He didn’t understand. Hecouldn’tunderstand.
All he knew was that it felt wrong, like he was losing something, like something vital was being stolen from him, even if it had never really been his to begin with.
Without thinking, he turned away, weaving his way through the crowd, past the thrum of bodies and music, the press of heat, the flickering light. His breath came fast, jagged, as he pushed toward the exit, fighting the swell of anger and pain that surged with each step. By the time he stepped into the cool night air, he was trembling, a pulse of something unfamiliar pulsing through him—something fierce and stinging, something he didn’t want to acknowledge.
Logan practically sprinted through the night, the sand and path blurring beneath him, his chest burning with something hot and fierce, something he didn’t even know he could feel. It was as if a fist had seized his heartand squeezed, punching the air from his lungs the second he’d seen that stranger talking with Adrian, leaning in with a familiarity that made Logan’s blood boil. Adrian, laughing easily with someone else, like he hadn’t just spent the past few days filling Logan’s world.It shouldn’t matter, he told himself. Adrian probably had dozens offriendsscattered across the world, friends who saw the easy charm, the open warmth he carried like the sun glancing off the waves.
But that didn’t stop the burning ache clawing at Logan’s chest. It didn’t stop the jealous rage that seethed through him, even if he couldn’t understand it, couldn’t name the reason for it. All he knew was that the feeling was there, thick and wild. He stumbled into his small cabin, yanking off his shoes and slumping down on the bed. He tried to distract himself, glancing at his phone, flipping through notifications without really seeing them, his mind still replaying that stranger’s hand on Adrian’s shoulder and Adrian going with that man away to some deserted corner. The image flared like a bruise, and he tossed his phone aside, getting up to get a drink from the minibar.
But then, his own mind betrayed him.
A vicious, vivid image flickered behind his eyes, unbidden and merciless. Adrian, lips brushing against his—that guy’s. Adrian’s hands sliding over him, pulling him closer, pressing against him in ways that Logan had never let himself imagine. Adrian letting himself be touched, melting into it, into him.
A piercing, agonizing twist coiled within Logan’s gut, echoing the turmoil of his thoughts.
Stop!His mind screamed, his breath coming fast, unsteady.Stop it. Stop thinking about it.But the more he fought it, the deeper the image sank in,like poison seeping into his veins. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to block it out, trying to force himself to feel nothing.
Then came the knock, it was a sharp, pounding sound that rattled through the floor and up into Logan’s bones. He didn’t move. Didn’t need to. He already knew who it was.
Still, he made no rush to answer. Let the door stay shut. Lethimbe the one to open it.
A beat later, the unlocked door swung wide, and Adrian stormed in like a force of nature. His breath was ragged, chest rising and falling with the remnants of his run, his skin still damp, slick with sweat. His hair clung to his forehead in dark, damp strands, and his cheeks were flushed, not just from exertion.
Logan’s pulse thudded, too fast, too loud.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
The air between them crackled, charged with something Logan didn’t dare name. Adrian’s eyes were wild, intense, locked onto him like he was searching for something,demandingsomething.
Logan swallowed hard, but the lump in his throat stayed lodged there. He forced himself to hold Adrian’s gaze, even as everything inside him screamed to look away.
“Is everything okay?” Adrian’s voice was taut with worry. “Where’ve you been? I looked everywhere for you! I have been running around looking for you!”
Logan leaned back against the table, his posture deliberately casual, refusing to let his face betray him. “Didn’t feel like partying anymore.”
Adrian’s eyes narrowed, his anger shifting to frustration. “You could’ve told me! I looked for you! I thought that maybe something had happened.”
“Didn’t want to disturb you,” Logan muttered, gripping his bottle a little tighter. “You were busy with that guy, right?” The memory of that stranger, with his hand on Adrian and his voice in Adrian’s ear, standing close, laughing with him before backing away. Walking away to a corner.
Had he finished his business with that guy before he came looking for me? Had Adrian kissed him first? Touched him? Enjoyed that guy’s touch before deciding, oh, maybe I should go see Logan now? Had he come?The thought sliced through him, cold and bitter.
At that, something flickered in Adrian’s gaze, a softness that broke through the frustration. He stepped closer, his voice gentler. “He is another surfer I met here shortly after I landed. He’s from Australia and has many friends here. I surfed with them for a few days, and he wanted me to come say hey.” Adrian didn’t have to explain himself, but he desperately wanted to.
Logan nodded; no voice came to him.Did you hook up with that guy before? Are you even gay or bi? Or maybe you’re straight?
No. Logandid notcare, and he would not be going to those thoughts.
“When I couldn’t find you, I got worried and searched for you,” Adrian added.
“Why?” Logan’s voice came out sharper than he intended, his fingers shredding the label on his bottle. “In a few days, we’ll probably never see each other again. It doesn’t matter.” The words tasted bitter, hollow, but he forced them out, steeling himself against whatever was building in his chest.
Adrian took a deep breath, his gaze never wavering as he leaned against the counter, shoulders relaxing, his expression almost vulnerable. “I didn’t mean to leave you tonight, just went to say hey…. And I never… I never meant to leave Hawaii without…” he murmured, the words soft as a confession. “I was actually trying to… well, ask if you’d want to keep traveling with me.”
Logan stared, his heart a wild, uneven rhythm in his chest, his mind trying to catch up. “What?” he whispered, the word barely audible.
Adrian glanced down, rubbing the back of his neck. His voice trembled slightly as his other hand moved absentmindedly over the counter, fingers fidgeting. “Yeah… I’ve been thinking about it for days, but I wasn’t sure you’d even want to. I thought maybe… maybe we could go somewhere together. The Philippines, maybe, then Australia… but I’d stay here too, if that’s what you wanted.” He hesitated, then met Logan’s gaze, his eyes earnest, a quiet vulnerability Logan had never seen before. “I like being with you, Logan. Didn’t know how to say it.”
The ache in Logan’s chest was raw, an emotion he couldn’t name. The jealousy, the uncertainty, the self-doubt, they all faded, replaced by something warmer, a quiet thrill that made him feel dizzy and grounded all at once.
