Page 116 of Forged

Enzo studies me for another second before leaning back in his chair.

“All right,” he says. “Something happened. You might as well tell me what it is.”

I exhale through my nose. “Neomi and I met someone.”

He doesn’t look surprised. “Man or woman? How did you meet?”

“A man. At the Monarch.”

He gestures lightly with the espresso cup.

“That place does tend to facilitate introductions.”

I glance toward the window before looking back at him.

“His name’s Gabriel Santori.”

Enzo waits. When I don’t continue, he sighs and waves a hand toward me.

“Lars, we’re family. Stop giving me the short version and just lay it out.”

I huff out a quiet laugh. “Fair.”

So, I do.

“We met him at Monarch last week. We ended up having an interesting evening. A couple days later we had dinner together and…things clicked. Neomi likes him. I like him. We’ve seen him again since, and now we’re seeing where it goes.”

Enzo listens without interrupting, his expression thoughtful but calm.

When I finish, he nods once. “Well,” he says, “this is an interesting turn of events. And what does Gabriel Santori do for a living?”

“He trades in the markets. Stocks, short-term positions, that kind of thing.”

Enzo rolls the espresso cup slowly between his fingers while he considers that.

“A man who makes his money watching numbers move on screens,” he says. “Sounds like a boring career choice.”

“He travels a lot.”

A silence settles in the room before Enzo looks back up at me. “Is this a fling or something more serious?”

“Somewhere in between at the moment.”

“And Neomi is on the same page?”

I nod. “Yes.”

“You know,” he says after a moment, “most people ease into complicated relationship structures a little more slowly. But not you, brother, you jump right in.”

“We’ve never been like most people.”

“That’s true.” The corner of his mouth lifts, then his tone softens. “Are you happy?”

The question catches me off guard.

“Yeah,” I admit. “I am.”

Enzo leans back in his chair again, clearly satisfied with that answer.