Page 131 of Perfect Storm
“Great,” Aidan said, nodding. “I don’t know how late I’ll be.”
AKAdon’t bother waiting up for me.
It was harder to swallow that, and there was a part of Levi that strongly considered, when he got back to the condo, heading into the guest room.
But he didn’t, his feet taking him into the room he’d been sharing with Aidan instead, like his feet knew what he wanted and they weren’t giving it up all that easily.
“You’re probably going to be disappointed,” Levi told his feet. But it was probably a good message toallof him, because his whole body was still suffused with hope.
Like against all odds, when Aidan got home, he was going to reach for Levi again.
Aidan was tired when he got in the car for his drive home. Almost considerednotdoing what he’d been debating all day, but he also knew this situation was not as elastic as he wanted it to be.
At some point it was going to snap and someone was going to get hurt.
He was more afraid that the person who did was going to be Levi, more than he even cared if that person was him.
There was a strong voice inside of him that kept insisting ifthatwas true, then a whole lot of other things—emotions and feelings that Aidan wasn’t quite ready to face yet—had to be true, as well.
But he wasn’t sure, and no way could he say anything until he was sure.
Talking to Riley wasn’t a guarantee hewouldbe sure, after, but he’d never found clarity like he’d found when talking things over with his little brother.
Sighing deeply, he plugged his phone in and dialed.
It was late enough Riley should be on his way home or actually home, and like clockwork, Riley answered on the third ring, his voice echoing like he was in the kitchen of the townhouse he shared with Landry.
“Hey,” Riley said, “what’s up? Everything okay?”
Over the last three years, they’d discovered that it was better for their relationship if they didn’t talk the week before a matchup. Aidan knew that, and he’d called anyway.
“I didn’t call about football,” Aidan said.
Riley huffed out a little laugh. “You want to talk about Mo, finally?”
“Um. Yeah. Sort of.” Aidan groaned under his breath. “I don’t know how to start, even. But first . . .” He didn’t want to ask if Landry was there, listening in. If he was, he’d probably have saidsomething already, but the last thing he wanted was for Landry to think he didn’t want to talk to him.
“First?”
“Landry’s not there?”
Riley was quiet for a long moment. So long Aidan thought that maybe he was and now Riley was worried that something serious was going on.
“He’s upstairs,” Riley said. “Why?”
“I . . .I need to tell you something, but it’s . . .it’s awkward.”
“Please don’t tell me you discovered you were wrong this whole time and you were actually in love with Landry,” Riley joked.
“No,” Aidan scoffed.
“Well, you’re freaking me out, Aidan. You gotta tell me what’s wrong.”
“It’s not Landry. It’s . . .” Aidan huffed out again. Annoyed that he couldn’t quite spit this out. Riley wouldn’t judge—much, anyway—and he would keep this secret, probably, as long as Aidan swore a blood oath that he’d eventually tell Landry himself.
“Bro,” Riley warned.
“I’ll start at the beginning. You know back in July, when you and Landry and Levi came to Michigan?”
