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“You sure?” Kai had a hard time believing that Ori was suddenly fine with the trade. Not after he’d seen tears fill his friend’s eyes as he’d told him about it. Not after Ori had spent the better part of their meal blaming himself and the shitty season he’d had the year before.

“I’ll be fine,” Ori said, his expression going soft. “I’m staying with Julian until I find an apartment. We’ll get to play on the beach in our spare time. It’ll be fun.” Another push against Kai’s shoulder. “You don’t need to worry about me.”

It was easy to forget the other side of Ori when he was like this, when he was all smiles and optimism, when his very presence put Kai and everyone else at ease.

But Kai had had a front row seat the summer before, had watched his friend fall further and further into a dark hole that had sapped him of everything that made Ori Ori .

Kai knew depression, knew it well. He knew how easy it was to put on a mask for the rest of the world.

And apparently he wasn’t the only one worried about Ori.

Julian stood nearby, wrapped in a conversation with some other players, but his eyes flicked toward Ori more than once. Watching, waiting for any sign that the party was too much.

A drink was shoved into Ori’s hands by his now ex-teammate, Bowen, who whooped something unintelligible as he continued on by. Ori frowned, nose scrunching as he sniffed the clear liquid.

Kai chuckled, taking the drink from Ori. “I’ll get you something else.”

“Something fruity!” Ori said hastily, as he was pulled away by more of his old teammates. Kai nodded as he downed the vodka, relishing the burn in his throat as he turned toward the bar.

Maybe it would be fine. Maybe the party would be a good enough distraction. Kai could stay focused on Ori, and could pretend there was no one else there. No one that made his chest ache and his stomach churn.

Except that his eyes found Nicholas easily, against his will. Kai definitely needed another drink.

He felt a little wobbly as he leaned his forearms against the bar, waiting for the bartender to notice him so he could continue making poor decisions.

“You okay?”

Kai knew that voice. He’d know it anywhere. Maybe if he’d been paying attention and hadn’t been lost in his internal panic, he would have noticed who else was at the bar. Maybe he wouldn’t have come over for another drink.

Or maybe he would have come over sooner.

“I’m fine.” Kai turned, leveling a dry stare at Atticus’ saccharine smile.

Always so charming, always a hint of flirtation in those handsome features, but Kai could see sincerity in his eyes.

Atticus might play dumb half the time, but he paid attention.

He remembered things. He knew exactly why Kai might not want to be completely sober for this event.

Atticus didn’t say anything else, only raised his brows with a smirk as he looked back out at the crowd surrounding the newcomers.

Kai took a moment to study his profile. Atticus looked good; Atticus always looked good.

It was a wonderful and frustrating fact about the man that Kai had a hard time ignoring.

Leaning back against the bar, Atticus pressed his beer bottle to his lips, and Kai felt a flutter in his stomach that he blamed on the vodka.

It was difficult though, denying that tug of attraction, especially when his eyes were drawn from that full bottom lip, pressed softly to the glass, down along a strong arm.

Atticus wore a navy blue dress shirt, sleeves rolled up to his elbows, showing off the tattoos on his right arm, the top two shirt buttons undone casually to display the sharp lines of his collarbone.

Kai’s mind betrayed him, pulling up a tucked away memory of pressing his own lips to that very spot as he’d perched in the other man’s lap, writhing above him in a way that had Atticus squirming and crying out…

“They’re sweet, aren’t they?”

The words pulled Kai out of his treacherous thoughts.

He glanced back up, but Atticus’ stare was still fixed across the room.

Kai followed his gaze, his own landing on Ori and Julian once again.

The latter was laughing, a hand resting on Ori’s shoulder, lingering and gentle.

Ori was beaming, because Ori was almost always beaming, but when he focused that look on Julian he seemed to burn just a bit brighter.

“Jealous?” Kai asked, leaning back against the bar next to Atticus, a fresh drink in hand. Atticus’ brow furrowed, lips pressing into a line. “In another universe, that’s you standing there with Ori.”

Atticus’ frown disappeared completely as he barked out a laugh.

“In no universe do Ori and me end up together.”

A year ago Kai wouldn’t have believed him.

Atticus and Ori had been messing around together, hooking up casually, when he and Atticus had first connected.

In fact, the only reason Atticus had ended up with Kai’s number was because Ori had caught the other man watching his stream before one of those hookups.

Had found out that Atticus had a little crush on NotYourKitten.

There had even been a time when Kai didn’t understand why Ori never felt more for Atticus. After they had gone out and Kai had spent the night at Atticus’ apartment. After he’d realized that Atticus was a lot more than just a silly himbo or shallow fuckboy.

But maybe Ori had only ever had eyes for one person, even if he still hadn’t realized it. Kai sort of understood that.

“I meant you and Julian,” Kai finally replied. Atticus choked on his drink and Kai grinned into his glass.

The grin was short-lived, falling from his lips as his eyes locked on another pair across the room.

Hazel irises, heavy-lidded, gaze sometimes a little mischievous.

The way those eyes went wide as they focused on Kai had his stomach roiling.

This time he truly couldn’t tell if it was the alcohol or the anxiety.

“You sure you’re okay?” Atticus had finally recovered enough to speak, had immediately picked up on the tension rolling off of Kai in waves.

Nicholas began to move, breaking away from his conversation, making his way across the room.

Kai couldn’t help but be honest.

“No.” The word fell from his lips softly, a barely-there whisper hidden in the cacophony of the party. He wasn’t even sure if Atticus heard him.

Atticus must have, because a moment later a steady arm wrapped around Kai’s back, a strong hand pressing firmly into his arm as Atticus pulled him a little closer. Warmth spread in Kai’s chest as he was firmly tucked against Atticus’ side.

Kai wasn’t sure what the goal was there.

Atticus had never seemed like the possessive type, and it wouldn’t matter anyway.

An arm around Kai’s shoulders wasn’t going to make Nicholas jealous.

Nothing was going to make Nicholas jealous.

Kai’s gut churned again at the thought, but a light squeeze to his arm had him looking up at the man next to him.

“It’ll be fine,” Atticus said softly. Kai thought he could see concern there, hidden behind the charming grin and playful eyes.

Maybe the gesture wasn’t to make Kai’s ex jealous. Maybe it was just to prop him up, to lend him a little of that ever-sure strength that Atticus always seemed to possess .

Steeling himself, Kai downed the rest of his fourth drink before wrapping both hands around the glass, fingers aching as his grip tightened.

Nicholas stopped in front of them, taking in Atticus for only a moment, offering a nod and a bright smile, before his focus rested solely on Kai.

The low lights of the room cast shadows that sharpened his features.

Cutting cheekbones, a slicing jawline. Kai remembered what it had been like to tilt that face toward him, to press his lips along those harsh lines.

“Hey.”

The single word threatened to send Kai to his knees.

All of the hurt and pain and anger and despair he had worked so hard to bury over the last year and a half threatened to rise up alongside the contents of his stomach.

A thousand wounds, reopened all at once, cuts dealt by the man before him.

The one person Kai had thought could never, would never, hurt him.

“It’s good to see you!” Atticus broke the tension, holding out the hand that wasn’t wrapped around Kai toward Nicholas.

They’d known each other for a few years, through Ori and Theo, through Nicholas’ work with local youth volleyball programs. Had always been friendly, long before anything had passed between Kai and Atticus.

“You did good getting Ori here without spoiling the surprise.”

Nicholas laughed, and the sound of it rang through Kai in the worst and best way. A sound he had loved so much, had missed for so long. A sound he used to take pride in pulling from the other man. Nicholas shook Atticus’ outstretched hand, grinning wide.

“He’s easy to distract,” he said, voice still laced with laughter and mischief. “Get him and Theo arguing and they can go on like that for hours.”

The mention of Nicholas' partner was like a bucket of icy water pouring over Kai.

His eyes flicked toward the group Nicholas had just left, landing on Theo.

He was still chatting with some friends, frowning at Ori, who was laughing loudly.

So tall and sure of himself, but his eyes kept flicking toward their group, something like worry coloring his features as he adjusted his glasses absent-mindedly.

Kai hated that a part of him missed hearing Ori and Theo argue all the time. The alcohol was drowning his barriers, the ones he’d built up around the shattered remnants of their old friend group.

Even Ori would be gone soon.

“How’ve you been lately?”