And Ramin… Ramin hadn’t changed a bit. Well, he had, of course he had, but he was still the same smart, kind guy he’d been when they were teenagers. Except now his shyness was gone, replaced with the sort of quiet confidence that Noah had never quite managed. Confidence to be himself.
What kind of man could look Ramin Yazdani in the eyes—those beautiful eyes—and tell him he wasboring?
Ramin was the opposite of boring.
And Noah wanted to kick himself for not getting Ramin’s number. He’d been too distracted (and, okay, maybe a little buzzed) and hadn’t realized until he got back to the hotel that twice, now, he’d failed to ask.
He’d been lucky to run into Ramin twice, but what were the odds he’d get a third chance? And he wanted one. Desperately.
He rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands. His flirting game wassoout of practice. Nothing had worked—not the smiles, not the brushes of their legs under the table, not the fleeting hand contact. Ramin just wasn’t into him.
Or—oh God—Ramin was still heartbroken from his breakup.
Noah groaned. He was an insensitive jerk. Of course Ramin wasn’t over it yet. Even if he liked Noah, Noah had plowed right over his hurt, smashed through his boundaries, made a total fool of himself.
But he couldn’t help it. Ramin was there.Right there.There was a spark between them. He knew it. There always had been, even if they hadn’t entirely understood it. And Noah hadn’t sparked with anyone in a long time. He’d let the warmth of it override his better judgment.
And now Ramin was gone again. It had taken all of one evening for Ramin to take up space in Noah’s heart again, and now he ached in the shape of that loss. They’d connected, Noah knew they had, even if only as friends, and now those threads were severed.
Again.
And Noah was alone.
Noah had to shampoo twice to get the smell of smoke out of his hair. Seriously, why was everyone in Italy still smoking like it was 1995? Lastnight’s clothes carried the distinct scent of Eau de Smoking Section at Perkins.
While Angela finished getting ready, Noah sat down next to Jake and they both pulled on their shoes. Noah missed when Jake still needed help tying his. Or even when he did bunny ears.
Yeah, he wasn’t a cool world traveler like Ramin. Yeah, he was divorced and estranged from his parents. Yeah, life had gone differently than he expected. But he’d never regret Jake. Jake was the best thing he ever did.
“Dad?” Jake’s voice was small.
“Yeah, buddy?”
“You’re smiling weird.”
Noah laughed and mussed Jake’s hair. “Just thinking how much I love you.”
Jake laughed. But then his face went serious.
“You remember that guy we met yesterday?”
“Ramin?”
“Yeah.”
How could Noah forget?
“What about him?”
Jake shrugged. “He had an awesome face.”
“He did.” He really did. “He was a good friend.”
“How come I never met him before?”
“I don’t know. We fell out of touch after high school.”
Jake frowned. “Are we going to fall out of touch?”
