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‘Precious?’ Eric signed.
Adriano couldn’t help his grin as he spelled Noah’s name, then signed it again. ‘He is everything to me, everything you never were and never could be. I’m through. And I’m sorry you never felt like you were enough. That was proof we should have stayed broken up years ago. The first time.’
Eric’s eyes went wide and watery. ‘Adriano…’
“No!” He slashed his hand through the air, felt his frustrated grunt rip up his throat. ‘I can’t. We’re done. Please just go home and pack and move on.’
‘Are you really going to sue me?’ Eric asked. He looked scared now, and it was obvious. He and Xander had fucked up. And they knew it.
‘Yes,’ Adriano said, and he felt no remorse. Eric had been bleeding him dry for years, had broken up with him and crawled back, then treated him like shit and begged for forgiveness all because Adriano had been providing. He was not a boyfriend. He was never a boyfriend. He was a bottomless meal ticket.
Eric grabbed his arm to stop him from walking away. ‘What am I supposed to do?’
Adriano scoffed. ‘Beg Xander to take you back. Sell the Porsche and buy an apartment. I don’t care. But don’t ever let me see your face again. We’re done.’
Turning on his heel, Adriano walked away from him and found Talia standing near the front doors. He came to a stop a bit closer than he normally would have, then leaned his head in. “Is he still behind me?”
Talia glanced over Adriano’s shoulder, then shook her head.
Adriano let out a breath, then dragged a hand down his face as he turned it up toward the sky. The sun was behind the clouds now, heavy and dark with rain. “Thank you. I’m sorry to drag you into that.”
Talia touched his arm, then shook her head again.
“What did you say to him that pissed him off?”
At that, Talia laughed, then dug into her pocket and pulled out her phone.I said, oh I know who you are. Eric the choad, the guy too terrible in bed to make it as a porn star so he had to fuck one to live his dreams.
Adriano laughed hard—mostly out of stress, and relief, and acceptance. He laid a hand on Talia’s shoulder. “Thank you,” he said again.
Talia squeezed Adriano’s wrist, then typed,Noah and I are working on our friendship, but I like you. You’re good for him. I hope it works out.
‘Me too,’ Adriano signed back, mouthing the words. He took his cart from Talia and appreciated that she didn’t follow him to his car. He needed the moment to regroup. He still felt like crying, which was new. He hadn’t cried once during the mess with Eric and Xander, but nearly losing Noah over it had him damn close.
Swallowing thickly, he loaded the bags into his car, then sat behind the wheel and breathed until he could take air into his lungs without choking on it. After a beat, he grabbed his phone to send Noah a quick text.
Adriano: b there soon.
Noah: Good. I can’t wait.
CHAPTER23
Noah wantedto pretend like he had even a modicum of chill, but he was trying his best not to lie. The single phone call from Talia warning him about what had happened at the supermarket sent him to the street, pacing in front of the closed shop as the minutes ticked from one to twenty.
Then he heard the faint roar of Adriano’s sports car’s engine, and his heart leapt into his throat. He saw when Adriano noticed him, saw the way the car wavered a bit as it pulled into the empty space Noah had left for him. Adriano barely had his feet on the ground before Noah threw himself into Adriano’s arms, and his giant boyfriend let out the smallest grunt as he gathered Noah close.
Warm lips brushed over his forehead, his temple, down his cheek as Adriano’s mouth made its way to Noah’s. They kissed with panting breaths and desperate tongues, Adriano turning and pressing Noah hard against the door of his car.
Noah didn’t want to exist anywhere else but there again, except he still didn’t love being watched. He felt eyes on him, and he pulled back, though no one seemed to be around. ‘Come inside?’
Adriano nodded, then reached into the back for his bags. When Noah tried to help, Adriano grunted and shook his head, holding them away until Noah gave up. So he led the way inside and waited impatiently as Adriano carefully put all the cold items away and left the dry ones on the table.
A moment passed between them as they stood two feet apart in the kitchen, Adriano’s feet bare and in a patch of afternoon sunlight. Their eyes locked first, and Noah felt a warm sort of buzzing course through him. He wasn’t sure who took the step first, but the distance between them faded to nothing.
They didn’t kiss again. They were barely touching, Adriano cradling Noah’s face between his large hands in a hold so light he could barely feel it. And yet, in spite of the gentle touch, he felt surrounded, held, consumed.
‘Talia told me,’ he finally managed to sign.
Adriano’s fingers tightened just for a second, then his hands dropped, and he glanced away. ‘I figured she would call.’
