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eleven

ADELE

Phase one—complete.

Well, mostly.

He’d slipped a little and told Kash how he really felt, but it was obvious that the guys were right: Kash had his head buried deep down in the sand. Adele had been there not that long ago, and he could only hope Kash could find his way to the surface before Adele lost his mind from pining.

Still, things could have been a lot worse. Whether or not Kash realized it, they were on a date. It was romantic as fuck, and Adele was feeling like everything was right in the world. They waded in the water and found a bunch of empty knobbed whelk shells that Kash collected in the small mesh bag Adele had brought along with them, and eventually, they both got hungry enough to venture up toward the snack bar.

Adele had to carry him again, but this time, Kash was far less self-conscious about it and rested against his back until they were on solid ground.

“I’ll totally eat a stale pretzel at this point,” Adele groaned as he eyed the small line at the order window. His stomach had fully settled from the boat, and now that he knew he and Kash were really and truly okay, everything felt better.

“Same. Except their burgers look okay. Will you order for me? I need to take a piss.” Kash was leaning on his cane, glancing around for the bathrooms.

Adele jutted his chin toward the small sign hanging from an awning. “Right there. You want everything on it?”

Kash took a step back, his legs still a little shaky, but he didn’t look like he was going to fall over. “I’ll pick off what I don’t like. You know me.”

He did. And that rested warmly in Adele’s chest as he watched Kash head toward the bathroom doors. He did his best not to hover like a nervous new mother. That was one sin Kash would never forgive him for if he ever caught him at it.

He distracted himself with the line for food and then with snagging a table at the end of the patio with the best umbrella. He set up their drink cups, then shoved some napkins under a little stone that had come loose from the tide wall and surveyed his work. Tidy, yes. Romantic…not exactly what he’d pictured for a date.

But he wasn’t really surprised by that. This was not him. He was trying to make some afternoon picnic look like it was more than what it was. And the worst part was he knew that wasn’t what Kash would have wanted.

He’d want to feel like if he did this—if he gave Adele a chance to be more than just friends—they could still be who they were. That neither of them would have to change. And Adele felt the same way. He didn’t want Kash to try to be anyone other than who he was. So why was he?—

“Sir!” He turned the second he realized the stranger’s voice was calling out to him. Adele turned to find a man in the doorway of the bathroom. “Are you Adele? Your friend fell, and he needs help.”

He moved before he was consciously aware of it, running toward the stranger, who was holding the door open. Adele’s heart sank to his feet when he caught a glimpse of Kash sitting on the floor with his back to the wall, pressing a wad of paper towels to his forehead. There was a drying streak of blood on his temple, and Kash was staring down at his feet, which were turned so far inward it must have been agony.

Adele looked over at the stranger and realized he was wearing a ferry uniform, and the badge on his shirt read Captain.

“He was asking for you,” the man said. “We don’t have emergency services at the beach, but we do have first aid on the boat.”

“It’s fine. I’m EMT certified,” Adele said quickly. He brushed past the man and dropped to his knees in front of Kash. His best friend’s cheeks were very red, and he wouldn’t look up to meet his gaze. “Hey. Let me check your pupils,” he said softly.

Kash’s jaw clenched, but he looked up. They were normal. “I’m not concussed. Just really fucking embarrassed.”

Adele sighed and closed his fingers around Kash’s wrist, pulling his hand down. There was a gash—shallow but in the right spot for the blood that was coming out of it. He looked back at the captain. “Can I take him on board? Our ferry isn’t until later this afternoon, but?—”

“No,” the guy said quickly. He had a very hoarse voice, which didn’t fit his baby face. He was short but broad with a five-o’clock shadow and dark hair. “That’s totally fine. We’re nowhere near capacity, so if you want to head back now, you can.”

Adele looked at Kash, who squeezed his eyes shut and nodded. “I’m sorry,” he whispered.

Leaning in, Adele pressed a kiss to the uninjured side of his head. “Don’t start that shit now. Do you need me to carry you?”

“I don’t know,” Kash admitted. “I’m afraid to stand up.”

Adele looked back at the captain. “Would you mind giving us a second?”

The guy nodded and quickly backed out, and Adele waited until the door swung shut before climbing to his feet. His back wasn’t going to thank him for all the lifting he was doing, but he ignored the twinge in his side, shoved his arms under Kash’s, and eased him up. His feet took a second to respond, but with the braces, Kash managed to stand. They were still turned in, but he was holding himself up on his own.

“Where’s your cane?”

Kash pointed toward the urinal, where it was resting against the porcelain. He looked miserable. “I think there’s piss on my pants from where I fell.”

“Uhg, why are men’s bathrooms always like this,” Adele muttered as he grabbed the cane. The smell there wasn’t pleasant, so he grabbed a wad of paper towels and wiped it down before handing it off. “I bet the boat has some shorts or something I could buy.”

Kash grimaced as he attempted a few steps, and his legs began to tremble. “Fuck. This wasn’t supposed to happen today.”

“I know.” He had no idea what else to say to that. He could see the anger on Kash’s face and the way he was clearly holding back tears of regret and frustration. He had no idea how to keep from making it worse. “Let me help.”

Kash nodded and bit his lip. “It’s going to take me an hour to make it to the boat like this. By the time I get there, our own fucking ship will be docking.”

Adele wanted to offer to carry him, but he was pretty sure Kash wasn’t going to agree this time. He lashed his arm around Kash’s waist and got him to the door, but he could feel the way his best friend’s steps were struggling.

“We need to get you that wheelchair.”

Kash swallowed heavily. “Yeah. Fuck. How am I going to do this?”

Adele hip-checked the door open and held it as Kash managed shuffling steps out. When the sun hit him, his wound looked even worse. His face was bloodied, and two women standing off to the side gasped loudly.

“I need to get out of here,” Kash said, his voice tense.

Adele glanced around, and he gave in to his first thought. “I could carry you. If you want me to?—”

“I have a wheelchair on board,” a voice interrupted. It was the captain.

Adele spun without letting Kash go and realized the man was still standing there. “Do you?”

“It’ll take me two minutes to grab it,” the guy promised. “Would that help?”

Kash was shaking in his arms, but he nodded. “Yeah. Everyone’s staring. If you can get me out of here, I’ll owe you.”

The guy’s face softened. “I’ll be right back.”

Adele pulled him close and all but carried him to the nearest table. He’d forgotten all about their food, which was probably sitting in the service window, but behind the screen, he could see the employees staring .

Their drinks were still on the table near the edge of the patio, so Adele darted over and snagged one of the water bottles and the stack of napkins. He plopped down next to Kash and drenched them before taking his chin and having a go at the blood.

“I want to fucking die,” Kash whispered.

Adele met his gaze and lifted a brow. “Remember when we were fourteen? Busch Gardens…”

“Oh God,” Kash whispered.

“You told me not to eat at that buffet in the pavilion, but I swore up and down that the spaghetti looked fine.”

Kash dropped his head, and his shoulders began to shake. For a moment, Adele thought he’d gone too far. That he’d broken his friend. Then Kash looked up with tears in his eyes and a shit-eating grin on his face. “It tasted so wrong.”

“But I ate all of it,” Adele said with a huge grin. “Then I insisted we walk all the way to Germany for that goddamn autobahn ride.”

“How much were those shorts you had to buy?”

Adele’s smile was so huge it made his cheeks ache. He leaned in close. “Sixty goddamn dollars, which was outrageous, especially back then.”

Kash sniffed and wiped at his eyes. “You were so scared everyone at school was going to find out you shit your pants on a roller coaster.”

“You were offended for months that I thought you’d sell me out after you literally helped me wipe my ass,” Adele said. “I think that was our biggest fight, and it was definitely way more embarrassing than this.”

Kash rolled his eyes, then dropped his head forward and rested his temple against Adele’s shoulder. “You haven’t always been the hero, but you have been saving me from myself lately.”

“I will always save you from anyone or anything that wants to make you feel like you’re less than.” Adele pulled back and touched Kash’s chin, urging him to look up. “Even if that someone is you.”

Before Kash could reply, the captain was back. He came around the corner, hesitated, then pushed the chair forward. It was a clunky, old contraption with huge handles and missing footrests, but it would do.

“This alright?” the guy asked, sounding almost nervous. In the light, he looked a lot younger than Adele originally assumed. He couldn’t have been more than a few years older than his own kid.

“That’s great. Thank you,” Kash said, not meeting the guy’s eyes.

Adele walked over and stuck out his hand. “Hey. I’m Adele. We haven’t officially met, even though you saved him from the swill of the men’s bathroom floor.”

The guy hunched his shoulders and laughed. “I didn’t do much besides get him away from the gross part of the floor.” He extended his hand. It was strong and very calloused. “I’m Fenton, and you officially made my first shift on this job the most interesting first shift ever.”

“Oh, wonderful,” Kash said from his spot on the bench. “Hey, man. I’m so sorry?—”

“No,” Fenton said in a rush. “I meant that as a compliment. I wanted to be a ship captain in, like, the Navy or something, but I couldn’t qualify. This was all I could get. I thought I was making the wrong choice until today.”

“Glad I could help,” Kash laughed, then heaved himself to his feet. Leaning on his cane, he managed to take the few steps between the table and wheelchair and sat. “You’re going to be great at this, but I have a feeling it’s not going to be this exciting every time. Adele and I used to ride the boat out here all the time as kids, and it’s mostly retired folks who like birding.”

Fenton smiled softly. “I’m okay with that. There’s a toddler at home, so any adult conversation is welcome.”

Adele perked up. “Oh. And your spouse…?”

“No, no. It’s my little sister’s kid. I’m just in charge a lot because she’s finishing up her degree.”

“Careful,” Kash said quickly. “He collects caregivers like trophies.”

Fenton’s eyes widened. “Um.”

“You’re making me sound like a serial killer. Jesus Christ.” He smashed a hand over his face and dragged it down with a groan. “I run a single dad group. Well, it was a single dad group, but all those assholes went and fell in love. We’re a rare breed now. But I won’t make you hang out with a bunch of old folks like us.”

Fenton laughed softly. “Sounds nice, though I’m not single. But my older brother raised me and my siblings, and he never dates. He probably could use something like that, even though we’re all grown up now.”

Kash leaned back in the chair and looked up at Fenton before glancing at Adele. “Get the guy’s number after you get me to the boat. Oh, and maybe don’t forget our stuff? I still want my shells.”

Adele sighed. “Yes, your majesty. I’ll get your shells right away.” He leaned down and kissed the side of Kash’s head. “You’ll be okay with your other hero while I get our stuff?”

Kash nodded. “As long as you come back to me.”

“Always,” Adele murmured. He lingered in close for a second, then straightened, and he could see the knowing look in Fenton’s eyes. If only Kash understood the same way. “Don’t leave without me, yeah?”

“Wouldn’t dare,” Fenton said. “I’ll leave your name with the guard, and he’ll let you on. We’ll be in the medbay.”

“Like Star Trek ,” Kash said.

Fenton rolled his eyes. “You sound like my youngest brother. He’s a total nerd.”

Adele burst into laughter before taking a step back. “See you in a few.” He stood still for a moment as Fenton turned Kash in his chair, and then he gathered himself and grabbed what was left on their table, tossing it into the bin. He didn’t bother talking to the snack shack. Instead, he walked to the beach to pack up their stuff.

It felt like both a total win and a total failure. Kash was still his in every way except the way he wanted, but something in his gut told him that he was thawing. That if he tried a little longer, pushed a little harder, he could have this for keeps.

He just needed to make sure he never gave up.