Page 74 of Storm and Sea

Atreus guessed as much since behind the sign were several strips of grass surrounded on three sides by wooden boards. Two girls played on the strip nearest to them, and the balls clacked against one another with a soft ‘crack’ followed by either cheers or groans.

“I wanna play,” Nyel said.

“Go ahead, dear. The last pair just finished,” said the old woman managing the game. She handed Nyel a bag filled with Bocce balls before returning to her needlepoint.

“C’mon, I’ll show you,” Atreus said, once again smiling at Nyel’s confused expression.

He divided the balls into three groups: Nyel was green, Atreus was purple, and the single white ball, the pallino, stood alone. Atreus tossed the pallino, and it rolled to the center of the course.

“Alright, so here is the basic idea,” he began, showing Nyel how to toss the ball onto the grass. The goal was to roll as many balls as possible close to the pallino. The person with the balls closest to the pallino was awarded points before the board was reset. Having your ball hit any of the wooden barriers disqualified that ball from play. Atreus explained the strategy of trying to hit the pallino closer to your balls and knocking the opponent’s balls out of the way. “You got all that?”

“I think so,” Nyel said, taking an interesting stance. He stood ramrod straight, holding the ball high above his shoulder.

“You’re gonna throw it off the strip doing that,” Atreus said, stopping him before he hurt someone. “Like this.”

He crouched over Nyel, cupping the hand with the ball and guiding it closer to the ground, helping him adopt more of a bowler’s stance.

“Now bend your knees a little. There you go. And it’s a gentle toss. Go back and forth a few times. Get used to the weight,” he said, making the motion along with Nyel.

“G-got it.”

Atreus leaped away as Nyel’s breath shuddered against his chest, the warmth of his back lingering like a brand. He cleared his throat. “You got it. Go ahead.”

Nyel lobbed the ball, and it rolled within an inch or two of the pallino before coming to a halt.

“That’s a point!” he cheered. “Right?”

“Only if I don’t knock it out of the way, but yes.” Atreus took his ball and copied the move with an easy throw, knocking Nyel’s green one away. “Now I canceled yours out.”

Nyel glared. “Oh, that’s how it’s gonna be.”

They went back and forth, making points and canceling them. In the final round, Nyel’s last throw knocked one of Atreus’s balls away from the pallino, bumping it into the border and disqualifying it.

“I win! Take that,” Nyel cheered.

“Beginners luck,” Atreus teased.

“I don’t know; that looked like pure technique to me,” a voice said from behind them.

Leo jogged forward, his partially unbuttoned dress shirt loose-fitting with the sleeves rolled to his elbows. There were dark circles under his eyes, but few would notice because of the brilliant smile acting as a mask.

“Mind if I play the victor?”

“Go ahead,” Atreus said, stepping aside.

As Leo picked up his first ball, a woman with a group of curly blond kids walked past.

“Good luck Leofel. Don’t be too late.”

“You got it, Ma,” Leo said, waving to Emelia. Atreus did a double take, certain Leo’s sister had much longer hair the last time he saw her.

“Your name is Leofel?” Nyel asked.

“That’s the full name. But only my parents get to call me that,” he replied with a wink.

“I like it. It’s pretty.”

Leo smiled. “How about we make a bet? If you win, you can call me by my full name. Deal?”