Page 143 of Perfect Storm
“Hey,” Aidan said in a low voice to Landry. “Are you sure you’re okay with this?”
“I’m notnotokay with it,” Landry said. He let out a heavy sigh. “I’m just . . .I don’t know,shocked. Last I heard, in July, you were in love with Mo and he didn’t feel the same. And now suddenly you’re with Levi?”
“It’s . . .well, it’s complicated.”
“Why am I not surprised that you ended up with the messiest relationship of all of us?” Landry said knowingly.
“That’s not true,” Aidan argued. He wasn’tmessy. Him falling in love with Levi wasn’t messy either; it was like an inevitable slide into the most natural-feeling emotion he’d experienced in possibly his whole life.
But how to express that to Landry?
“I didn’t know what we were doing, not at first,” Aidan said simply, because honesty usually was the best policy, “but I just knew I kept wanting more of him. I’d never felt like more myself than when I was with him. It felt . . .right. Even when Mo came back, nothing changed.”
Maybe someday he’d tell Landry how Mo’s confession had spurred the realization he was in love with Levi, but for right now, this was good, and it was true.
Landry stared at him for a moment. “And you really love him.”
“I really, really do.”
Landry hesitated for one more second before he tugged him into a long, tight hug. “I believe you,” he said, “because Levi’s one of the most lovable people I know. Makes sense you’d see it, too.”
“Yeah,” was all Aidan could say, his throat suddenly tight. He hadn’t worried that Landry would react badly. He wasn’t that much of a hypocrite. But hehadworried that Landry wouldhave doubts and concerns he couldn’t answer. That he wouldn’t believe that Aidan’s feelings were as serious, aslasting, as Aidan knew they were.
But he shouldn’t have worried; Landry had always seen right through to the core of him, better than just about anyone else.
“If Levi was going to settle down, of course he’d pick you,” Landry said, after he’d pulled back.
“Hey, I heard that,” Levi squawked, and the whole group, even including Larry and Linda burst into laughter.
“It’s ’cause we love you,” Landry said, reaching out to ruffle his little brother’s hair.
“Yeah,” Aidan said, “we really do.”
Chapter 20
Itfeltlikethemost perfect morning Aidan could remember.
Waking up in his bed, no alarm, nowhere theyhadto be except tonight at the Vault victory party, wrapped up in a pair of arms belonging to someone who loved him, who he loved back.
He’d never gotten this before, not ever, and now Aidan didn’t know if he’d ever be able to live without it again.
“Don’t go anywhere, okay?” Aidan mumbled into the pillow, half hoping Levi would hear, and half hoping he wouldn’t.
“Like,right now, or forever?” Levi asked sleepily.
Aidan tried not to freak out that he’d heard. “Both?”
Levi nuzzled his shoulder. “Not going anywhere,” he promised sleepily.
And something inside Aidan finally let go—an edginess he’d never thought he’d dismiss completely. An anxiety he felt like he’d carried around forever. Maybe since his parents’ divorce. He wasn’t naive enough to think it was gone for good. He’d needit, sometimes, and he knew he’d find it then. But for right now? He relaxed into Levi’s touch and let it soothe him.
Even the thought that, tonight, he knew he needed to talk to Mo—to let him down easy—didn’t spike his nerves. Sure, he wasn’t looking forward to it, mostly because he didn’t know exactly what he was going to say, and he never liked going into a situation feeling clueless. But Aidan decided he and Mo had been friends for long enough, he should be able to feel him out.
Like he could read his mind, Levi murmured, “Are you stressing about it?”
“About?” But of course, Levi could only be talking about Mo. He’d told Levi last night, before they’d fallen asleep, that it was his intention to pull him aside tonight, to tell him that he’d fallen in love with Levi.
Levi hadn’t looked particularly fazed by it, but hehadasked, “Do you think it’s gonna ’cause any problems in the locker room?”
