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It gave him a thrill to share this piece of himself with Adriano, even if he hadn’t been part of it in years. He would be again, though, and soon. The following week, he’d show up early after closing down the shop and force himself to smile politely and not shrink back from friendly attempts at small talk.
His stomach rolled with unease at the thought, but then Adriano squeezed his hand a little tighter to get his attention. ‘Tired?’
Noah laughed and shrugged. ‘Yes, but I’m always tired. I had to get up earlier than usual this morning.’
Adriano’s brow furrowed. ‘Why?’
‘Because I had dinner with a certain someone last night and missed my evening prep,’ Noah told him, then winked. He led the way toward the bustling market as it came into view and paused as Adriano took it in with wide eyes and a growing smile. When he looked back, however, his gaze was concerned. ‘Don’t worry about it. It’s fine.’
‘I don’t understand,’ Adriano insisted.
Noah let out a small sigh, realizing he’d have to tell Adriano several truths tonight. ‘I usually work late and get prep done because, since my brother took a few weeks off to get his food truck established, there’s just me. The dough takes hours to get finished, so I don’t have time in the morning unless I get up at three.’
Understanding dawned on Adriano’s face. ‘And you missed prep because of me.’
Noah’s look was stern. ‘It was worth it. I promise.’
Adriano hesitated, then nodded, and Noah appreciated that he didn’t fight, didn’t try to make light of what Noah had sacrificed to spend time with him. ‘We’ll get back early. How much did you skip tonight?’
‘Just a little,’ Noah attempted to reassure him, but Adriano shook his head.
‘I’ll come with. I’ll help.’ He took Noah’s hand after that, silencing his attempt at a reply, and it was just as well. Noah would have argued, but he didn’t want to tell Adriano no. He let the other man lead him right into the crowd, and Adriano kept him close. He walked next to him with shoulders straight, and for all that this was Noah’s town, he felt like Adriano was trying to shield him. ‘Are they staring because I’m Deaf?’
Noah wanted to roll his eyes, not at Adriano but at himself and how he’d done this all on his own by being such a damn mess. ‘No. It’s me.’ When Adriano gave him a dubious look, Noah led him to an empty picnic bench, and he propped up against the table. ‘It is me. I don’t…I mostly grew up here, but things with my mom were bad, and I didn’t make friends very easily. They didn’t like my accent.’
Adriano reached out for just a brief second, brushing his thumb over Noah’s bottom lip, and that was almost enough to make his cock explode. ‘You have an accent?’
Noah laughed to cover up how loudly he wanted to moan. ‘Not anymore. Not really. I only spoke Hebrew when we moved here, but I learned English pretty quick.’
Adriano looked curious now. ‘I thought you enunciated’—he spelled the word slowly for Noah—‘differently. Not accent.’
Noah shrugged. ‘It was bad when I was a kid, and I didn’t know how to fight back, so I didn’t. They thought I was a wimp.’
He braced himself for Adriano to laugh—or even smile a little—but he didn’t. He heaved a sigh, and there was understanding all over his face. ‘Kids are assholes.’
From behind them, someone burst into laughter, and Noah turned his head to see Birdie there. Birdie was the captain of the fire department, working under Fitz, and was one of the nicest people Noah had ever met, though he didn’t know him well. He was always kind, though, when he came to pick up bagel orders. His smiles for Noah were soft, his voice easy like he didn’t mind Noah was an anxious mess on Sunday morning. He ran a little blacksmith booth at the farmer’s market, and on his display table he had an array of jewelry and sculptures that were strange but beautiful in a chaotic way.
Birdie looked a little sheepish at being caught, but he beckoned them over and leaned on his table as they approached. ‘Kidsareassholes.’
Adriano looked startled, then lifted his hands. ‘You sign?’
‘I’m CODA. Single Deaf mom,’ Birdie supplied, and Noah startled because he hadn’t known that. Of course, after refusing to leave his house after being dragged back when his bubbe got sick, he didn’t know these people well at all. ‘It’s been a few years since she died, so I’m probably rusty.’
‘You’re fine,’ Adriano insisted.
Noah felt a wave of ugly jealousy hit him for just a moment because Birdie was nothing like him. He was almost as large as Adriano, and gorgeous, and friendly. He had been the quiet one of his friend group, but he wasn’t a shy mess like Noah.
No one was like Noah.
He was dragged out of his twisting anguish when Adriano tugged him closer. ‘We’re on a date.’
Birdie’s eyes went wide, his lips turning up at the corners. Noah expected to see something mocking, but instead he saw genuine pleasure. ‘That’s amazing. You know ASL?’
Noah nodded. ‘I took it in college. Three and a half semesters.’
‘Four got to be too much?’ Birdie teased, and it didn’t mean to land hard. It was obvious by the look on his face he was treating Noah like he would anyone else.
But it just landed wrong, and he winced.
