“Damn, who’s the daddy?” Reece joked to Draven but shut up immediately when the man leveled stormy gray eyes on him. Reece straightened, cleared his throat, and placed his order. Draven took longer to order, busying himself sharing words Reece unfortunately couldn’t hear with the beast of a cashier.
“That’s just Kasir, he’s the K in K&R. He’s also Dravey’s personal trainer.”
Reece turned to Ivory, eyes wide as he absorbed the new information. “You’re kidding! What’s he doing here? Wait–personal trainer?” So Draven really had been working out.
“Just helping out,” Ivory said, and Reece didn’t miss the way his cheeks flushed for even an instant. “Yes, they go to the same gym and he took Dravey under his wing. He’s the sweetest.”
His curiosity was piqued, but Ivory didn’t let him ask more.
“Enough about that, though! How are you? You’ve been working so much lately—and Alex and the guys are gone already?”
Kasir told them to sit and he’d bring their orders, so the three of them took a table, Draven and Ivory sitting across from Reece.
“Work has been busy,” Reece confessed, “And yes, the guys are all gone and it’s honestly too lonely to handle. And it’s only been one week.”
“Yeah, well, you better get used to it. They’re gonna be traveling a lot when they’re pro.”
“Thanks for the slap to the face, Draven.” Reece rolled his eyes but laughed when Ivory smacked Draven and he actually looked apologetic. “I know that, but still… I guess it’s something we don’t talk about.”
In fact, it was something Reece knew he’d been avoiding a little bit. And he wasn’t the only one.
“By ‘we’, you mean you and Nick?” Ivory asked with a mischievous glint in his eyes.
Reece was glad Kasir arrived to serve them, giving him a moment to cool off before he answered. “I mean all of us.”
They’d been focusing on their individual goals for the future, and thenowwhen it came to each other. Beyond that, Reece didn’t know. He just knew he wanted to be close to Nick—to all of them—forever.
“Don’t forget, you’re not tied to Miami.”
“Yeah,” Draven agreed with Ivory. “You’re made more for places like New York. Or California.”
“Maybe even France!” Ivory suggested cutely. Both Reece and Draven smiled at him.
“France is a little too far.” Too far from Nick, but Reece had no intention of staying tied to Florida. He didn’t want to be left behind. “Whatever happens, I’m sure things will work out. As long as I can support my friends, that’s all that matters to me.”
“You’re so sweet, Reece!”
Draven’s mood was lighter after lunch with Ivory, which Reece anticipated. They had a lot of fun with their shoot, and in between sessions, Alex sent over pictures of Nick. Some of Declan and himself, too—but mostly Nick. Alex was such a goodfriend. He’d been feeding Reece so well, lessening the ache of Nick being so far away, even if just a bit. But it wasn’t just him. Declan was also making sure to keep him updated, texting Reece every day.
Reece made sure to send pictures of himself, too, including candid shots throughout his day. Not to Nick, only to Alex. Only to Nick if Nick asked specifically, and sometimes Nick did.
After work, Reece went home, only he wasn’t staying at his own home for the time being.Somebodyhad to look after Nick’s place after all. Reece hadn’t stayed at his own place since Nick left, actually. He’d gone there, of course, packed some necessities, and then made himself at home at Nick’s.
When he returned to Nick’s that night, Reece took off his shoes and made sure to lock the door. He walked inside with a yawn and a deep stretch, stopping when he heard something clattering in the kitchen.
Panicked, Reece dropped his backpack from his shoulder, gripping the handle and rushing toward the sounds, fully prepared to fight whoever dared to break into Nick’s place. But when he skidded around the wall and into the kitchen, he found the man who prepared his and Nick’s last meal together going through the refrigerator.
“You!” Reece gaped, pointing at the man.
“You,” he countered with a knowing look in his brown eyes.
“Ah—” Reece’s face heated and he dropped his arm, setting his bag on the counter. “I’m here for good reason. What about you?”
“Making sure no food goes bad and is left in here. Not much has been wasted thanks to you, I assume.”
Reece had been helping himself. “W-well…”
“That’s good. But there are some vegetables in here that need cooking. How about I make you dinner?”
