“Okay, Rico.”
He washed his hands and went to the front of the store, checking to make sure the display cases were clean and bright, but he needn’t have worried, as Gideon always took care of that before he left each night. Checking his watch, Rico saw it was almost nine, meaning Gideon would be in soon. They opened at eleven, and then they’d be so busy, he’d barely have time to eat his lunch. The bells overhead tinkled when he opened the door, and he squinted into the early morning sun and stretched his arms over his head.
“Ugh.” He grunted, rolling his shoulders.
“Looks like you need a massage.”
Rico froze. It may have been over a week, but he knew that voice; heard it in his dreams.
“Yeah? Maybe I do.”
Adam looked…off. Like someone had passed a hand over his features, blurring the strong lines of his face. Concerned, Rico forgot his annoyance.
“What’s wrong? You don’t look good.”
Adam gestured to the bench they’d placed in front of the store to encourage people to sit and eat the cookies or simply to rest. “Can we sit?”
“Yeah, sure.”
Remaining silent, Rico watched the play of emotions on Adam’s face, and inexplicably his heart beat faster. Whatever Adam struggled with wasn’t something to be discussed in a hurried conversation.
“I—”
“Hi, guys.”
Rico could’ve groaned out loud at Gideon’s shit-eating grin. The last thing he needed was his friend teasing him.
“Hey. I’ll be right inside.”
“No need to rush.”
As Gideon spoke, Rico watched Adam withdraw into himself, barely acknowledging Gideon’s presence.
“You want to go for a walk? Someplace a little more quiet, where we won’t be disturbed?”
At Adam’s grateful smile and nod, they stood, and Rico gave Gideon, who was watching their interaction, a solemn stare. “I’ll be back in a bit. The guys and I have the food covered, but you might want to start the cookies.”
“Rico. Go ahead.” All the teasing had left Gideon’s voice; it seemed he sensed Adam’s upset as well, and when Rico caught his eye, Gideon gave him the tiniest of nods. “Take as much time as you need.”
Without another word, he and Adam started to walk down the block, but after dodging the third stroller and seeing the park they’d met in only a week or so ago crowded with screaming children, Rico had enough. He put his hand on Adam’s shoulder, and to his surprise, Adam stiffened under his touch.
“Come back to my apartment. It’s a long walk, but we can sit in peace and quiet and have some coffee. Okay? You’re not working, are you?”
“No. Are you sure?”
“Of what? You look like you need someone to talk to. I’m offering to be the someone.”
Adam hunched his shoulders inside his jacket. “Thanks. Yeah. I do.”
The twenty-minute walk to his building was spent mostly in silence, and Rico wondered if Adam had come to the store to break it off. It didn’t seem like something he’d do, but realistically they didn’t know much about each other, other than how they sounded screaming out each other’s names as they fucked each other’s brains out.
Once inside his apartment, Rico put the coffee on and watched as Adam sat on the sofa and stared at the floor. When the coffeemaker beeped, he poured Adam a mug and brought it over, taking a seat by his side.
“Here. I remembered you take it with milk only.”
“Thanks.” Adam’s fingers curled around the mug, but he didn’t drink. “I’m sorry I haven’t called.”
“You don’t owe me an explanation.” But Rico wanted to know what had happened to keep Adam away.
