Page 158 of Storm and Sea

“Did Marina let your brother join the older group?” Nyel asked.

“Yep! He isn’t doing half bad, either. Last I checked, he was somewhere in the middle of the pack. But Edgar isn’t the strongest swimmer, so it won’t surprise me if he’s bringing up the rear by the time they get up here.”

“It’s still admirable of him to try.”

“Yep, I’m proud of him. Has more guts than I did at his age.”

“I’m sure that’s not true,” Nyel said.

“It isn’t,” Atreus confirmed, “I’ve known him almost a decade. And back then, he was the teen causing trouble in town.”

Leo raised both hands in surrender. “Guilty. But you weren’t innocent either, Gatto.”

“Only because I was constantly keeping you out of trouble. Someone had to make sure you didn’t do anything too stupid.”

“Wouldn’t follow me onto the boats, though.”

At this, Atreus shook his head. “Got me there.”

“Once a Gatto, always a Gatto,” Leo said, reaching to smack Atreus’s shoulder.

He was glad to see his friend back to his old self.

“What about you, Nyel? Raise hell where you’re from?”

Nyel shrugged. “Not really. My parents kept me pretty busy growing up, and I wasn’t big on friends.”

“Aw, well, screw them. You’ve got friends now,” he said, tugging Nyel into a one-armed hug. Atreus stiffened as Nyel’s entire left side was pulled flush with Leo’s chest. Nyel was shorter, his hair probably tickling Leo’s chin. And there was no reason for Leo to grip him so tight⁠—

“Right, Gatto?”

“Huh?”

“Weren’t you listening? I said Nyel has friends now, right?”

“Oh yeah. Totally. We’re friends.” But the word tasted funny as it left his mouth.

“See? You’ve got nothing to worry about,” Leo said, finally releasing Nyel.

The sound of crunching gravel and squeaking hinges approached from below.

“Here they come,” Leo said, rising to his feet.

Atreus stood as well, and in unison, both extended a hand to Nyel.

Without conscious thought, Atreus narrowed his eyes at Leo, catching the latter off guard. He was immensely satisfied to see Leo’s hand hesitate for a fraction of a second, and it looked as though he’d pull away.

But Nyel, oblivious to the silent standoff, reached for both their hands and let them pull him upright. Dusting off his pants, he nodded. “Alright, let’s go.”

Atreus avoided eye contact after that, but the tension between him and Leo remained—unresolved and catching them both by surprise.

What was that just now? Why am I so uptight?

Atreus had no answer. All he knew was that, at this moment, Leo’s presence was annoying the living daylights out of him.

The leaders of the race shot past, not slowing for a second, skipping the water cups they offered. But the next group, with red faces and gasping mouths, stopped their bikes for a drink. Leo helped them refill the cups after the next batch, and pretty soon, only the stragglers at the end remained.

“They’ve probably already finished at the bottom,” Nyel said, craning his neck to see past the curve of buildings blocking their view.