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SIXTEEN

MICKEY

“One of the dartboards just opened. I’ll go snag it.” Sam hustled over to stake their claim.

The Striped Maple was busy as usual for a Friday night. It had been a long week at the diner, and I was glad to get a chance to hang out with my friends. My chit-chat meter was full, but my friends were always great about sensing that and letting me engage as much or as little as I needed.

“What are the rules du jour?” Finn asked once we joined Sam.

Sam rubbed their chin. “How about playing with one eye closed?”

“You can barely hit the board with both eyes open,” Finn said incredulously while the rest of us chuckled.

“Exactly! Maybe throwing with one eye will give me the advantage I need.” Sam grinned.

We rarely played with the same rules, and none of us knew the real ones, but I noticed there were more voices in the debate now. With our crew nearly doubling in size this year, it was understandable.

I appreciated my friends making time to hang out like this outside of our roughly monthly D&D nights.

Truthfully, I wouldn’t blame any of them for cutting back on group hangouts to focus on building their new relationships, but the new boyfriends blended seamlessly into our merry band of misfits and hung out with us much of the time.

I’d stopped taking for granted the time we all got together.

Who knew how long it would last? People might start having kids or move away, like Andre did.

If I voiced the concern, everyone would say that would never happen, and Alex would probably say something about how I should get my own boyfriend so I didn’t have time to worry about ridiculous shit like that.

As if it were that easy. I’d had boyfriends, but none of them had stuck around. I was good enough for a few dates or months, but nothing long-term.

Alex threw a dart, which bounced off the board and landed unceremoniously on the floor. I snapped a photo of Alex pouting and attached it to my text thread with Andre. I missed having him around on our nights at the pub.

Mickey: [photo of Alex] Miss you guys. Hope all is going well out west.

“Do you think Bo is ready to take a permanent spot in the game? I’m starting to think about our next campaign,” Alex asked me.

“I’m sure what he wants to do and can do are two different things. It’s hard to imagine his schedule ever easing up.” I worried about how much he worked, but he changed the subject anytime I brought it up. “He loves the one-off campaigns we do when he can join though.”

Finn and his boyfriend Drake returned with fresh pitchers of beer.

Drake had been in Maplewood for half a year, and no one batted an eye any longer at having a famous musician in town.

He’d been part of his family’s legendary band, Melodious Moon.

Now he focused on songwriting, which seemed to be a good thing given what he’d shared about his family’s less-than-sparkly history.

His twin, Dirk, now pursuing acting, was coming to stay for Christmas, which would definitely get some space on Maplewood Matters .

Outside of professional athletes, our small town wasn’t used to world-famous celebrities hanging out at the pub.

“Hey, Sam, how’s the ice cream shop handling the cold season?” Drake asked as he began refilling everyone’s glasses.

“Better than I expected. I wasn’t sure if people would still be in the mood for ice cream once the weather cooled, but I’m getting steady traffic.” Sam saluted Drake with their full glass. “I’m testing adding a variety of hot chocolate flavors to the menu for winter.”

“That’s clever.” An idea took shape. “How would you feel about making hot chocolate for the Christmas Eve Community Dinner? Bo got a grant that would cover the cost of supplies, but if you have the time to make a large volume, it would be a great way to tell the town that you’re now offering it.

Caspian is providing coffee from Special Blend, but I didn’t think about hot chocolate. ”

Sam lit up. “I love that! Sign me up.”

I loved how quick people were to help out in Maplewood. It was a special place.

“Great. I’ll talk to Amos, and we’ll find a time to swing by the shop to talk specific with you.”

“Sounds perfect. Thanks!”

“I won’t even hold it against you that you’re Team Sparky’s.” I winked at Sam. I couldn’t miss the chance for some gentle teasing of a close friend.

Sam laughed good-naturedly. Neither of us ever took it seriously, and it was fun to tease. That was what the rivalry should be about, not secrets and stress.

“Speaking of Amos. Isn’t that him with Sage?” Jason said as he jerked his chin toward a cluster of pub tables on the other side of the room.

I swung my head around so fast that I nearly sprained my neck. Ignoring my friends’ snickers, I scanned for familiar blond curls.

“Go say hi.” Finn nudged me in Amos’s direction.

I shook my head. “I’m out with my friends, and he’s out with his sibling.”

“We could all be out together.” Sam made it sound simpler than it was.

“And scandalize everyone in here? No way.” Before I got the sentence out, Alex was already heading straight over to them.

“Should I stop him?” Cody asked.

Finn snorted. “Go ahead and try.”

Drake laughed. “Anyone got some popcorn?”

I flipped him off while biting back a smile. As Alex closed the distance between them, my stomach twisted in knots. What if Amos didn’t want to hang with us in public? What if Sage got upset? What if they joined us and we had so much fun that I fell even harder for Amos?

When Alex stopped at their table, Amos smiled widely at him.

They seemed to exchange a friendly greeting, not that I was watching every micro expression I could see from this distance.

Alex jerked his thumb toward us, and Amos looked our way.

When we locked eyes, Amos smiled. It wasn’t the wide, easy smile he always wore for anyone and everyone.

This was his special smile, one I’d noticed he often aimed at me.

Sage said something that made Alex laugh, then Amos and Sage stood, grabbed their drinks, and followed Alex over to us.

Amos wore a light-blue sweater that made his eyes appear impossibly brighter. The material looked soft, and I longed to reach out and stroke it and then touch his curls to see if they were equally as soft.

When they joined us, I shook Sage’s hand as they made the rounds, greeting everyone.

When I turned to Amos, I froze. A handshake felt so formal, especially for someone I’d made out with in this very building, but a hug felt too intimate for our public setting.

Amos put me out of my misery by giving my bicep a gentle squeeze.

“Hey.” The word came out like a purr. “Wasn’t expecting to run into you tonight.”

“Pleasant surprise.” I bumped my shoulder into his while my friends chatted with Sage. I felt some of their eyes on me, but I ignored them.

Sam moved over to us and smiled at Amos. “How have you been? It’s been a long time since high school. Mickey said you live in Boston.”

“It has been a long time. The years pass too fast. It’s nice to get a break from the city and visit Maplewood. How about you? So exciting about your ice cream shop.”

I envied Amos’s conversational skills. He seemed to always know what to say to keep people talking and managed to include everyone around him.

But what I appreciated most was that he didn’t try and force me to talk.

He made eye contact with me, and I felt like a part of the conversation, but he didn’t push me to engage.

Just as my friends always did with me. And there I go, falling for Amos even more.

“Your ice cream is delicious. I could eat my weight in the mocha almond fudge.” Amos closed his eyes and hummed.

“He keeps finishing off my pints,” Sage teased.

“Sam and I were just talking about how they’re expanding to serve several flavors of hot chocolate.”

Amos’s eyes widened. “We should add that to the event menu!”

All the music and chatter fell away as I smiled at Amos. “That’s exactly what I said. I told Sam we’d find a time to visit them and talk about it.”

Amos’s enchanting smile made my heart skip a beat.

“Perfect.”

Soon, my friends had roped Amos and Sage into a game of darts. While Alex explained the rules, I kept stealing glances at Amos. It was surreal to have him hanging out with my crew.

“Is this a Red’s versus Sparky’s game? I’ve got ten on Team Red’s.”

I turned toward the unfamiliar voice and saw a guy who came into the diner fairly regularly.

“I’ll put ten on Team Sparky’s,” his friend said.

My group was a mix of diner neutral, Team Red’s, and Team Sparky’s people.

I couldn’t care less what their allegiance was.

Hell, a Red’s versus Sparky’s dart game might’ve been fun if it hadn’t been suggested by someone else interrupting our time together.

It did nothing but remind me that our gathering wasn’t just a guy I liked getting to know my friends, but Amos Flynn of Sparky’s Diner hanging out with the enemy.

As my friends sorted themselves into teams to take the bet, I sought out Amos and found him looking at me.

I wasn’t in the mood for a Red’s versus Sparky’s game with random townies making bets, so I jerked my head toward the bar, and he nodded.

Wordlessly, we made our escape with no one seemingly the wiser.

Moments later, we slid onto the same stools we’d occupied on Halloween. Had that only been five weeks ago?

“I was talking to a friend the other night and tried explaining the diner rivalry to him and how this town is obsessed with it. He didn’t get it.”

I nodded. “People who’ve never experienced it just don’t.”

After placing an order for another pitcher, Amos leaned close as people chatted loudly around us.

It gave me an opportunity to inhale the woodsy scent of his soap.

My body physically reacted to the memory of breathing in that scent while feeling his lips pressed against mine and his hand on my dick.

“I was thinking we should hang out. Outside of festival work, I mean.”

Flutters rippled through my chest. “I’ve been thinking the same thing. What do you have going on tomorrow night? I’ve got the night off and can cook us dinner.”

Amos hooked his teeth over his bottom lip and smiled. “If your cheese is on the menu, I’ll be there.”