“What did you say to me?” Logan asked after a pause. “That day, when you pulled me out of the water. You murmured something in Hebrew. I know now.”
Adrian’s eyes fluttered open, locking onto Logan’s face. He saw the firm set of his jaw, the intensity in his gaze, the way his damp skin glowed in the dim light. And God—Logan was beautiful. He always was, but there was something even more devastating about him like this—wet, warm, holding him as if the world outside didn’t exist.
A small smile touched Adrian’s lips as he reached up, cupping Logan’s cheek with a trembling hand.
“I asked if you were okay,” he whispered, repeating the words he had spoken so long ago, words that had been lost to the wind and waves that day.
Logan let out a soft laugh, turning his face into Adrian’s palm. “I didn’t believe you then, and I don’t believe you now.”
Adrian chuckled, pressing a lingering kiss to Logan’s lips before pulling back slightly. But in his mind, he wasn’t here, in a bathtub, wrapped in Logan’s arms. No—he was back on that beach, staring at a man who had just cheated death, a man who had already changed his world without even knowing it.
“Ani me’olam lo ra’iti mishehu kol kach yafe,” Adrian uttered, repeating the words. “I said that I’d never seen someone so beautiful.”
Logan grinned, and God, Adrian loved that grin. The cocky one, the one filled with mischief and a hint of arrogance. He loved all the versions of Logan—the confident one, the know-it-all, the smug and spicy one who could argue with a wall just for fun.
Adrian tilted his head, a playful smirk curving his lips as he peered up at Logan. “How’d you know?”
Logan’s grin widened, a mischievous glint flashing in his eyes. “You were all red—”
Adrian scoffed. “I just swam and dived to get your sorry ass—”
“And you looked all confused—”
“Again, rescuing—”
“And you couldn’t stop staring at me like I was some kind of a statue—”
Adrian groaned, rolling his eyes. “I didn’t know you!”
“And you’re a really lousy liar.”
Adrian huffed dramatically, covering his face with his hand, though the smile betraying him was clear. “That doesn’t explain it…”
Logan smirked, shifting slightly so he could look at Adrian better. “Oh, it explains everything,” he said, dragging out the last word.
“How?” Adrian challenged, raising a brow.
Logan grinned like a man who had just caught the biggest wave of his life. “Let’s break it down, shall we?” He held up a finger, playfully professorial. “First of all, when I woke up, you could not stop looking at me, like you were staring at me, like I was a painting in a museum.”
Adrian gasped in mock offense. “I did not!” He totally did.
Logan pointed at him, his smirk widening. “See? That right there? Lousy liar.”
Adrian groaned, shoving Logan lightly, though his lips twitched in amusement. “I had just saved your life, excuse me if I needed a moment to process the ridiculousness of it all!”
“Ridiculousness?!” Logan’s eyes widened in fake scandal. “How dare you!”
Adrian snorted, shaking his head. “Me? You—”
Logan ignored him, fully committed now. “Second,” he continued, holding up another finger, “you lingered.”
“I lingered?” Adrian repeated, deadpan.
“Yeah, you lingered.” Logan nodded like he was presenting a case to a jury. “Your hands were on my chest for an extra few seconds after you realized I was alive.”
Adrian scoffed. “You could not possibly know that!”
Logan smirked. “Sure, but you looked like you were contemplating something.”
