“Yeah, man. Is Nolan around?”
“Yeah, just out by the grill.”
“Great, I need to have a quick chat with him.”
“You staying for a bit?”
“No, I have somewhere I gotta get to, but this couldn’t wait.”
Nolan caught sight of them as soon as they walked outside, distracting him from the conversation he’d been having with Matteo and Dion. Whatever he saw had him frowning and excusing himself.
“Hey baby, can you help Dion get everything set up? I just need to talk to Myles real quick.”
“Yeah, okay,” Kai answered, but Nolan and Myles were already walking quickly back to the house. Kai watched them, curious and a little worried. He kept his eye on the door even as they ushered everybody to the table and uncovered the potato salad, garden salad, grilled corn, grilled chicken, burgers and sausages. The boys piled their plates up high with meat, but Jason made them make room for salad. They reluctantly agreed to lettuce and cucumbers but drew a firm line against tomatoes and onions.
When Nolan finally did return, Myles wasn’t with him but Chris was.
“Daddy!” Katie squealed, clapping her hands and bouncing on her ass.
“Is that her dad?” Casey asked dubiously. Kai, Jason and Dion all exchanged looks over his head.
“No. It’s just a term of endearment, kind of like ‘sweetheart,’” Dion explained gently. Casey looked at him suspiciously, and Dion nodded encouragingly.
“Weird.” But then he went back to swamping his burger in ketchup, attention fixed on his task.
Chris caught Kai’s gaze, and Kai saw something severe in hiseyes, but he was quickly distracted by Nolan wrapping an arm around his waist.
“Everything okay with Myles?” Kai asked.
“Yeah, he just has to go deal with some family stuff, but he’s going to be fine. Come on. Let’s get something to eat.”
Kai carried an edge of nervousness for the rest of the day, highlighted by Chris’ off mood and the strange tension that he and Nolan were trying to hide. Now that he thought about it, Chris had seemed off the last time Kai had seen him at Nolan’s parents. He’d been so distracted by the rest of the family that he hadn’t dwelled on it at the time.
“What’s going on with you and Chris?” Kai asked when he finally cornered Nolan in the kitchen a couple hours later as they’d started tidying up. The boys were still outside for a final swim.
Nolan sighed. “What’s going on with Chris and I is nothing for you to worry about.”
“I am worried about it. It’s freaking me out. Did you fight?”
“No. We’re adults. We didn’t fight. We had a disagreement.”
“About what?”
Nolan’s laugh was tired and mildly exasperated. He turned around, flipping the towel he’d been using over his shoulder and tugged Kai between the v of his legs, resting his hands on his hips.
“If I thought there was anything you could do to make this better, I would tell you.”
“Was it about me?” Kai asked quietly, not sure he really wanted to know.
Nolan ran his hands up Kai’s side, lifting his arms until they draped over Nolan’s shoulders. He tugged Kai closer, stroking his back soothingly.
“Yeah, baby, it was about you. And like I said, there’s nothing you can do here. Chris is just feeling a little… protective.”
“Is it because he knows? About things I’ve done? Did you tell him?” Kai dropped his arms and made a feeble attempt to pull away. The idea of Chris knowing about his past made him feel sick to his stomach. Nolan captured his hands, pressing them to his chest.
“I don’t know what he thinks he knows. I didn’t tell him, and I didn’t ask. What I know is that he doesn’t know you, alright? Come here.” Nolan pulled him in and wrapped him tight in his arms, and, even though it felt so fucking good, it didn’t quite eliminate all of his anxiety. Not knowing what Chris knew felt like a ticking time bomb. Maybe he hadn’t convinced Nolan to dump him yet, but what if he eventually did? Kai fisted Nolan’s shirt in his hands as panic welled in his chest. Fuck, he could not lose Nolan.
“Please.” But he didn’t even know what he was asking for.
