IN THE MORNING, THEY drive to brunch together. Alex is nervous on the way over, but when Paul asks if he’s okay he nods.
“I’m fine.” In truth, he has any number of questions, none of which he knows how to ask. Are they going to brunch together-together, or as two people sharing a ride? Surely the group will know their arriving together isn’t purely platonic or innocent, and maybe they should talk about that. But Alex doesn’t know how to begin to ask the question without sounding like he’s asking for some kind of declaration from Paul.
He probably should have thought this through better.
Conversation stops at their already mostly-populated table for twelve when they walk onto the patio together.
Brian twists around in his eternal seat at the head of their table. “Well, well, well.”
“Hi
