Page 146 of Storm and Sea

“You didn’t have to wait for me. You could have gone.”

“Yeah, but it’s more fun with you,” Nyel said, then paused at the way Atreus averted his gaze. “What?”

“Nothing. Let’s go, wanna play Bocce again? I never got my rematch.”

“Oh, it’s on.” Nyel bristled with the challenge.

They played three games of Bocce. Nyel won the first one and Atreus the next two.

“Okay, okay, you win. There, you got me back,” Nyel said in defeat, gathering the balls and placing them in the basket for the next player.

“That wasn’t payback for earlier. Don’t worry, that’s still coming.”

“I’m shaking in my boots,” Nyel said with an eye roll.

Atreus bent low, and Nyel felt the warmth of his breath ghosting against his ear.

“You should be.”

Nyel fought to keep his body still, resisting the urge to visibly shiver.

“L—let’s go see what’s going on over there,” Nyel said, face growing hot as he touched the shell of his ear.

Music echoed from the square, and the crowd jumped into action as though they’d been waiting for the melody all night.

“Come on! Just like we practiced,” Nyel shouted over the volume, grabbing Atreus by the wrist and dragging him to the circle of flowers and glittering lights. He did his best to shake off the heavy thumping in his chest.

The music was jovial, the local troupe pulling out all the stops. An instrument Nyel had never seen before—its center expanding and contracting like the bellows used to stoke a fire—took the lead, its lively, wheezing notes sending the dancing crowd into a frenzy.

They shuffled into the throng and faced one another. Atreus didn’t resist; rather, he clasped their hands together and slid the other below Nyel’s rib cage. Nyel sucked in a sharp breath.

“You ready?” Atreus asked.

Nyel only managed a nod as the heat of Atreus’s touch melted into his skin.

When the next chorus of bouncing notes took off, so did they. Their practice paid off as they seamlessly blended with the bustle of dancers. They spun, swung, and jumped with the music, and Nyel’s body came alive. His heart raced, the smell of sugar and sweat filled the air. The melody of the music threatened to abduct him to new heights.

The final trill of the violin vibrated through the air, signaling the end of the number. Nyel gave one last spin and, with legs wobbly from exertion, half-fell into Atreus’s chest. He laughed, lungs heaving for breath as he looked into his dance partner’s eyes.

“We killed it out there,” he panted, relieved to feel Atreus also short of breath. His ribs expanded beneath Nyel’s touch, heart hammering.

“You were great,” Atreus complimented, his abalone eyes glittering more than usual.

The string of lights around them dimmed, the music took on a delicate slowness, and the mood shifted. The panting crowd slowed into an adagio. The gentle melody floated through the air, mixing with the whispering summer breeze. Each note lingered, caressing the dancers with unhurried grace.

Nyel expected Atreus to lead him away but was surprised with an extended hand instead.

“Can I have another?”

Nyel didn’t have to think before accepting his hand, letting himself be pulled close until all that separated them was a breath. They swayed in a tender rhythm, hands entwined. Nyel was acutely aware of the heat radiating from Atreus’s palm as he guided him by the waist. Nyel fought the urge to let his fingers slide from Atreus’s shoulder to the bare skin of his neck. He’d once heard Marina call Atreus’s freckles ‘angel kisses.’ Nyel preferred to think of them as tiny constellations, like a map of stars scattered across his skin. He wondered where they led.

When Nyel lifted his gaze, he found Atreus already looking at him. Thunder thudded against his ribs.

Steady, my heart.

Nyel drew in a deep breath, letting the wild scent of storm fill his lungs. A blend of the untamed sky and something uniquely…him.

Another thud in his chest.