“No.”
Bash was on the third episode of a documentary about the oceans, and as the narrator’s cozy British accent began to explain the ins and outs of tide pools, Bash played absently with Adonis’s hair, and Adonis drifted off to sleep.
——
It was 6:00 a.m. when Adonis woke up, wrapped in Bash’s arms. He didn’t want to get up, but he knew he needed to. Soon, he’d meet his mother at his apartment, and they would drive to Boston Logan International Airport. From there, they had a flight to Heathrow, then to Milano. And then it would be time for the Olympics to begin.
He gently wriggled out of Bash’s arms. Bash stretched and grasped Adonis’s pillow, but didn’t wake up. Adonis shoved his feet into his shoes, but didn’t change out of Bash’s T-shirt and sweatpants. He raised Bash’s closet for a Bellford Ravens Hockey sweatshirt, which he pulled on over his head. He would take it to Italy with him, he decided, implications of that action be damned.
Bash was still asleep when Adonis was finished getting ready. He returned to the bed and bent over it, kissing Bash on the forehead.
Bash’s eyes slowly opened.
“Are you sneaking out?” he whispered sleepily.
“I have to meet my mother to go to the airport,” Adonis said.
“I can drive you.”
Adonis brushed Bash’s hair back from his forehead. “You should sleep. Anamária would freak out if I didn’t ride with her to the airport. I’m sure there’s plenty she wants to go over before we leave.” He kissed Bash on the lips. “Thank you for last night. I—I’m glad I spent the night.”
“So am I,” Bash whispered. He stretched mightily and pulled Adonis in for another kiss. “Keep me updated on your flights. When you board and land and all that.”
“I will,” Adonis promised. He lingered at the door of Bash’s bedroom for a moment, not wanting to leave.
“My sweatshirt looks good on you,” Bash said with a yawn, miming taking a photo of Adonis with his fingers.
“I like wearing it,” Adonis said. He blew Bash one last kiss, then peeled himself away from the door.
“See you later, Adonis,” Bash said.
“See you later.”
Adonis walked quietly out of the apartment and shut the door behind him. He had made it a quarter mile through the cold morning, his hands shoved deep in the pockets of Bash’s sweatpants, before the flood of emotions hit him.
They had broken several rules last night. Last night was undeniably a date. And he had spent the night, something they’d promised they wouldn’t do.
However, he couldn’t find it in himself to be mad about any of this.
Instead, he was happy. Happier than he’d been in a very long time.
There was a spring in his step as he approached his apartment, and even the fact that he had a long travel day ahead of him with Anamária didn’t dull his happiness.
Chapter 21
Bash
“Shh!” Bash hissed, waving a hand at the crowd gathered in his apartment. “The ceremony is starting.”
Half of the hockey team, their girlfriends, and various other friends were packed into Bash’s apartment to watch the opening ceremony of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics. They’d all brought food and drinks, and the conversations were loud and overlapping.
Bash sat on the couch with Robbie and Clarisse, who had spent the first half hour interrogating him over the NBC anchors’ commentary of the games.
“How are things with you and Adonis?”
“Do youactuallylike him?”
“Have you told him how you feel?”
