Page 20 of Mistaken Prejudice

“Let the guy breathe, Jess.” He moved to stand between us.

“Levi,” he said with boredom while offering his hand to shake.

“Miles,” I said as I took his hand.

Dropping my hand a moment after, he reached for Jessie’s T-shirt and pulled him toward the dining table, forcing him to sit down. He then put his hand in front of him. “Give me his phone back,” he commanded Jessie, who looked at him with his eyes wide-open.

“But—” He started mumbling, and I found it hard to follow until Levi threw my phone back at me.

“What? When?” I stared at the phone in my hand as I reached to check my back pocket. “But I just— How?”

“What did we say about pickpocketing, Jess?” Chief’s voice was authoritative and at the same time friendly. The odd combination of the two made you want to follow his lead.

Or to his bed. Did I just think that? Oops.

“I was going to give it back!” Jessie pouted, resting his chin on one arm.

“Even so, you’re still not allowed to touch other people’s belongings. We’ve talked about it. Remember what I said about personal space and boundaries?”

“That I need to respect it because not everybody loves hugs,” Jessie recited in a monotone voice that reminded me of a little kid who got busted for stealing cookies.

“How can you be this cute?” Levi squeezed Jessie’s cheeks before pulling him in for a kiss.

So I guess that means they’re a couple?

“Hey.” A wet towel hit the two of them, catching them by surprise. “Make sure you set the table before”—Chief twisted the corner of his mouth, waving at Jessie and Levi, who were wrapped in each other’s arms—“just before you get more touchy. All right?”

Getting the message, Jessie and Levi got up in unison and went over to one of the cabinets, then took out plates and silverware.

Andrei stepped beside me with an amused expression. “I know it’s a lot to take in, but soon enough, you’ll get used to it.” He moved to help Chief, not before caressing my lower back in a way that made my hair stand on end. And as he helped Chief and the others set the table, the essence of his words continued to strike me.

Soon enough, you’ll get used to it, meaning this was not a one-time thing.

Halfway through dinner, I learned a few things. While Levi and I were eighteen, Jessie, Andrei and Diesel were almost nineteen. The three of them had to repeat a year because of Juvie. Levi jumped a year, and that’s how they were all seniors now. I also found out that Jessie and Levi had been together for three years, and thanks to Jessie, I learned that wombat poop was square and that slugs had four noses. Random as hell, right? I really liked the guy. He was hilarious.

Andrei’s family was very lovely and sweet, all but Diesel, who ended up joining us, only so he could give me the death stare all night long. And here I thought Shay-Lee had anger management issues. The guy hated me for no apparent reason, but I couldn’t care less ’cause from the moment we sat down and until now, Andrei’s hand was placed on my thigh.

“The food is delicious, Chief,” I enthused before taking another bite from my Arepas, the best I’d ever tasted.

“Heard that, Diesel? I told you you’re a great cook.” Chief smiled proudly at Diesel, who answered him with a grunt before he emptied his iced water in one sip.

Clearly, the guy isn’t up for small talk.

“I bought the ingredients!” Jessie jumped in, almost choking on his food. “Chief told Levi to go, but…” He stopped to take another bite, and the rest of his point was lost between chews.

“Swallow first and then talk.” Levi placed a hand on Jessie’s shoulder.

“That’s what she said.” Jessie giggled.

“Or he in your case,” Andrei teased, and Levi threw some peas at him.

“You know what I meant.” Levi rolled his eyes.

“I bet he does,” I added with a smirk, and Andrei shook his head at me.

“Bunch of children,” Levi mumbled while Jessie laughed and choked on his water. His laugh was contagious, and soon the whole table was laughing, all but one.

“Why are you here?” Diesel’s sudden question caught me off guard and quickly killed the mood. He was playing with his knife while looking me straight in the eyes.