It was no wonder people got stressed and cranky when they never took their time to appreciate the surroundings. There were so many hot guys around, after all.

"So, what are we actually doing today?" Chris asked.

"We're arranging a party at your place."

"Huh?" Chris stared at me with arched brows. "You think you're hosting a party at our place? Why would I allow that? It's not even my apartment. It's Dante's."

"Pft, formalities. It's a surprise party for Adam. He's finally back from that long-ass road trip, and we're throwing him a party."

Chris' frown melted away. "That's actually a good idea." His attention shifted to the people gawking at a street performer. "Wait, why do you know this when I don't?"

It was a valid question since Chris and Adam were very close. I would even call them best friends, but perhaps people had moved on from using such terms. It was a little sad for those like me who never got to be the best one, but rather the one everybody hung out with on occasion.

"I messaged him a few days ago to check how he was doing," I said, hoping that would soften the blow.

"Fair. Well, are you bringing your DJ equipment, or did you have a smaller party in mind?"

"Hmm...what do you think he'd prefer?" I asked, knowing that Adam might still be a bit sensitive after everything that had happened. The last thing I wanted was to make him uncomfortable.