For one dumb, flashing second, his brain does the math like it’s a test.
Logan solves it without a word.
He sits on the outside of the booth’s long side, then pats the seat beside him. Tommy slips in between Logan and the table, leaving space on the other side.
Chase sits across from them, at first.
He settles in, elbows on the table, posture relaxed, and Tommy realizes he’s watching Tommy watch Logan with something that looks like amusement.
“What?” Tommy asks.
Chase’s eyes flick briefly to Logan’s hand, which is resting at the base of Tommy’s spine without Logan seeming aware he’s doing it.
“Nothing,” Chase says. “Just… you two are obvious when you’re comfortable.”
Tommy snorts. “We’re not obvious.”
Logan doesn’t look up from the menu. “We’re extremely obvious.”
Tommy kicks him lightly under the table. Logan catches his ankle with his foot like it’s nothing. Holds it there. Still reading.
Tommy’s cheeks warm.
Chase watches the exchange and huffs a quiet laugh.
Their drinks arrive. They order something easy. The conversation stays normal on purpose, work stories, small complaints, the kind of banter that makes a relationship feel like home.
But beneath every normal thing is the private layer.
Logan’s knee occasionally nudges Tommy’s, steady and familiar.
Chase’s gaze lingers just half a beat longer than polite.
And Tommy keeps feeling that small, constant reminder low in his body, quiet pressure that isn’t demanding anything but makes him aware of himself in a way that feels… awake.
At some point the server leans in to refill waters and says, smiling, “You three look like you’re celebrating.”
Tommy opens his mouth, then closes it again, unsure what to say.
Logan smiles easily. “Something like that.”
The server leaves, and Tommy lets out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding.
“That was smooth,” Tommy mutters.
Logan’s thumb brushes the back of his neck. “You okay?”
Tommy nods. “Yeah. Just, ”
He stops, because under the table Chase’s foot has found his ankle.
Not a rub. Not a tease.
Just contact.
A quiet hello.
Tommy’s breath changes anyway, betraying him.
