Alex shook his head and smiled.
When he went inside, the heat hit him like a wall, and he couldn’t get his coat off quickly enough. Riley stood at the bar, one foot propped on the low rung of the tall stool next to him, and his arse pushed out a little on display. His jeans clung to muscular, thick thighs, and Alex spared a quick appreciative glance before walking up to join him and giving him a nudge. “Just in time. I’ll have a pint of Kronenbourg.”
Riley turned to look at him, a warm smile lighting up his face. “Hey.”
“Hey.” Alex relaxed. Whatever tension he’d been carrying with him drained away. Maybe Riley had been busy; maybe Alex had imagined any tension between them. He accepted the pint Riley set in front of him. “Ta.”
But then, that didn’t explain the weirdness at the lodge. No, more likely that whatever had been bugging Riley before, he’d just decided to let it go.
The pub wasn’t all that busy, and they easily found a table with the big comfy leather chairs for a change. Alex placed his pint on the table and settled into his seat with a sigh. He let Riley get comfy, and then leaned forward so he wouldn’t have to raise his voice. “So, what the fuck’s been up with you this past week? And don’t give me any of that bollocks about being busy.”
Riley’s eyes went wide, clearly blindsided by Alex’s outburst. But honestly, what had he expected? Still, Riley wasn’t keen on confrontation, so Alex took pity on him. “Look, you were weird last Sunday morning at the lodge. Seriously, Ri, I had a shitload to drink that night.” He scrubbed a hand over his face and muttered, “Dylan and his fucking birthday whisky.”
Riley watched him, all the while playing with the seam of his jeans—a sure sign he was nervous or uncomfortable with the conversation, which only fuelled Alex’s suspicions that he had fucked up somehow. “You’d tell me if I did or said something stupid, right?”
Riley took a long drink of his beer, then set it back down with careful precision. Delaying tactics if ever Alex had seen any. “Ri?”
“It’s nothing, okay?” He sounded genuine enough, but the fact that he wouldn’t meet Alex’s eyes made him less than convincing.
“Doesn’t sound like nothing.”
“We were both drunk, and we might have said some things we shouldn’t have, and probably wouldn’t have done if we hadn’t been trashed.”
Finally they were getting somewhere. “Such as?” Alex stared at him until Riley looked up and made eye contact. The look of hurt in his eyes took Alex by surprise, but it was gone as soon as it appeared, and Riley smiled instead.
“Does it matter?”
“I think it does, yeah. And the fact that you won’t just come out and say it means you think so too. Just spit it out, for fuck’s sake.”
“Fine.” Riley glanced away, focused on his glass. “It’s a little hazy, but I think we argued about Michael.”
Alex automatically sneered. “Ugh, that wanker. Figures.”
Riley’s ex was an arsehole of the highest order in Alex’s opinion, but for some reason Riley could never see it. If Michael had come up in conversation, then it didn’t surprise him in the least that he might have said something to piss Riley off.
“Look, I woke up feeling a little off still. That’s why I was weird.” Riley sighed and slumped back in his seat. “And this week reallyhasbeen busy, with the shop and Charlie coming back. I’m sorry if I’ve been a dick. I’m just fed up with not being able to get a job and living at home after being away these past four years.”
Alex scoffed. “Yeah, tell me about it. At least you got to taste freedom for a while. I’ve always lived at home.”
Riley winced, and the smile he gave this time was much more genuine. “Sorry.” He shrugged his coat off and took another drink. “We sound like a couple of ungrateful shits.”
“We do.” They both grinned, and just like that, the last ten days were forgotten. Alex couldn’t be arsed to hold a grudge, even if Riley’s explanation was poor. “Still no luck on the job front?”
Riley shook his head. “Nope. I reckon that’s it for this year. Probably better to leave off looking until after Christmas, I doubt anyone’ll be hiring before then.”
“Yeah, you’re probably right. At least you’ve got money coming in, though.” It might not be the job Riley wanted, but at least he had one.
“True.” He raised his glass with a rueful smile. “Thank God for parents, eh?”
“Yep.” Alex raised his too, and they drank in silence for a minute or two until Riley set his pint down with a sigh.
“I’d still kill for my own place. Doesn’t have to be big or anything. I just miss having some privacy.”
Alex frowned. “You didn’t live on your own at uni, though, did you? You shared with three other people.”
“I know, but that’s different to sharing with your parents.”
“True.” Alex had to concede that point. He didn’t have first-hand experience, but he could imagine it easily enough. “We should get a place together.”
