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Bryce recalled how, as kids, they’d decided to build a flying fox from his brother’s window to the treehouse in their backyard. He laughed as he told the story. They hadn’t counted on two things—first, that the tree was higher than the window so their attempt to bust his brother out of his grounding failed. Their other problem was tying the rope to the gutter, which definitely wasn’t strong enough to hold their individual weight, never mind combined.
That first ride had been their last and the damage they’d caused spectacular. Ripping the gutter off an entire side of the house together with the downpipe wasn’t even the worst. No, that was reserved for the smashed window when the metal sheeting twisted and pierced it, and the broken outdoor furniture when Bryce and his brothers had fallen, landing on it.
Ava listened, laughing along with him, and even Cole’s scowl seemed smaller.
“You need to become a professional speaker,” Ava advised after he’d finished explaining how his parents had done it tough raising the five of them. “I mean, as well as football, you should be a public speaker. You can tell stories like no one I’ve ever met.”
Bryce shuddered, horror pulsing through him. Some people were scared of spiders or snakes. Not him. No, he was terrified of speaking in front of crowds. “Not a chance in hell. There’s nothing worse than having to do a presentation or something like that.”
“Pretend they’re all naked,” Cole instructed before tipping his head back and letting an oyster slide down his throat. Ava watched him, and Bryce watched her. There was no doubt she found Cole attractive. Hell, anyone would.
Bryce choked out a strangled laugh, trying to get his traitorous dick back under control. “Yeah, I’ll get right on that.”
The direction of the conversation changed again, the focus shifting to Cole. He was tight-lipped, divulging only that he had an older sister, but they hadn’t spoken in years. Same with his parents. Bryce couldn’t help but wonder what the cause of the rift between them was. But instead of prying, he asked what he hoped was an easier question on Cole, “You single, mate?”
Cole’s lips curled, genuine relief lighting his eyes, Bryce guessing because of the redirect in conversation. “The phone call you saw me take at the airport was from the guy I’d been seeing. It started off okay, but he got a little too controlling for my liking. It was a mutual decision to break up, and he suggested that I go away alone.”
Huh. Bryce swallowed, nodding in sympathy.
“Are you gay?” Ava asked.
Cole shook his head. “No, bi.” He picked at a long thread on his shirt. “Is that an issue?”
“Not for me,” Ava assured him, slipping her hand into his. When Cole flicked his gaze toward Bryce with a question in his eyes, Bryce wished he could open up. He wanted to share his secret and finally be himself. His parents knew and so did his brothers, but that was it. Not a single other person on the planet knew he was pansexual. But now wasn’t the time, and being surrounded by people meant it certainly wasn’t the place either.
“No problem for me either.” He swallowed, his smile dimming. “Is that why you don’t speak to your family?” Cole nodded and Bryce couldn’t help reaching for him. With a squeeze of his forearm, the one draped over Ava’s chair, he added, “It’s their loss, but doesn’t make it easier to deal with.”
Cole bobbed his head, the cool detachment in his dark eyes flickering for a moment and revealing a depth of pain that Bryce instinctively wanted to shield him from. He was kind of jealous of Ava’s ability to comfort him in public. Bryce wanted more than simply rolling around with the man. Getting one of those rare smiles would be spectacular.
Ava patted his knee and grinned at Cole before popping a quick kiss on his cheek. “Come on, boys. Let’s get this show on the road.” They didn’t have anything planned and they couldn’t exactly get on with their trip, so Bryce had no idea what she was talking about. But following her seemed like a good enough idea. He downed the two cocktails sitting on the table in front of him and swayed when he stood.
Cole insisted on paying and they wandered out of the pub when he’d returned. Bryce tugged Ava’s straw hat off her head and popped it on Cole’s, laughing as he tried to bat Bryce’s hand away. “Suits you.” Bryce poked his tongue out at Cole and cackled when Ava slapped his butt.
Six
Cole
H
is vision spun just a little, the cocktails having kicked in. But as Ava led them away from the pub and along the beach toward the park, the cool early evening air in his lungs was sobering. She tugged them toward the sound of people to a gathering on the grassy foreshore and Cole inwardly groaned. People. Urgh.
Laughter floated on the air and there were kids playing and squealing, running along the pathways leading to the market stalls. “Oh, let’s head over there,” Ava exclaimed excitedly before grasping their hands. Her grip was strong; he was coming to realize that there was no arguing with her once she’d set her mind to something. She was a pocket rocket that seemed to be used to corralling people where she needed them to go. If the projects she worked on were anything like the ones he did, it was no wonder she needed to be assertive.
Dry grass crunched underfoot, and Ava laughed as Bryce ran for the swing set. Cole rolled his eyes, not willing to let them see how much he was enjoying their light-hearted banter. They let him sit quietly and observe rather than insisting he join in every conversation, and yet, he never felt left out. Most of the time he preferred people ignoring him completely, but not these two.
“Get on!” Bryce ordered with a drunken laugh as he collapsed onto the seat. He was a big bloke, but despite his size, he was a lightweight. Even Ava held her liquor better than he did. She snagged the remaining seat, and Cole stood back watching as they started to swing. “Push meee,” Bryce whined, and Cole moved behind him purely so he never had to hear him shout like that again.
Cole gripped the seat and pushed with all his strength until they were flying high and squealing with delight. He remembered the last time he’d been on a swing—he was only a kid—but he’d never forget the swooping in his belly and the rush of wind on his face as he saw nothing but sky. Cole missed that freedom. The childlike giddiness that came with a simple pleasure like being pushed on a swing. He kind of wished that he could let go and enjoy himself like his travelling companions were, but it was better that he didn’t. Having fun and making friends was awfully domestic, and it paved the way for heartbreak, something Cole wouldn’t put himself through again.
He missed his family, but Bryce was right—it was their loss. He’d couch surfed for months after he’d tried to introduce his first boyfriend to them and they’d kicked him out. His friends were great, taking him in when he needed them, but they’d gradually drifted apart as people often did when they finished school. Then it was just Cole, and it was so much easier that way.
Lonely, but easier.
Even Mitch hadn’t lessened the loneliness.
Bryce had the attention span of a toddler, throwing himself off the swing before it had even come to a complete stop and grasping his and Ava’s hands. His paw closed around Cole’s and its gentle strength and warmth surprised him. He was going insane. Since when did he even give a shit about holding someone’s hand? That was relationship crap right there.
Cole stopped. He blinked.Relationship crap.He’d been in a relationship for two years and he'd hated being a secret, but he’d never once wanted to hold Mitch’s hand. He’d thought he wanted them to become a normal couple doing coupley things together. But he’d been happy with seeing Mitch between his appointments and the nights he’d worked late. They hadn’t been in a real relationship. It was a friends-with-benefits arrangement, and they weren’t even that close. How had he been so blind?
