Boone tried not to focus on how his own clammy hands felt against Demarien’s warm skin. He clenched his fist, more determined than ever to make this right.
“Milo. Demarien,” a rough voice called out from around the corner. “Are you good? We’re all ready to go when you guys are. Please don’t make me come down there.”
“Yeah, Puck’ll cry again,” a softer voice, followed by a giggle, drifted down the alley.
“Shut up, Felix,” Puck said. “I wasnotcrying.”
Boone snorted. There was the rest of the gang he knew.
“We’re fine,” Milo shouted. “We’re coming.” He looked between Boone and Demarien. “I guess that’s our cue. It was great seeing you again, Boone.”
Demarien leaned against Milo, relaxing under his arm. “When we’re settled in, I’ll drop by.”
“Now?” Concern washed over Milo’s face. “His classes may be too overexerting, and you don’t even need them.”
“Shut it.” Demarien narrowed his eyes and glared at Milo. “You worry too much. I’m very hardy and would love to have a lesson from Boone.”
Milo rolled his eyes and smirked. “Whatever.”
Boone pulled a worn notepad from his pocket. “You may be, uh, hardy, but that doesn’t mean we should put you or the baby through anything too rough. So, how about private lessons? That way, we can go as fast or slow as you want, without following the set routine for my usual classes.”
Milo’s eyes brightened. “Hear that, Demarien? As fast or slow as you want.”
Demarien let out a choked squeak but quickly cleared his throat. “If you’re sure it’s not too much trouble, I’m down. I like it slow.”
“Not an issue.” Boone smiled as he scribbled his number on the paper and passed it to Demarien. “Just give me a call whenever you’re ready.”
Boone stepped to the side and let the pair pass before he leaned back against the faded brick wall.
Am I really getting a second chance here?He ran a hand down his face and stared at the cloudy sky above the alley before he stepped back out. Neither Demarien nor Milo had seemed at all concerned with Boone’s face. Demarien had been just as warm and sweet as he had always been.
He threw a glance at the winding roads of the hillside leading up to Dahlia’s place before he fished his phone from his pocket. It took exactly one second before Patrick picked up, and his friend’s loud-ass voice immediately assaulted him.
“Hey, took you long enough,” Patrick said, growling into the phone. “What happened at Grimes’?”
Boone walked slowly back to the front of the store and sank onto the bench. He hung his head and leaned on his knees, wincing when dull pain flared in his leg as he leaned forward. He couldn’t make himself give two shits about that right now.
He grinned and chuckled happily. “You’ll neverbelievewho I just saw.”
Chapter 3
“Boone Harding is back in town,” Milo said, smiling slyly and nudging Demarien’s side. “How lovely.”
“Shut it.” Demarien’s cheeks heated, and he avoided looking at his friends as they walked toward Sammie’s Seafood.
It was strange to be back in their hometown. After over ten years, there were some differences, but not nearly as many as Demarien expected. The bay was still all crashing grey-blue waves. Sandy dunes still dominated the beach near the docks while rocky drop-offs lined the rest of the nearby coast. The green, spruce, and fir-covered hills around the town still looked haunted, covered in fog.
Boone Harding still looks delicious, he thought, smiling. There had been a few fine lines around his eyes and faint scars dotting the left side of his face, but that made him look more rugged than ever. Plus, Boone was even broader about the shoulders than he had been in high school, and a nice pair of shoulders had always been Demarien’s weakness.
“This feels right, doesn’t it?” he asked, one hand patting his abdomen. “It feels like home.”
“There are a few differences,” Puck said, scowling at the new hotel near the docks.
“I know, right?” Milo settled an arm around Demarien’s shoulders. “Demarien already has a date with Boone, which is a lot different than Demarien pining after Boone from a distance.”
“A date?” Felix’s eyes brightened.
Milo grinned. “He’s going to teach Demarien self-defense.”
