The meal had been exquisite. The company and conversation, first-rate. It couldn’t have gone more smoothly even if I had planned it. Which, of course, I had. Down to the very minute. And post-food—once Cassius was fed and happy, but before he fell into a food coma—was the moment I would tell him.
I took a sip of the sparkling water, suddenly wishing the bubbles were of the alcoholic variety. I still had absolutely zero freaking idea how to begin this. A million possible suggestions were whirring about in my brain—
So, Cass, funny thing, I think I might be… Nope. Dead end.
Hey, Cass, did you ever in your wildest dreams expect me to be… Bah-bow. Another dead end.
Come on, Cass, do you believe in love? ’Cause I’ve got something to say about it, and it goes something like this… Whoops, that was the start of a Madonna jam.
Listen up, Cass, I’ve got something to tell you…
Hmm. Seemed like I’d just found a winner.
He squinted his eyes at me. “You look like you’ve got something to say, Spence.”
I nodded, wiping the corners of my mouth with the napkin. I placed it on my lap, my fingers fidgeting nervously with it. “I do, actually.”
This was it. This was the moment I was going to tell him my truth. I took one deep, final breath and opened my mouth to speak—