13. River

13

RIVER

“ I can’t believe we’re going home tomorrow,” Emery said, piercing the succulent kālua pig with his fork and bringing it to his mouth.

“Yeah, we blinked, and it’s over,” Noah said, stretching out on a blanket beside Lior. “Australia was amazing, and I’m glad we did this too, but there’s something about being in your own bed, you know?”

“Absolutely,” Lex agreed, rolling his neck before taking the forkful of food Emery fed him.

Adam remained silent, lying back, arms behind his head, gazing at the sky.

I’d spent the week forcing myself to relax while hyperaware of Adam’s constant presence by my side. I’d known it would be like this. The couples gravitated to each other, so there was just us left.

We were best friends. We’d seen each other almost every day for years. But a week ago, I’d been ready to hand in my notice at the restaurant and leave. Take a break from the ache in my heart over someone I knew I’d never have.

Now, as the aroma of roasted meat and pineapple wafted through the air, mingling with the salty tang of the ocean breeze, I didn’t know anything anymore.

“I will certainly miss the Hawaiian food,” I said as the haupia’s coconut richness melted on my tongue.

Around us, laughter punctuated the rhythmic beat of the ukulele, which I’d learned on this vacation was an import from Portuguese immigrants when they emigrated to the island from Madeira in the 1800s.

As the sun dipped lower, casting long shadows on the beach, Noah burst into the crowd’s center with the infectious energy of someone who refused to be anything but the life of the party. “Come on, baby. Let’s dance.” He grabbed Lior’s wrist, yanking him from the edge of the blanket where he sat beside Lex and Emery.

Lex must have noticed the panic in Emery’s eyes because he turned to his fiancé and said, “Are you ready for dessert? I saw some people with ice cream.”

“Sold,” Emery replied, standing like his feet were springs.

Adam laughed. With his hair tousled by the sea breeze and his blue eyes reflecting the twilight, he got up and joined his older brother. His movements were not the practiced steps of the hula dancers who had performed earlier. Adam’s hips moved with a rhythm all their own.

I stayed put, praying he wouldn’t come get me because this was one of those rare moments when I got to just stare at him and let my guard down. I loved him from afar, and without anyone’s eyes on me, I didn’t have to pretend. Just for a moment.

Watching him, I was acutely aware of the suitcase waiting in the hotel room. In the morning, everything would change again, and I still hadn’t made a decision.

As the song neared its end and the tempo slowed, our eyes met across the distance. His smile reached me, warm and open, beckoning me closer—an invitation or maybe a challenge.

When I shook my head, his smile wavered a little, but it was soon back on his lips as he turned around to dance with Noah and Lior.

The luau ended, the fire dancers extinguishing their flames with flourishes that drew the final round of applause as everyone settled under the waning light of the last flickering tiki torches.

I’d expected Adam to sit beside me on my blanket, but he walked past me toward the shore.

I turned and watched him from where I sat, considering how he must be feeling.

With Noah back from his honeymoon, the three brothers would be back in the office, working together like they had since they’d founded Spencer Brothers PR Agency. But with Lex and Noah in domestic bliss, where did that leave Adam?

He’d been the first to get engaged. But since then, both his brothers had not only found their own partners, they’d found their soulmates. The kind of connection I only ever read about in the hundreds of romance novels on my bookshelves at home.

I stood to join Adam.

“Find any good stars?” I asked, hoping to coax him away from whatever worry was creasing his forehead.

“Trying to,” he replied with a half-smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “But I think they’re all hiding tonight.”

“Or maybe they’re just waiting for the right moment to shine.”.

“Maybe.”

He shifted uneasily in the sand. Our conversation had lulled into a comfortable silence, but it was clear the quiet only masked the thoughts raging in his mind.

“Something on your mind?” I ventured.

He released a sigh. “It’s just… Victoria might come back, you know? And even if she doesn’t…” He paused, swallowing hard. “I can’t crash with Lex or Noah. They have their own lives, and…I’m really happy they’ve got Emery and Lior. I really am…”

“But it’s not easy being around two loved-up couples.”

“Yeah.”

The thought of Victoria returning to Adam’s life, even briefly, bothered me. She didn’t deserve a second of his time, but I knew he’d give it to her because that was the man he was.

He needed answers, and he deserved them. I couldn’t give him those, but I could give him a sanctuary, a place to call home, even if temporarily.

“Hey, Adam,” I began, the words forming with a nervous clarity. “You know you always have a place with me, right? If you’re looking for somewhere to stay…”

His eyes met mine, wide with a mixture of surprise and contemplation. A moment lingered between us, charged with something I couldn’t name, and for the first time since I’d met Adam, it wasn’t my imagination conjuring something that wasn’t there.

“Like college?” he asked, a hopeful note threading through his voice. “Aren’t we too old for that?”

“I’m sure we can still do it without the questionable décor and Ramen diet,” I assured him, a smile teasing the corners of my lips despite the flutter of nerves in my stomach.

“All right,” Adam decided, his hesitation gone. “Let’s do it.”

We settled on the soft, moonlit sand, a world away from the laughter and chatter of the fading luau. I stretched out my legs, feeling grains cling to my skin.

“Remember how you used to decorate our college dorm with those thrift shop finds?” he chuckled. “We had more wicker furniture than an outdoor patio sale.”

I laughed. “Yeah, and let’s not forget your impressive collection of band posters. The walls looked like a shrine to music festivals we never attended.”

“Guilty,” he confessed. “But hey, at least this time around, we’ll have actual furniture. And no roommates who steal our food or use our toothpaste.”

“True,” I agreed, nudging him playfully with my shoulder. “And you know you’ll never starve around me.”

Adam’s face softened, and he turned to me. “That sounds…really nice, River. Too bad you still can’t convince me that kale chips are a substitute for real snacks.”

“Give it time,” I teased.

He met my gaze, and for a heartbeat, the playful banter gave way to something charged and unspoken.

As we stood to join the others, my heart raced with the possibility of what lay ahead. This time together would be different. We were grown up and had our own careers. And besides, this was only temporary. Soon, Adam would find a new place to live, and he’d move on again.

“Why are you grinning like someone who got a free dessert?” Lex asked Adam.

“Because I’ve got a temporary place to live.” He ran his hands through his already messy hair. “I didn’t realize how much it was stressing me out not having a place to go to and not knowing when or if Victoria will come back.”

“Where are you going? You know you can stay with us, right? I mean, if you don’t mind Gordon perving on you while you sleep, the guest room is yours.”

“Thanks…I think?” Adam laughed. “As much as I love your voyeur gecko, I’m going to stay with River. Just like the old days, right?” He tapped my shoulder and then went off to the dessert table to get his hands on the last of the haupia.

“River…” Noah’s voice broke through the quiet, his tone carrying a weight that immediately put me on edge. “Are you sure about this—living with Adam again?”

I glanced over at him and then at Lex, who wore the same expression. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

Noah leaned closer. “Because,” he began, his gaze steady on mine, “it’s different now. You’re different.”

My heart thumped erratically against my ribcage, but I feigned ignorance. “I don’t follow.”

He exhaled slowly, searching my face for something I wasn’t ready to reveal. “I’ve seen the way you look at him, River. There’s more there than just friendship, isn’t there?”

A lump formed in my throat, and I struggled to maintain my composure. The hidden truth of my feelings for Adam—feelings I had meticulously buried under layers of camaraderie and distance—threatened to spill over.

“Adam’s my best friend,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper.

Noah’s eyes softened, but his next words held an edge of warning. “I want to say go for it and don’t give up. Fuck knows it somehow worked for me, but Adam’s straight…or at least he thinks he is. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“Nothing’s changed,” I lied, my voice steadier than I felt. “We’re just two friends helping each other out.”

“Okay,” Noah said, though I could tell he wasn’t entirely convinced. He clapped a hand on my shoulder in a gesture that was both supportive and cautionary. “Just be careful, all right?”

I nodded, not trusting myself to speak further on the matter as Adam returned with a tray filled with haupia. “Boys, this is what happens when my flirting game is on point. Who’s hungry for more dessert?”