“Yeah.” Logan swallowed hard, his voice almost too soft.
Adrian’s gaze lingered on the screen a moment longer. Too long. His features schooled themselves into calm, but inside, something pulled taut. The truth was there, suspended between them like a wire strung too tight.
“It’s the—”
“Yeah,” Logan cut in quickly, his voice sharp. “Don’t.”
Adrian nodded. He didn’t need to say it. They both knew. They had talked about Zack once, long ago. Back in that hotel room in Israel, back when Logan was still trying to explain the ache of losing him and what he’d done to survive it.
“I’ll just let it go to voicemail,” Logan muttered, moving to silence the call.
But Adrian stopped him.
“No, answer him.”
Logan’s eyes snapped to his. “No.”
“Yeah, answer him,” Adrian pressed, giving Logan’s hand a small, measured squeeze. His voice was light, easy, but there was something darker curled beneath it. Something unsaid.
You want to ignore him? Because I’m here? Because you don’t want me to hear?
“It’s fine. Really.”
For a long moment,Logan hesitated.
Then, reluctantly, he slid his finger over the screen and answered the call, pressing the phone to his ear.
“Hello, handsome,” Zack’s voice purred smoothly through the receiver.
Adrian felt everything inside him coil tight. And then—he watched Logan blush. Deep, five different shades offuck, this is awkwardred.
And Adrian didn’t like it. Not one bit.
His fingers twitched in Logan’s, and Logan must have noticed, because he visibly winced.
“Hey, Zack,” Logan said, quietly, hesitantly.
“Haven’t seen you in ages,” Zack drawled, his voice warm, full of something that made Adrian’s stomach churn. In the background, there was the sound of clinking glasses, the low hum of bar chatter.
Adrian could picture it so clearly—Zack, behind a counter, flirting with customers, with Logan, the way Logan had gone there once, twice, more, the way Logan had touched—
He stopped himself.
“Found your guy?” Zack asked casually.
Logan tensed beside him. “Yeah,” he said quickly. “I’m back in the States, actually. He’s right here next to me.”
“So…” Zack’s voice curled through the speaker again. “Am I going to see my favorite customer soon? The tips have been awful since you left,” Zack chuckled, but even Adrian could hear the truth behind it.
Adrian’s chest burned.
Logan had been a regular at that bar.
A favorite customer. What the fuck does that even mean? Adrian did not need to guess; he remembered his and Logan’s conversation all those months ago, clear as day.
“I don’t think—” Logan started, but Zack cut him off.
“Oh, come on, don’t be like that. You could bring your guy. I’d love to meet Adrian, after everything you said about him.”
