Page 4 of Perfect Storm
“And I even got you a refill.”
Aidan sighed and extended a hand, and it took more strength than he’d imagined to yank Levi up, but he did it without embarrassing himself too much.
Ignoring, deliberately, how during the whole discussion of Levi hooking up with Aidan that Levi had never said, not once, how he wasn’t attracted to Aidan.
He didn’t need that brain worm too, on top of all the others currently eating away at him.
Levi’s fingers were sticky with burned marshmallow and the remnants of the chocolate bar he’d stolen from the box and eaten without even bothering to sandwich it between graham crackers.
Across from him, Aidan was still morosely staring into the fire, like he might find all his answers in its dancing flames.
Riley and Landry were lost in their own world, sharing one of the big Adirondack chairs, Riley practically on Landry’s lap, his head resting on Landry’s shoulder. If they were paying any fucking attention at all, they would surely see that Aidan was not himself.
He was always full of dry sarcasm. Always knew better than anyone else what they should be doing. Was never the loudest person in the room, but usually the most self-righteous, an authority he no doubt believed he’d earned by usuallybeingright. But from the moment when the three of them had descended onto his vacation house, right on one of the Michigan lakes, it had been obvious to Levi that Aidan was even quieter than normal. Something bleak and unpleasant lingering in the back of his blue eyes.
Physically, he was like the original and Riley the younger copy. Taller and broader, with darker blond hair and darker blue eyes, it was ridiculously easy to tell they were brothers.
But Riley’s smiles came so much easier, especially now.
Levi and Aidan had never been particularly good friends. That had always been Landry and Aidan, but Levi had spent enough time in Aidan’s orbit to know something was up.
It was kind of shitty that neither Landry nor Riley had noticed, but then, they were still caught up in their own world, giggling under their breath, feeding each other little bits of melted marshmallow, while Aidan gave himself whiskey dick on the other side of the fire.
Aidan was normally kind of a chill, loose drunk, but not tonight. The more booze he drank, he just grew quieter andquieter, until Levi wanted to get up and demand he tell him what was going on. Be annoying enough he couldn’t brush Levi off anymore.
He didn’t even know why Aidan’s steadfast reluctance to tell him the truth bothered him. They weren’t really friends. Aidan’s shit was his own business.
But Levi felt bad. Unlike Levi with his three nosy, over-involved siblings, Aidan only had Riley, and Riley was kind of the best, but he was a little—or a lot—distracted right now.
“Dude,” Levi said, moving his chair closer to Aidan’s. Further away from Riley and Landry’s.
Aidan’s gaze slid over him lazily. “What?”
“You’re really not going to talk about it?”
“God, you’re persistent,” Aidan said, not sounding that perturbed by it. Maybe that was the whiskey talking.
“Youngest sibling’s prerogative. We’re built this way.”
“I meant it. I don’t wanna talk about it.” He was definitely sulking, no question about it. Aidan’s lips practically turned down.
“Doesn’t mean you shouldn’t,” Levi pointed out.
Aidan opened his mouth and then snapped it shut again. His gaze flicked over to where Landry and Riley were giggling together, and it occurred to Levi, that even though they were very clearly not listening, Aidan still didn’t want to risk saying anything either of them could overhear.
And suddenly, Levi was more worried. Because if the thing had been a minor issue, Aidan wouldn’t have cared. Wouldn’t have tried to hide it so hard.
“Dude,” Levi said flatly.
“I’m not sure that’s better thanbro,” Aidan said.
“You’re still going to be playing, right? Like you’re not retiring early? I didn’t hear you were injured—”
“I’m not injured,” Aidan interrupted. “It’s not . . .it’s not anything to do with football.”
“You didn’t get a girl pregnant, did you?”
Aidan gave a short, unamused bark of laughter. “No.”
