Page 151 of Storm and Sea

“What I want to say is, well, I’ve wanted to say it since we became friends and…”

Leo rambled. He stumbled, and a thin pink sheen came over his hollow cheeks.

Oh? Now, this is interesting. So, my brother has more than one admirer.

A twisting sensation curled in his intestines. He didn’t like it.

He recognized the moment that Leo lost his momentum and began backpedaling hard.

“Sorry, I was rambling. I wanted to say that I’d like all of us to have a day together before the end of the season. On the beach.”

Nephi smirked.

Coward.

If Leo wanted Nyel, why didn’t he take him? Fear of rejection?

Nephi snorted, turning away from the pair.

Pathetic.

Yet, as he contemplated the interaction, Nephi was humbled by his own hypocrisy. If not laying claim to something you wanted was pathetic, then he’d been a coward for weeks. Watching Leo from afar, never daring to make a move. He growled at nothing, his frustration boiling.

Nephi wandered, too worked up to return for the night. His bare feet led him around alleys, courtyards with gurgling fountains, and finally, to the rocky edge of the town. He climbed down the familiar black stone until he found himself on the small hidden beach where his troubles began.

And as fate would have it, his biggest trouble was already there to meet him.

“The hell are you doing here?” he barked at Leo, not bothering to reign in his anger. He wanted to rage on this man. To break him. To punish him for being a sore in his side for weeks.

Leo flinched, wiping his face. “Do I need a permit?” he sassed, but his voice was too shaky for any real conviction.

“Maybe I came here for some privacy,” Nephi spat.

“Maybe I did too,” Leo glared through red-rimmed eyes.

Nephi huffed and took a seat beside Leo on the beach. He watched the waves lap on the darkening sand. Once, twice, three times, the ocean sucked in a breath and let it out again. But neither the serene sound nor the soft waters were enough to quell the anger in his chest.

“You look like shit,” he bit out.

And Leo… laughed. Nephi was so taken aback by his sudden mirth that he crooked an eyebrow at him.

Maybe he’s finally lost it.

When Leo finally calmed enough to speak, Nephi noticed some of the color return to his lips.

“That’s exactly what you said to me last time. Is that how you greet people?”

“I wasn’t greeting you,” Nephi snapped. “I was stating a fact. You’re even uglier than last time.”

Leo chuckled again. “Takes one to know one.”

At last, some of the biting rage in Nephi’s chest… eased. He couldn’t tamper down the smirk tugging on the side of his mouth.

“Clearly, whatever hell you’re going through isn’t enough to stop that tongue of yours.”

This time, Leo’s smile was sad. “Not yet, at least.”

And Nephi hated those fucking words. He didn’t want Leo to lose his sharp tongue. His unapologetic tactlessness. He didn’t want their chance meetings on the beach to end.