He grabbed his gym bag from the back seat and stepped out into the cool night air.
As he walked toward the entrance, one realization followed him stubbornly, impossible to ignore.
Being around Tommy didn’t make him feel perfect.
It made him feel possible.
And for the first time in a long time, Chase wasn’t sure he wanted things to go back to simple.
Chapter Five
Logan
Logan woke before the alarm.
He usually did, especially in places that weren’t home. The hotel room held that faint, recycled quiet of temporary spaces, beige walls, sealed windows, air conditioning humming too steadily. Early light slipped through a narrow gap in the curtains, cutting a pale stripe across the carpet and the edge of the bed.
Tommy was still asleep beside him, sprawled halfway onto his stomach, one arm tucked beneath the pillow. His breathing was slow and even, mouth parted slightly in the kind of sleep that only came after being completely wrung out.
Logan lay on his back for a moment, watching him.
Not checking for damage. Not searching for signs of regret.
Just watching.
Tommy always looked younger when he slept. Softer. The restless brightness that followed him everywhere, the part of him that seemed to anticipate being measured, wasn’t there.Whatever he’d been trying to prove the night before had drained out of him.
That was what Logan couldn’t stop replaying.
Not the bodies.
Not the heat.
Not even the surprise of recognition.
The shift.
When Chase had stepped into the room, before Logan even understood who he was looking at, something in Tommy had settled. He hadn’t grown louder or more frantic. He hadn’t tried to perform harder.
He’d gone still.
Focused.
Present.
Logan scrubbed a hand over his face and stared at the ceiling.
He’d expected jealousy to show up loud and obvious , territorial and sharp. He knew himself well enough to assume it would. The idea of someone else touching Tommy should have sparked something primal and defensive.
Instead, what had taken its place was something far more complicated.
Curiosity.
Tommy shifted beside him and blinked awake slowly, rolling onto his side. His hair was a mess, eyes heavy with sleep but alert enough to notice Logan wasn’t resting.
“You’re thinking too loud,” Tommy murmured.
Logan huffed a quiet breath.
