Chapter 13 #5
“So mean," Sage pouted, crossing her arms. Conner shook his head and left, hopefully to grab their food. “Anyway, my questions.”
“I thought it was one question," Luka said and took his new drink, making a pleased sound after he tried it.
“No, there are a few.” Sage pulled her phone out and tapped through a few things before clearing her throat. “What is Reno’s favorite color?”
“Um, pink?” Luka responded and Reno did not like the look on Sage’s face. She looked like trouble.
“Where is Reno from?”
“Somewhere in or around Tokyo. I don’t know specifically.”
“How many siblings does he have?” It became clear to Reno that she was reading questions off a list.
“Two? Yeah. Two sisters.”
“What is his favorite dessert?”
“Fuck, I don’t know? They like these chocolates. He probably has some in his pockets right now.”
Sage burst out laughing. “But, you don’t know the name of them?”
“I don’t remember.” Luka looked a little reluctant, and more than a little confused about where this was going. “Why does that matter?”
“I’m just checking something. What instruments does Reno play?”
Reno interrupted, “Why are you quizzing him?”
“Let me do this!” Sage protested and then scrolled down on her phone for a moment. “Instruments?”
“Guitar, violin.” Luka crossed his arms and turned to Reno. “Am I missing things?”
“Piano, bass, and cello, kind of.” Reno watched Luka flush, looking excited about the new information, and it was so cute, Reno almost forgot what they were talking about.
“Cello?”
Reno scratched his cheek and admitted, “Kind of. I’m bad at it.”
Luka shook his head. “Do you own one?”
“No. There’s one back at my Mom’s, but not here. They are big. Take up space. Not like keyboard I can throw in the closet.”
“I bet if you had one in your flat, you would be good.”
“God," Sage drew the focus back to her, “you two are sickening. Next question: Why are Reno’s nails the lengths they are?”
Luka turned redder and Reno tilted his head. “Um.”
“Um?” Sage parroted, looking way too entertained for Reno’s tastes.
“Because," Luka looked at the ceiling, then muttered, “He’s a top.”
“Oh my god!” Sage burst out laughing, “Oh! Hahaha, Luka! You are so cute. No. No, that’s wrong, actually.”
“What?” Luka’s eyes widened.
“I’m so happy right now,” she said and Reno kicked her under the table and was pleased when she winced, making a hissing noise.
“Rude. Look, look. I’m sorry.” She turned her phone screen to show them what she’d pulled up and it was some list from a website.
“Fan forum. I figured if your answers were similar to the ones his crazy fans compiled, then you might be a fuckin’ nutcase too. ”
“Oh.” Luka pinched his lips between his teeth for a moment before saying, “I kind of am. But, not in that way. I really do love the music he writes.”
Reno could burst with joy. He leaned against Luka lightly, feeling how firm his shoulders were through his jacket and how warm he was.
“His nails are like that for playing guitar.” Sage finished Reno’s first drink and pushed it aside right as Conner dropped food off at the table. “The left is all short for the frets and the right middle is um, what’s the word?”
“It’s for tapping,” Reno answered. “I keep the pick between my index and thumb to sweep and use the middle to tap at the same time.”
“Yeah, whatever. You’re so cool.” Sage waved him off then stole a chip from his plate. She turned her phone back to her. “Okay, you got about half right. I’m sorry that I had to do that, but I’d be really concerned if you got all of them the same as this.”
“What’d I get wrong?” Luka asked, and Reno didn’t want to admit to being curious what the forum thought of him, too.
“Well, for one, it says his favorite dessert is raspberry tarts.”
Reno balked. “That's awful. You should correct them.”
“No way,” Sage said. “I will never post in one of these things. I don’t even like your music.”
“You don’t like his music?” Luka asked, his eyes big.
Sage waved him off. “I think it's noise. Why does Zana have to scream so much?”
“She likes pop," Reno stage-whispered into Luka’s ear and Luka chuckled along before asking:
“Do you at least like K-pop?”
Sage frowned. “I guess.”
Reno whispered again, “She won’t listen to music not in English.”
Luka fake-gasped and it sent Reno over the edge, laughing. Sage stole Reno’s new drink and drank half of it in retaliation.
“What else did I get wrong?” Luka asked once he’d calmed his laughing.
Sage tapped her phone on again and said, “Let's see—Oh, you forgot they play piano, which is listed on here. However, violin is not.”
“I keep it a secret,” Reno said and Luka nodded thoughtfully, his drink cupped in both of his hands adorably, and Reno couldn't help but lean forward and take a sip of Luka’s drink through the straw, if only to be closer to him for a moment.
He stayed in Luka’s space when he looked up and said, “Promise you won’t tell anyone? ”
Luka flushed, looking up and away. He asked, “Does August count?”
“No, they’re alright.”
“Can you two knock it off?” Sage waved a hand between them, then slumped back against the booth again, crossing her arms. “You’re so sweet, I might puke and die.”
“We can’t have that," Luka said and pushed Reno away to pull the plate of food closer to him. Reno squirmed where he sat, trying not to think too hard about how bossy and mean Luka could get—he didn’t want to be that worked up in front of Sage or he’d never hear the end of it.
Sage cleared her throat and pointed at Luka, “Your turn.”
“What?” Luka tore his look away from Reno—where he’d been carefully observing the way Reno fought with himself to not be horny in public instead of eating—to focus on what Sage was suggesting.
“What's your favorite color?”
“Oh," Luka blinked, then responded, “Pink.”
“Uh huh.” Sage shook her head. “Of course it is. Where’d you grow up?”
“Springfield, Missouri.”
“How is a spring-filled place misery?”
“Was that a joke?” Luka asked.
Sage shook her head. “No, love, your accent is just amazing.”
“Huh?” Luka looked confused, “I’ve never heard someone say a midwestern accent was amazing. We sound awful.”
“No, no. American accents are so cute,” Sage argued. “Say washer.”
“Washer.” Luka scowled as Sage cackled.
“It sounds like you have a mouthful of water in there, warsher.”
“Stop that," Reno said, “I will kick you harder.”
“I’ll kick back, bitch," Sage threatened, but Reno found her completely harmless. She dropped the bravado to continue her interview. “Luka, next question: What’s your favorite dessert?”
“Chocolate chip cookies.”
“That’s so basic it's actually adorable," Sage said, then asked the next: “Have any siblings?”
“No.”
Sage hummed. “Parents?”
Reno interrupted, “Ask something else.”
“Thank you," Luka said, then finished his drink and finally picked up his fork to start eating. Reno slipped his hand around Luka’s waist to squeeze him gently and Luka leaned against him.
The door to the pub opened and two girls that Reno vaguely knew through Sage walked in. “My group’s here, thanks for the drink, Reno. Luka, I’m sorry for being a menace; you’re a fucking delight. I’m so happy you’re finally here.”
Luka opened his mouth to respond, but she was gone already, bouncing away to her friends. Reno gave him another tight squeeze around the waist.
“Sorry," he apologized, “She is also a lot to handle.”
“Figures the people around you would be.” Luka shrugged, then leaned against Reno and the feeling of him in Reno’s embrace made his heart jump a few times before settling again. “Do y’all have a weird name for this dish, too?”
“No, it's just salmon.” Reno huffed a laugh. “Salad. Chips. Nothing crazy so you don’t get sick. After travel I feel bad for a few days and don’t like anything too heavy. Sorry for assuming you’d be the same.”
“No, it’s good.” Luka turned to face Reno and kissed his jaw, feather-light. “The new drink was, too. What did she mean by finally?”
“Ah.” Reno looked across the pub to avoid seeing Luka’s waiting expression. “I may have gotten wasted one too many times around Sage and talked about you.”
“But you’ve only been off tour for a few weeks.” Luka nudged him, and Reno shrank into himself.
He admitted, “Yeah, this wasn’t in the last few weeks.”
Luka paused his eating and turned to look at Reno a bit closer.
“It was over years.” Reno propped his chin on his hand, leaning onto the table. “You know how I said I couldn’t forget you?”
Luka nodded, taking a measured bite, his expression attentive.
“So, I did this thing.” Reno pinched a bit of his hair between his fingers and started playing with it. “Did you ever watch interview of mine?”
“Which ones?”
“Oh, any of them. I guess?” Reno pursed his lips, trying to think of specifics. “The ones where they ask about relationship or preferences or whatever.”
“No, not really. I didn’t really make it my business to watch interviews much, especially not gossip ones like that.”
“You don’t have to pretend you weren’t interested.
” Reno nudged Luka’s foot with his own and got a glare in response.
“It’s okay. I’ll pretend you don’t know.
Whenever someone asked if I was in relationship I’d say I was waiting for someone, the right person.
And, when they would bug me for more answers I’d play coy and just wink or wave them off like ‘oh someone, you know?’.
It helped a lot because Kandi always said I talk too much in interview and when I could play it off like this then I would stop talking. ”
Reno pulled his glass to him and played with the straw for a moment before taking an unhurried drink, feeling the gin warm his chest.