By the time we got down to the bar, we found Noah and Lior already there, settled comfortably. Noah leaned back against his husband with a roguish grin, and Lior had his arm draped around Noah’s shoulders.
“Adam, baby bro!” Noah said, raising his glass in salute. “In the words of the great King Jaffe Joffer, are you going to sew your royal oats this week? It’s your honeymoon, after all, and there are plenty of beautiful women here.”
“He's sharing a room, remember?” Lex chimed in, appearing behind us with a smirk on his lips and Emery under his arm.
“Ah, but who says the fun has to be exclusive to the ladies?” Noah’s eyes twinkled mischievously. “I mean, no one’s saying Adam and River can’t have their own kind of fun.”
A wave of heat flushed my face at the implication of the word fun, and I caught Noah’s gaze. Adam’s brothers teasing about the true nature of my friendship with Adam had never affected me before. I mostly ignored their quips because it was all playful joking.
The fact I wished down to my core that it was true played no part because these feelings would only ever be one-sided.
The problem was that with Adam’s impending wedding, it had become harder to be close to him, even as a friend. Maybe he hadn’t noticed, but his light had dimmed a little since he started his relationship with Victoria.
It had been hard for me to see it happen and not be able to do anything about it.
Now I didn’t know anything anymore. The decisions I’d made before the wedding were back on the drawing board because, right now, I needed to be my best friend’s best friend, which included making sure he had the time of his life.
“Let’s grab those drinks,” I said, motioning toward the bartender.
“Good idea,” Adam agreed. “I’m in the mood for something alcoholic with an umbrella.”
The bartender, a sunkissed man whose shirt clung to his toned chest like a second skin, leaned in with a practiced smile as I approached the bar. “What brings you to paradise?”
“Escaping reality,” I replied with a chuckle.
“You’ve come to the right place,” the bartender said. “How can I help you escape?”
Adam cleared his throat. “We’ll take two pineapple lychee-tinis,” he interjected, claiming the space between the bartender and me with a subtle lean.
I glanced at Adam, but all he offered was a shrug masked by casual indifference.
Did the attention I received unsettle him? And why? He’d never been the possessive type, especially not over random people, even if we were as close as brothers.
“Coming right up,” the bartender said, undeterred by Adam’s interruption, his smile persisting as he prepared our drinks with a flourish.
I watched the guy’s practiced moves with interest. After all, I was in the same industry and was always interested in seeing other people work, but when I glanced back at Adam, his expression was a little tight. Like he was annoyed with something.
“Okay?” I mouthed in his direction.
“Yeah.”
The bartender placed the glasses in front of us, taking a little longer to add the garnishes to mine. Okay, even I could accept that it was weird getting attention from two different guys on the same day.
“Thanks,” I murmured as we picked up our glasses, my attention briefly caught by the bartender’s wink before turning back to Adam.
“Let’s find a table,” he said, steering us away with a hand on my back. I didn’t want to think about what that meant.
“How about we find a table outside? The sun should be setting soon,” I suggested, and everyone followed us out.
As we settled into seats overlooking the ocean, I took a long, deep breath, inhaling the salty scent of the sea spray and listening to the sound of waves lapping against the shore.
When was the last time I’d had a real vacation? I couldn’t even remember.
I glanced at Adam. He stared at the ocean in front of us, but unlike the rest of the guys sharing loving smiles, his brows were pulled tight together.
“I hate to sound like a broken record…” I started, leaning closer to avoid his brothers listening and butting in.
“I’m okay. Just…thinking,” he admitted, his fingers tracing the rim of his glass, causing droplets of condensation to run down.
