My Saving Grace

It wasn't until the week before Thanksgiving that the four of us—Chase, Gwen, Antonio, and myself—were able to get together. Chase's schedule had been packed so I hadn't seen him since the night we'd had dinner with his girlfriend.

During our phone call the previous week, I'd offered to host him and Gwen for dinner at my house, but he'd politely declined, saying he didn't want Antonio and I to go through all the trouble of cooking. So instead, I'd made reservations for a Korean BBQ restaurant in Hollywood.

To my surprise, Antonio had never tried Korean BBQ before. How could one live in California and not have eaten Korean BBQ? When I'd attended college in Minnesota, it was one of the foods I'd missed most.

I guessed his food palate wasn't as diverse as I'd originally thought.

It was nearing six o'clock, and Antonio and I were both getting ready in our bedroom. My eyes lingered on his naked torso as he threw on a white polo over his dark washed jeans. Side note, I loved when he wore white because it emphasized his tan complexion.

"What are you staring at?", he asked playfully, directing his gaze at me.

"Nothing. Just making sure you didn't put your shirt on backwards."

"Sure," he said, drawing the word out. "Have you decided what you're wearing yet?"

"Nope."

He strode over to where I stood in our walk-in closet, his eyes roaming over my multitude of dresses before landing on the one that hung at the very end.

"I like this one on you," he stated, pulling out my black maxi dress with ruffled short sleeves.

"Why?"

"I don't know. I just do." He shrugged earnestly.

"Fair enough." I smiled, shooing him out.

After changing into my dress, I put on a light layer of makeup, opting for just mascara and lipstick. My hair was in a loose bun with natural curls framing my face, and for the final touch, I put on a pair of silver teardrop-shaped dangly earrings.

Grabbing my purse and denim jacket, I headed downstairs, where Antonio was leaning against the garage door swiping on his phone. He'd thrown on his khaki military-styled jacket—my favorite jacket on him.

At the sound of my footsteps, his head lifted, and he grinned in awe.

"Wow, you look beautiful."

"You look like quite the lady-killer yourself, Professor. And trust me, I'm not gonna look like this after I stuff myself with all-you-can-eat beef."

He chuckled, placing a hand on my back as we headed out to his car.

Currently, I was going through a Bollywood music phase, so during the drive, it was all we listened to. I had no idea what the lyrics meant, but I absolutely loved the beat.

"I didn't know you were into Bollywood music," Antonio remarked during "Bom Diggy," aka, the anthem of my college years.

"What can I say? I'm full of surprises."

"Indeed you are." He threw me a sideways glance, his lips twisting into a wry smile.

"I befriended a group of international students from India in my major. They introduced me to a ton of the music. Fun fact, this one was my most played song on Spotify for two years in a row."

"Damn. It's catchy, though, I will admit."

I glanced down at my phone.

"So catchy. Ooh, I love this next one, too. Aashiq Banaya Aapne."

"A-shake-a banana what?"

I burst out laughing.

"Close. Aashiq Banaya Aapne."

He blew a raspberry.

"I give up."

When we began to near Hollywood, Antonio grew less conversational and simply stared at the road ahead. He had a far-off look on his face, and I had no clue what was running through his mind.

"Everything okay?", I asked.

He blinked, jerking his head towards me.

"Huh? Yeah, everything's fine."

I raised a brow.

"Spill it, Antonio."

"It's nothing. I'm just being stupid."

"Tell me," I pleaded.

He huffed, running a hand over his face.

"You look stunning right now, and I don't want Chase to see. Yes, I know he's just a friend, so I'm being an idiot. Ignore everything I'm saying." His rushed words came out in a single breath.

I couldn't help but smile.

"Oh, Antonio," I said with a sigh, reaching for his hand, which had moved to the console. "Jealousy looks cute on you."

He scrunched his nose.

"It does?"

"In a different situation, yes. But no need to waste your energy on this one. Chase isn't an ex-fiancé. Like Veronica."

"I know, I know."

"He's really nice. You guys will get along perfectly."

He made a noncommittal "mmm" sound.

Men, I thought to myself with a mental eye roll.

We arrived in the parking lot of the restaurant at exactly seven, and halfway to the front door, I spotted Chase and Gwen, who were coming from the opposite direction. He sported a casual black leather jacket and jeans while Gwen wore a black long-sleeved jumpsuit.

"Whoa, did we all plan these outfits together or what?", Gwen commented when they'd reached us.

"I was gonna say," Chase added, directing his attention to Antonio. "At least it's not black, right?", he joked, pointing to his khaki jacket.

Antonio chuckled, reaching out to shake Chase's hand.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Chase. I'm Antonio Rossi, Sophia's husband."

"Great to finally meet you. A professor's life must be hard, isn't it?"

"Probably not as hard as having to memorize a million lines."

Chase laughed, giving Antonio a playful slap on the back. They were exactly the same height, I noted. It felt surreal, seeing the man I'd spent my entire college career dwelling on alongside the man who'd helped me to forget him.

"This is Gwen Lane, my girlfriend," he stated, and while Antonio and Gwen made their introductions, he turned to me, his eyes noticeably softening as he smiled warmly.

"How's it going, Sophia? I haven't seen you in a while."

"I'm doing fine. How about you?"

"The usual. Have you eaten here before?" He motioned towards the building with his thumb.

"No, I haven't. The reviews looked good, though."

"I assume you already looked through the menu and know what you're ordering?" I saw the teasing glint in his eyes.

"Hey, I don't always do that." I was blushing slightly.

"That's not what you said last time," he challenged with a smirk.

We both turned to Antonio and Gwen, who apparently had finished talking God knows when and were simply observing our bantering.

"For the record, she does check the online menu every time we try a new restaurant," Antonio addressed Chase, shooting me a look of adoration.

"And this concludes our session of harassing Sophia. Let's all go inside now, shall we?", I spoke.

The men chuckled, and Antonio offered me his hand, which I took, as we all walked towards the door. Chase and Gwen were a couple steps ahead of us.

"I like him already," Antonio whispered in my ear. I squeezed his hand.

"Told you."

The place was packed when we entered, and my mouth watered at the faint smell of beef bulgogi. Dim purple and blue lighting created a lounge-like atmosphere, which was really soothing on the eyes. We were seated at a high table for four, and after deciding on drinks, I grabbed the menu, scanning through the different meat options.

"Look at her go. She's in her own little world," Chase drawled. I gave him a mock glare over the top of the menu. Gwen giggled.

"You two can decide on the food. Chase and I will eat anything," she added.

"Sounds good," Antonio said. I angled the menu so he could read it as well.

"I always order the assorted beef platter at these places," I stated.

"Isn't that supposed to melt in your mouth or something?", Antonio inquired, pointing at the word 'Kobe.'

"Yup. I'm a sucker for Kobe beef. It's hella expensive though."

"Really? Even for the Weston household?" His tone was mocking.

"You know what I mean," I said pointedly.

He chuckled.

"I'm messing with you. Everyone knows this shit is expensive." He directed his attention to the couple across from us. "You two okay with beef?"

"Yup," Chase and Gwen replied simultaneously.

We told the waitress our order then she fired up the grill, and seeing Antonio's unmasked excitement made my night. He and Chase both shed their jackets because it was going to get real hot real fast.

"Nice ink, man," Antonio said when he saw Chase's exposed arms.

"Thanks. It hurt like a motherfucker, though. Gwen here can attest to the pain of some of my more recent tattoos."

"Yup. I've never seen a grown man cry out for his mom like that before."

Antonio barked out a laugh as I quickly caught Chase's eye, not finding Gwen's comment humorous whatsoever.

"Wait, you did?"

He smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Yeah, during the most painful parts."

"Your mom is shit, though!", I protested.

I heard Antonio splutter.

"What the hell, Sophia?"

I whipped my head towards him.

"She is, Antonio. Chase told me everything."

"I see..." His eyes slightly narrowed, and I turned back to Chase.

"She wasn't the ideal mom, but she's still my mom nonetheless," he elaborated.

My face grew hot, and suddenly, I felt the need to crawl under the table and hide.

"That is true. Sorry about that."

"It's all good, Soph." He smiled reassuringly.

"The tattoos definitely look worth the pain," Antonio spoke, addressing Chase. "So, tell me all about Hollywood life."

Alas, I was saved.

Gwen and I took the opportunity to catch up with each other, talking about our Thanksgiving plans and traditions. This year, Antonio and I were spending it at my dad's house, and my grandma and uncle from Minnesota were flying in, too, to celebrate with us.

I learned that Chase and Gwen would be spending it with her family who lived in Sacramento. To this day, I wondered if he'd ever tried to contact his mother, or vice versa. I wouldn't blame him if he hadn't, but I was awfully curious to see if she was still with his abusive stepfather.

This could be a question to ask him the next time we hung out alone, whenever that was. With his upcoming schedule, it'd probably be after the new year, the earliest.

The food came out shortly after, and we all regrouped. I turned to Antonio, handing him his tonsils.

He was slightly biting his lower lip in that way I loved so much whenever he was unsure about something because it made him look so fucking sexy, and goddamn this table felt way hotter than it did before. Also, my period needed to go the fuck away soon because I'd been a very sex-deprived human being the last couple of days, and it was not nice.

Jesus, get yourself together, woman.

I cleared my throat, refocusing my thoughts.

"Use these and just start putting whatever you'd like on the grill. The mushrooms are pretty quick to cook, but the meat takes a bit longer. And these are the dipping sauces for the meat. I personally like to combine them all together for the ultimate tastebud satisfaction."

"Thanks for the lesson, Professor." I could hear the smile in his voice as his eyes twinkled with amusement.

"Anytime." I beamed with pleasure.

He suddenly handed me a napkin, discreetly motioning to his temples.

My smile morphed into a look of embarrassment, and he silently chuckled.

I hurriedly dabbed at the beads of sweat forming at my temples that I hadn't even known existed if it weren't for my overattentive husband.

"You two are honestly the cutest married couple I've ever met."

The sound of Gwen's voice broke the imaginary bubble I was in.

"They're entertaining, aren't they?", Chase chimed in.

"Very."

Antonio gave me a lopsided grin, and I giggled.

"Is marriage on the table for you two?", he asked.

"In the future, maybe. We're just taking things slow at the moment," Gwen replied. Chase nodded in agreement.

"Gotcha."

"Okay, let's dig in," I announced excitedly as my eyes zoned in on the red strips of Kobe beef.

"Eat up, Sophia. We're gonna hit a bar afterwards," Chase informed, grinning mischievously.

"Shit, I'd be down for that. I haven't gone drinking since Switzerland," Antonio said eagerly.

I plastered a smile across my face.

"Sounds good to me."

Well, this was gonna be an interesting night...