“I’m sure we can still do it without the questionable décor and Ramen diet,” I assured him, a smile teasing the corners of my lips despite the flutter of nerves in my stomach.
“All right,” Adam decided, his hesitation gone. “Let’s do it.”
We settled on the soft, moonlit sand, a world away from the laughter and chatter of the fading luau. I stretched out my legs, feeling grains cling to my skin.
“Remember how you used to decorate our college dorm with those thrift shop finds?” he chuckled. “We had more wicker furniture than an outdoor patio sale.”
I laughed. “Yeah, and let’s not forget your impressive collection of band posters. The walls looked like a shrine to music festivals we never attended.”
“Guilty,” he confessed. “But hey, at least this time around, we’ll have actual furniture. And no roommates who steal our food or use our toothpaste.”
“True,” I agreed, nudging him playfully with my shoulder. “And you know you’ll never starve around me.”
Adam’s face softened, and he turned to me. “That sounds…really nice, River. Too bad you still can’t convince me that kale chips are a substitute for real snacks.”
“Give it time,” I teased.
He met my gaze, and for a heartbeat, the playful banter gave way to something charged and unspoken.
As we stood to join the others, my heart raced with the possibility of what lay ahead. This time together would be different. We were grown up and had our own careers. And besides, this was only temporary. Soon, Adam would find a new place to live, and he’d move on again.
“Why are you grinning like someone who got a free dessert?” Lex asked Adam.
“Because I’ve got a temporary place to live.” He ran his hands through his already messy hair. “I didn’t realize how much it was stressing me out not having a place to go to and not knowing when or if Victoria will come back.”
“Where are you going? You know you can stay with us, right? I mean, if you don’t mind Gordon perving on you while you sleep, the guest room is yours.”
“Thanks…I think?” Adam laughed. “As much as I love your voyeur gecko, I’m going to stay with River. Just like the old days, right?” He tapped my shoulder and then went off to the dessert table to get his hands on the last of the haupia.
“River…” Noah’s voice broke through the quiet, his tone carrying a weight that immediately put me on edge. “Are you sure about this—living with Adam again?”
I glanced over at him and then at Lex, who wore the same expression. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
Noah leaned closer. “Because,” he began, his gaze steady on mine, “it’s different now. You’re different.”
My heart thumped erratically against my ribcage, but I feigned ignorance. “I don’t follow.”
He exhaled slowly, searching my face for something I wasn’t ready to reveal. “I’ve seen the way you look at him, River. There’s more there than just friendship, isn’t there?”
A lump formed in my throat, and I struggled to maintain my composure. The hidden truth of my feelings for Adam—feelings I had meticulously buried under layers of camaraderie and distance—threatened to spill over.
“Adam’s my best friend,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper.
Noah’s eyes softened, but his next words held an edge of warning. “I want to say go for it and don’t give up. Fuck knows it somehow worked for me, but Adam’s straight…or at least he thinks he is. I don’t want you to get hurt.”
“Nothing’s changed,” I lied, my voice steadier than I felt. “We’re just two friends helping each other out.”
“Okay,” Noah said, though I could tell he wasn’t entirely convinced. He clapped a hand on my shoulder in a gesture that was both supportive and cautionary. “Just be careful, all right?”
I nodded, not trusting myself to speak further on the matter as Adam returned with a tray filled with haupia. “Boys, this is what happens when my flirting game is on point. Who’s hungry for more dessert?”
14
ADAM
“Honey, I’m home!” I joked as I toed off my shoes. I rounded the hallway into the living room, finding River in his favorite place: sitting in the wide armchair with a book in his hands, wearing his favorite book-quotes pajama pants and an old college T-shirt.
“Welcome back, dear,” River chuckled without moving his gaze away from the book.
