If you didn’t know their history, maybe you’d miss it. Maybe you’d think Rick was backing him up. But there’s something off underneath it, something false and defensive that makes my skin crawl. He dumped Noah, and somehow he still acts like he gets a say.
For a second, I think about staying out of it.
Then something hot surges up my throat, and before I can stop myself, I’m speaking.
“Sometimes people know pretty fast when they’re with the right person,” I say, meeting Rick’s eyes. My voice comes out calmer than I feel. “I don’t need years to know when I’m serious about someone. I’d rather talk about this stuff now than let either of us build up the wrong expectations.”
Noah goes still beside me.
Rick’s face tightens, then smooths right back out. Too fast for anyone else to catch, but not for me. Not for Noah either. They both know what I’m really saying—that this isn’t really about how long it takes to talk about the future. It’s about whether you ever meant to offer one in the first place.
Brad nods, giving me an approving look. “Exactly. That’s called taking it seriously.”
Maria nods too, smiling at me over the rim of her wine glass. “That’s a very sensible way of looking at it, Connor.”
Caroline and Daniel seem just as pleased, and for a second I feel a flicker of guilt, like I’ve somehow won them over by making Rick look like a shallow idiot. Which, to be fair, he is. But that’s beside the point. Then I remember what he did to Noah, and the guilt vanishes.
After that, the conversation drifts into stories about proposals and weddings, about how long different relatives dated before getting married. Everyone seems happy to move on. Everyone except Rick. He falls silent, staring into his wine glass as a flush slowly creeps up his neck.
When the others get distracted enough to stop paying attention to us, Noah suddenly turns beside me and presses a quick, warm kiss to my cheek. It’s soft and brief, but the gratitude in it is unmistakable. My heart stumbles, the feel of his lips lingering on my skin.
I tell myself it’s just for show—that he’s grateful I stood up for him after Rick’s jab. But the way my pulse jumps doesn’t feel like an act.
Maybe I’ve been single too long. Maybe this whole charade is making me sentimental. It’s ridiculous—we’ve barely scratched the surface of getting to know each other, and yet something about the way Noah looks at me, the quiet vulnerability under his careful composure, makes me want to protect him in a way that goes beyond our arrangement.
I decide not to think about it too hard. We have the whole weekend ahead of us, and right now Noah needs an ally more than I need to understand whatever this strange feeling in my chest is.
***
“Did you see Maria’s face when Maya started telling her she took me to a gay club when I was fourteen?” Noah asks, his voice shaking with laughter. “I thought she was actually going to pass out.”
Wine hums pleasantly through my system as Noah and I make our way back to our cottage, the cool night air a relief after hours at the dinner table. Maybe it’s the release of finally being away from everyone. Maybe it’s all the expensive red Daniel kept topping off. Either way, Noah’s laughter pulls another laugh out of me.
“Your sister has zero filter,” I say, chuckling as we weave slightly along the path. “I kind of love that about her.”
Noah snorts. “That’s only because she wasn’t exposing your entire life over dinner.”
“Give it time,” I add, and he laughs again, the sound carrying across the quiet property.
A little farther down the path, I hear gravel crunch behind us.
I glance back and spot Rick and Cassidy heading the same way, toward the cottage we’re all sharing. They’re far enough behind that I can’t make out what they’re saying, only the low murmur of their voices, but Noah must hear them too. His laughter cuts off. His shoulders tighten.
Without thinking, I slide an arm around his waist and pull him a little closer as we keep walking. I mean it as comfort, nothing more, but the feel of him against my side still sends a sharp jolt through me.
“I’m sorry about the engagement thing,” I say quietly. “That was shitty.”
Noah shakes his head. “It’s fine. It’s not like Brad knew…about us.” His voice drops on the last two words, even though there’s no chance Rick can hear him from back there. “And they make sense together anyway. Total power-couple bullshit.”
There’s something sour in the way he says it that makes my chest tighten. He’s trying hard not to show it, but I know this hurts.
“You’re better off,” I say, and I mean it.
Noah tips his face up toward me, his eyes catching the moonlight. “You think so?”
“Yeah,” I say. “He’s an asshole who couldn’t deal with who he is. You deserve someone who’s proud to be with you.”
Noah’s smile softens, and I could swear his cheeks look a little warmer in the low light as he leans his head briefly against my shoulder. “Thanks for doing this,” he says. “For being here. It’s making everything so much easier.”
