Logan’s mouth twisted into a tight smile. “They are. My phone rings nonstop. Mom. Sisters. It’s like they’re drowning in worry, trying to reach me.” He let out a hollow laugh, his fingers pushing at the crumbs on his plate, avoiding Adrian’s gaze. “They keep asking when I’m coming back,if I’m okay. Physically? Yeah, I’m fine. But I don’t know if I’m really okay, you know?”
Logan’s eyes dropped to his plate, then slowly, painfully, met Adrian’s. “And then there’s him. My dad. He’ll talk to me, but I know that I’ll hear the disappointment in his voice, like I’ve let him down, like I’ve drifted too far to be pulled back in.”
Adrian’s lips parted to speak, but Logan stopped him, shaking his head slowly. “Just drop it,” Logan muttered, picking up his fork again, but not really eating. The silence between them hung heavy, a rhythm all its own, like the lull between two waves before the next rush.
Adrian leaned forward. “You’re not a disappointment, Logan. Not because you chose your own way. And even if you end up being one... at least it’ll be becauseyoudecided. Not him. Not anyone else.”
Logan nodded, his fork twirling the piece of untouched food on his plate. But there was something in his gaze that softened, as though Adrian had thrown him a lifeline and he hadn’t known he needed it until now.
Adrian grinned then, a spark of mischief in his eyes. “Tell you what,” he said, leaning back in his chair. “I’ve got something planned. But when we get back, you’re calling your family. And I’m calling mine. Deal?”
Logan’s lips quirked at the corners. “What did you plan?”
“Deal first,” Adrian pressed, his smirk deepening.
Logan chuckled softly. “Fine. Deal.” Then, after a moment, “But I’m texting them. Not talking.”
Adrian’s eyes twinkled with amusement. “Fine.”
Logan’s heart kicked in his chest, but he stood, stretching his arms above his head, his back arching like a wave cresting. The warm sun hit him, andfor a moment, he forgot everything—his father, the distance between him and his past, the guilt that lingered like a shadow.
Adrian started to collect the plates, but Logan shook his head, playful but firm. “No way. You cooked, I’ll clean.”
“Let’s just do it together,” Adrian offered. “We’ll be quicker that way.”
They moved in tandem, elbows brushing now and then as they cleared plates. It only took them a few minutes, but each moment felt suspended, filled with the quiet hum of the morning and the brewing tension between them.
Logan went to his still-open suitcase, rummaging through it, hunting for fresh board shorts.
“Yeah, I really need to do laundry soon,” he said absent-mindedly.
“We’ll take care of it this evening,” Adrian replied.
Logan, barely thinking, tugged off his sleep clothes and pulled on his shorts and a loose T-shirt, catching Adrian’s glance darting away, the faintest blush creeping over his cheeks. It was a small thing, but Logan felt it—a quiet thrill sparking under his skin as he turned back, casually dropping his phone in the nightstand drawer before they left.
Outside, Adrian tossed him a helmet with a small, satisfied grin. “I’m driving,” he announced, already slipping his own helmet on.
Logan shot him a skeptical look, half-joking. “Please tell me you’ve got a license for this thing.”
Adrian laughed, a warm, confident sound. “Yup. And don’t worry, you’re driving back.”
Logan climbed onto the bike, hesitating a beat before he settled in behind Adrian. He’d ridden with friends before, but this felt different, more intimate somehow, each inch of space charged between them. Theengine rumbled to life, and they surged forward, the wind catching against Logan’s arms and legs, the warmth of the sun pressing close.
They wove through streets dotted with relaxed locals and other travelers, passing the faint strains of music spilling from packed bars and food stands. Over everything he could hear the muffling sounds of the waves and feel the salty air all around. It was easy to get lost in the world here, where time seemed to stretch, and each turn of the road opened into something new.
At a red light, Logan leaned forward, his voice low but clear above the idle hum of the engine. “Do you know where we are?”
Adrian’s chuckle was soft, and Logan felt it through his chest, vibrating back into him. “Yeah, I checked the map earlier. Trust me.”
And Logan did trust him, with a depth and certainty that felt as easy as breath. Every inch of him trusted Adrian fully, every fiber in his being believed in him. After all, Adrian had once dove headlong into the stormy waters of the North Shore, plunging into waves wild and unforgiving, just to reach him. Adrian had risked himself, dove deep to alter fate’s cruel turn, battling the relentless surf to bring him back to life. In that moment back then, with nothing but ocean and sky and a dwindling hope, Adrian had pressed his mouth to Logan’s and breathed life into him.
Now, with quiet care, Adrians reached down and took Logan’s hands, lifting them from where they rested loosely at his waist, guiding them with gentle insistence to circle his torso. The movement was both casual and intentional, and in it, Logan felt something sacred, something that echoed far beyond words. “We’re in for a few rough turns up ahead,” Adrian murmured, his thumb lingering just a moment on Logan’s wrist, brushing the small charm of the lifesaver bracelet he’d given Logan, a token of safety, of belonging.
It was his mother’s bracelet, a small piece of her love given to Adrian to keep him safe, now passed along to Logan. As his thumb traced the charm, a silent prayer moved through him—a plea to his mother, wherever she was, to guard this life he held so carefully, this fragile thing that had become more precious than anything. For a beat, he lingered there, pouring all he couldn’t say into that simple touch.
Logan felt his heart crack open, the edges raw and vulnerable, as he tightened his hold around Adrian’s waist. He could feel the solid strength of Adrian’s body under his hands, the steady rhythm of his breathing, the warmth that radiated from his chest, and it was all he could do to hold on, trying not to break under the weight of the moment. In that closeness, every unspoken feeling he carried swelled like a rising wave, crashing into his heart with a ferocity he hadn’t known was possible.
The world blurred around them, but Logan was anchored there, to this man who had held his life in his hands and breathed him back to shore, who now carried him forward with every turn of the road, like a promise that went beyond words, beyond time.
