Page 32

PRESENT DAY

Kai squeezed water from his hair, ringing as much out as he could. He stepped out of the shower, dripping onto the soft floor mat as he toweled himself off.

The hot shower had helped to wake him up, as getting out of bed early had been an ordeal. He still felt groggy, but not too bad considering how late he’d been up.

Kai hadn’t gone to sleep after his call with Atticus the night before. No, he’d lain on his friend’s bed, replaying the interaction again and again. His heart had raced a bit every time he thought about what they’d done, about the things Atticus had said.

You don’t have to be quiet, baby.

Remembering those words now sent a shiver across his skin. Kai finished drying himself, wrapping the towel around his waist.

He’d been up late, playing a game in an attempt to distract himself from the phone sex, but he had still wanted to rise early. He wanted to be awake when Atticus got home, just in case they needed to talk about it. Even if talking about things had never been Kai’s strong suit.

Kai looked at himself in the fogged up mirror.

His cheeks were a little pink. It was definitely because of the hot water he’d just been under and not because he’d been remembering Atticus' voice whispering through his phone. The voice that had sounded wrecked as Kai had cried out on Atticus’ bed.

The bed he had eventually fallen asleep in, surrounded by Atticus' familiar scent.

They were pushing things further and further. Kai tucked his wet hair behind an ear, the long, damp strands brushing at his shoulders. His pulse thumped harder as he thought about how far the two of them might have gone had Atticus been home last night.

Kai touched the ends of his hair. He would need to touch up the color soon, maybe try something other than pink.

The idea of asking Atticus to help him, despite the fact that he was perfectly capable of doing it himself, flickered in his mind.

Kai tamped out that thought before it could catch fire.

He wouldn’t need to do that for another week or so.

He’d be back home by then.

The thought of returning to his home, returning to the way life had been before this week twisted his insides.

His stomach felt funny, and a wave of something like homesickness washed over him.

Not for his own home, with its freshly remodeled bathroom.

Kai thought that maybe it wasn’t even homesickness for a place.

Maybe it was for a person.

He let out a deep sigh and attempted to wipe away the furrowed brow and small frown that were reflecting back at him. He didn’t want Atticus to get home and think he was upset.

Because he wasn’t upset. Kai was enjoying everything he and Atticus were doing. But still… that undercurrent of an xiety was always there. A whisper at the back of his mind that it was all too sudden, that he was going to hurt his friend.

Kai ignored that whisper, opening the bathroom door to head back to his room and put some clothes on.

He smacked into another body right as he stepped into the hallway.

“Oof!” Atticus let out a huff as his hands reached out, steadying Kai.

The feeling of those hands pressed to the bare skin of his shoulders set sparks off along his skin, sent light racing through his veins.

Kai inhaled sharply, his own hands instinctively coming up between them and resting on the soft fabric of Atticus' brewery t-shirt.

“Sorry! Didn’t mean to scare you,” Atticus said, grinning down at him.

Kai took in the man standing before him, so close he could feel his warmth.

The tight black t-shirt that emphasized his broad chest, rising up from where Kai gripped the fabric, showing off a strip of skin at his waist. Kai looked up to see Atticus watching him, eyes sparkling, hair still messy from sleep, smile still just as bright as always. But there was something else there.

Something a bit feral.

And then Kai remembered what he was wearing.

More precisely, what he wasn’t wearing. Suddenly, the towel around his waist felt too loose, like it could come untucked at any moment and leave him standing there completely bare.

Kai felt his skin heat up, felt warmth crawling across his chest and up his neck, heating his face.

“Morning,” Kai mumbled, barely able to get the word out as Atticus continued to look at him. His gaze was fiery, like he wanted to devour every inch of Kai’s exposed skin.

Atticus was looking at Kai… well, the way people usually looked at Atticus.

The way others would stare, taking note the moment he entered any room.

Eyes trailing along his sc ulpted body, lingering on his wide thighs or broad back.

Kai wasn’t sure he had ever been on the receiving end of a look quite like that .

“Morning,” Atticus echoed, trailing his eyes down Kai’s body. His hands still held tight to Kai’s upper arms. Kai suddenly felt self conscious, something he hadn’t felt about how he looked in a long time.

He wasn’t a volleyball player anymore. All of the hard muscle of his high school days had faded, softened over the years.

He exercised semi-regularly, but lacked the definition he’d had in the past, and what muscle he did still have was hidden under a layer of soft padding.

Kai didn’t have the sort of body that Atticus' past partners typically had.

It didn’t seem to matter, though. Not with the way Atticus was drinking him in, eyes burning a trail over every part of Kai. A thumb caressed his bicep as Atticus' other hand moved, sparking along Kai’s skin and coming to rest at the back of his neck. Fingers tangled lightly in his wet hair.

Kai held his breath as Atticus' eyes finally settled back on his face. He didn’t think about anything. Not the night before and what they had done. Not what they had been doing all week or what it could be leading to. Not the fear he still held, that held him, grip unrelenting.

The only thing Kai could think as he and Atticus watched one another was that he really wanted to be kissed.

Atticus leaned down, and Kai felt as though his heart were close to bursting through his skin with how hard it was beating.

Lips came to rest on his forehead, and Kai could feel the shape of a smile still there, pressed softly to his skin.

Atticus pulled away, squeezing Kai’s arm before letting go and stepping past him.

“Got us some breakfast,” he said cheerfully, as though the air around them wasn’t charged with tension.

As if he hadn’t just looked at Kai like he wanted to taste him, as if Kai hadn’t just turned to putty in his grip.

“Let me change into fresh clothes and then we can eat. You still don’t have plans this morning, right? ”

Kai could only nod, sure that his face was as bright red as his old high school jersey.

“Good,” Atticus said with a grin. “I’ve got plans for us. Wear comfy shoes.”

He left Kai standing in the hallway, head spinning from their interaction. And all Kai could think about as he entered his room and leaned back against the closed door was that he still really wanted Atticus to kiss him.

“Windows down?”

The slight grin on Atticus' face made Kai’s lungs feel too full. He only nodded, squinting as the morning sun shone bright through the windshield. The cool morning air was a relief against his skin that had felt overly warm since he’d smacked into Atticus outside of the bathroom.

“Here,” Atticus said, one hand on the wheel as he leaned close to Kai, popping open the glove compartment and snatching a pair of sunglasses. He held them up, that same sweet as candy grin aimed right at Kai even as he kept his eyes on the road.

“Thanks.” Kai slipped the sunglasses on, thankful for the sense of false privacy they afforded him, as though he could hide the mix of emotions swirling in him behind their dark lenses.

Spring was in full swing, trees blooming alongside the country roads.

Kai’s hair whipped against his face, but before he could move to tie it back, Atticus' hand was there once more. Kai froze as fingers brushed along his cheek, pushing his hair back behind an ear. An internal battle took place in Kai’s mind over the span of a single breath.

It all felt like too much, but not nearly enough. He glanced over, meeting Atticus' gaze for a brief moment.

“I’ve always liked these,” Atticus said, eyes flicking back to the road as his fingers brushed along the piercings in Kai’s ear.

A shiver ran down the length of his spine as heat crept up his neck.

The moment Atticus' touch disappeared, his arm falling to rest on the console between them, Kai missed it acutely. He wanted those fingers in his hair again, wanting to feel that warm touch against his skin, even if he still didn’t know what it meant. Where it was going.

“Are you nervous for the game Saturday?” An attempt at distraction, though Kai wasn’t sure if it was a distraction for Atticus or himself.

Atticus shrugged. “A little. The team’s doing great, but we definitely feel the loss of Ori. Still trying to fill that gap.”

Kai shifted, bumping Atticus' arm with his own. “You’ll get there.”

A charged silence settled between them. Kai lost himself in the passing scenery, soaking in the warmth of the morning sun.

This felt right, it felt good. Their arms pressed together on the console, an easy camaraderie between them that didn’t require constant chatter.

It was several minutes before a thought hit Kai like a volleyball to the face.

He spoke before thinking much on it. “Can I come?”

Atticus glanced at him, confusion etched across his features. One heartbeat, then another, before Kai watched realization dawn in his eyes.

“To the game?”

Kai nodded. His skin felt tingly, his stomach tied into knots as Atticus beamed at him.