Not just because it was so good. Bas decided that, since it was none of our birthdays, we should celebrate our unbirthdays. We did it, too. We sang the song and everything.
It was so Bas. Random and fun. He elevated ordinary moments.
As the guys retell the story, I steal a few moments to write in my journal. Tonight has grown cold and my fingers feel stiff. I have to keep stopping to hold them closer to the fire.
22. Fires, when it's cold
23. Riot, to start fires when it's cold
24. The note from Sebastian (Come find us, Bas! We're here. We're waiting for you!)
25. Sebastian's unbirthday cake in Frankfurt
26. Home, on the horizon (I will go and I will apologize and I will be apologized to.)
27. Gideon, I know you're reading over my shoulder …
He laughs. "I thought you said it was our list."
"It is, but you're distracting me."
"Am I distracting you, Daryn?" He smiles, his eyes going heavy.
He is a distraction. His smile. His attention. Everything about him. I've kissed him and touched him and I can do both now when I want to, just like I did by the lake a little while ago. It's mind-blowing. If only we weren't in a demon realm, I could really put this new development to good use.
"Would the pair of you like to turn your backs so you exclude us more effectively?" Jode asks.
"We're just adding to the list." I hold up my journal.
"Daryn." Gideon shakes his head, pretending to be disappointed. "It's our list."
"A list?" Jode leans back, resting his head against his bag. "What's this list about?"
Rather than explain it, I just lean over and give it to him.
Gideon puts his hand over his heart and winces. "I hate sharing, Martin."
I lean up, whispering in his ear. "Some things are only for you."
He gives me a long unblinking look that makes my face burn and my body feel light and hot.
"This is an outrage," Jode says dryly. "I'm in here once and Gideon is here … two, three, four times?"
"Three," I say. "The last one doesn't really count."
"Oh, it counts," Gideon says.
"How many times am I in it?" Marcus asks.
"Are you guys making this a competition?"
"Of course."
"Yeah."
"Definitely. And I'm dominating."
"For real," Marcus says. "How many times am I on there?"
"Once, like me. For your winning smile." Jode closes the notebook and tosses it to Marcus. "But don't let it go to your head. Gideon's arse has a spot on the list as well."
Gideon looks at me and winks. "Like I said, dominating."
"Dare, you got a pen?" Marcus asks.
This catches me by surprise for a moment. "Yes." I toss it to him, smiling. This is perfect. Whatever he adds, it's already perfect.
As Marcus writes, Jode leans back and gazes up at the trees. "You're thinking it'll be five for you after this. Aren't you, Gideon?"
"You know me well, Ellis."
Marcus finishes writing. He sets the pen in the fold and hands the journal to Gideon. I lean in and read.
Marcus's handwriting is elegant cursive-almost astonishingly elegant. And what he wrote is, as expected, perfection. Even better is that Gideon reads it aloud.
"'Twenty-eight. The family you make.'" He looks at Marcus. "Damn right, bro. This is the best one here." He looks at me. "Tied with fourteen."
"Ah, yes," Jode says. "Gideon's Super Lips."
Marcus shakes his head at me. "Why?"
"It was a mistake. I wrote it before the list went public. What's your addition, Jode? It can be anything. Anything that has significance to you."
"Full English breakfast," he says, without missing a beat. "Bacon, eggs, sausages, baked beans, grilled tomato, mushrooms, toast, marmalade. With tea, of course. One of life's undeniable pleasures."
My mouth instantly waters. "Well, it's no trail mix, but all right." I add "English Breakfast" to the list. "What else?"
"Another?" Jode narrows his eyes in thought. "Well, I don't think Super Lips will like it."
"Then don't say it," Gideon says.
"Say it, Jode." Marcus smiles. "You gotta say it now."
"Dude," Gideon says. "No."
"Number thirty," I say, as I pretend to write. "When Gideon. Gets. Flustered."
"I'm not flustered."
"Actually, you are."
"Actually, I'm not." He looks at Jode. "Go, Drummond. Say your thing. Number thirty."