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Adriano didn’t answer, instead cradling Noah’s face with his big hands as he crowded him up against the table for a long kiss. When he broke it off, he let out a contented hum and rubbed their noses together. ‘It was over. I won. They have to pay a settlement, and I didn’t want to be gone any longer than I had to. I missed you.’
Noah felt those words like a physical ache, and he dragged Adriano into another kiss until his phone started to buzz with his alarm. “Shit,” he murmured, pulling back. ‘I have to go meet Wilder at Bubbe’s.’
Adriano shrugged, then pulled the closed flap over the stall and took Noah’s hand. ‘I’ll come with you.’
Noah wasn’t about to argue. He didn’t want to let go for a good, long while. They made the slow walk over, and Noah saw the man standing in front of the building, pacing a little, tapping away on his phone. He felt a rush of fear, of panic.I can’t do this, a small voice whispered, but Adriano’s hand in his told another story.
He could absolutely do this. He could move on. None of this had to be forever, and no change would have to alter the person he was.
Wilder glanced up when they approached, and Noah grinned at him. They’d exchanged two emails, and the most Noah knew was that he was moving from across the country, and that he wanted to open up a cupcake shop that specialized in gluten-free baking.
Noah hadn’t expected him to be so good looking—tall with rich black hair styled back away from his face and wearing jeans and a button-up. He had long-fingered hands, one of which reached for Noah’s, and as he turned, Noah saw a hearing aid nestled against the back of his ear.
He blinked, then turned to Adriano who had also noticed. ‘Do you prefer sign?’ Noah offered.
Wilder’s eyes went wide, but not on Noah—on Adriano. It was the too-familiar expression Noah had picked up on as Adriano socialized more and more with the town. After a beat, Wilder cleared his throat, then offered his hand to Adriano.
‘Sorry,’ the man signed after pulling away. ‘You’re…’
Adriano nodded, then spelled his name before offering his sign name. ‘Adriano. ASL okay?’
Wilder grinned. ‘Perfect. Is there a strong Deaf community here?’
At that, Noah’s face fell. ‘No, not really. They’ve been great about learning, but there’s not a lot of opportunity here without more Deaf people. But they do try.’
Wilder didn’t look bothered. ‘I’m CODA and HoH. I think I’ll be okay.’
Noah grinned, then turned to unlock the shop and flicked on the lights. His footsteps echoed, and he knew it was because a lot of the place had already been packed up. He hadn’t shut the doors—not yet—but it was starting to look empty. His heart ached a little bit, but at the sight of wonder and promise on Wilder’s face, the pain eased.
‘This is amazing,’ Wilder signed after a few minutes. ‘This is…exactly what I was looking for.’
Noah took a breath, and ignored the twist in his chest when he asked, ‘Do you want to see upstairs?’
Wilder’s smile widened, and he nodded.
CHAPTER25
Noah liftedhis curled fist to the door, hesitated, then dropped it. He took a breath, then forced himself to knock, shifting from one foot to the other until it opened, and his brother stood there looking sleepy and disgruntled.
“Did I wake you up?” Noah asked.
Adam narrowed his eyes at him, but instead of answering, he turned on his heel and walked back into the apartment, leaving the door open. Noah only waited a moment before following him in and moved into the kitchen at the smell of coffee.
“Talia always fucking wakes me up when she has an early shift,” Adam grumbled. He shoved two mugs into the microwave as he pushed the button on his espresso machine. A rich smell filled the air, and Noah saw the little pot of steamed milk sitting already frothed and ready. “I know you’re not here to tell me someone’s dead since we have no family and I follow everyone you do on Twitter.”
The microwave beeped, and Adam took out the mugs, adding in the milk, then the espresso before passing one to Noah. He stared down at the milky liquid, swirling with the caramel color of espresso foam Adam had perfected by the time he was thirteen.
“I don’t want to go.” Noah’s words came out soft and hesitant, almost like he was betraying his own secrets.
Adam made a small noise, then slid up to him, resting his back against the counter, hip pressed to Noah’s. “It’s not forever.” His voice echoed the words Noah had been telling himself since he’d told Nellie to approve Wilder’s application, but they didn’t bring any comfort.
“No.” Noah took a drink of the coffee and burned his tongue. The café hafuch—a taste of home, which was the closest Adam had ever been to Israel—was comforting but not enough.
The silence stretched on so long Noah wondered for a moment if he’d made a mistake coming to Adam. “Why aren’t you with Adriano?”
Noah let out a small scoff. “He’s sleeping off jet lag.” Not a total lie but not entirely the truth. Adriano was sleeping, but Noah was there because he needed his brother. He took a fortifying breath, then turned to face Adam. “I’ve known for a long time that you were ready to move on with your life and stop living…the way I was living. To stop living with someone like me.”
“Noah,” Adam started to protest, but Noah held up a hand.
