Page 75 of Storm and Sea

“And if you win?” Nyel asked.

“I’m sure I can come up with something.”

Atreus clenched his fists, resisting the urge to point out that Leo never offered to let him use his full name.

Why does it matter?

He shook off the unbidden irritation and watched the match from the side.

“I’m game,” Nyel said. “Don’t expect me to go easy on you.”

“Oh, I’m counting on it,” Leo said, flashing his signature smile.

Atreus didn’t care for the way Nyel returned the gesture. The game took far too long, filled with endless high-fives and snarky trash talk. Neither pulled too far ahead in points, despite Nyel tossing his ball out of bounds twice. Atreus suspected Leo was intentionally missing points, and that irritated the hell out of him. After what felt like the entire night, the game finally ended, with Nyel winning by a hair.

“Great game. You’re a natural,” Leo said, patting Nyel on the shoulder.

“It was fun. Thanks for the match, Leofel,” Nyel said, emphasizing the full name. “Are we only allowed to play during the festival?”

“Not at all. We can play anytime.” Leo said, again touching Nyel’s arm, “My folks have an old beat-up set behind the house. Come by sometime for a rematch.”

“Hey, Nyel, didn’t you want to see the booth selling belts?” Atreus interrupted.

“That’s a good idea. Half my pants don’t fit, and I’m tired of using the rope to keep them up.” He pulled up his too-big jeans for emphasis.

“I’ll tag along,” Leo said, and Atreus bit the inside of his cheek as he quickly fell to the back, the other two taking the lead and talking animatedly.

On their way, they paused at Marina’s Bayallon booth but could only manage a quick wave as she was swarmed by kids eager to sign up.

“Looks like a good turnout. Should be a fun race,” Leo remarked.

“I can’t wait to see it. Especially the ‘bike’ part. I’ve never been on a bike,” Nyel said.

“Never been on a bike? Well, I’ll have to do something about that,” Leo said, his hand once again finding its way to Nyel’s shoulder.

And for the first time in his life, Atreus wanted to smack that smile off his face. When they arrived at the booth selling leather belts, it quickly became clear that Nyel was far too short on coins to afford one.

“It’s okay,” Nyel said, noting the price. “I’ll save up, and the rope works fine for now.”

“I’m sorry you couldn’t get one. Did you get anything else cool?” Leo asked.

“Yeah, check this out.” Nyel pulled the small glass turtle from his back pocket and held it in the palm of his hand.

“How pretty. Let me get a closer look.” Instead of taking the turtle, Leo cupped Nyel’s hand, bringing it close to his face. “That’s a neat one. Good find.”

“Right? I like the way it sparkles inside.”

“I just remembered something. You two keep going,” Atreus said, his voice harsher than he intended.

He didn’t wait for a response before shoving through the crowd, earning a few displeased glares. He had to get away from those two. What was wrong with him? Why was his best friend pissing him off so much?

And why does he keep touching Nyel?

It shouldn’t matter. They were simple gestures. Humans touched to communicate all the time. So why did it make Atreus want to hit something?

Nyel doesn’t owe me a damn thing. He isn’t obligated to spend all his time with me.

But with the chance of Nyel leaving, Atreus wanted to keep the sireno all to himself.