LAUREN, who had just taken a drink of his tea, choked again. But this time, the coughing fit was much worse, shaking his whole body. Maybe his shock was even bigger now than it was a minute ago. He wanted to shout at Reas, but the tea must have gone into the wrong pipe. He couldn't catch his breath, his body trembling as he coughed uncontrollably into his hand.
Reas quickly moved to pat his back again. "Baby, breathe. Just focus on breathing slowly."
Lauren felt his entire face burning up. He didn't even know if it was from lack of air or pure embarrassment. He glared at the culprit. This guy! First, he just announced they were dating out of nowhere, and now he was even calling him 'baby', a nickname he usually only used when they were alone or in bed together. And Reas was doing it in front of his parents and his grandfather. Was it possible for the floor to just open up and swallow him right now?
