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“And sand in his swim trunks.”
Caleb sighed and knocked their knees together in affection. “I ran into the guy he was sleeping with. He’s an officer on campus.”
Jori pulled a face. “A cop?”
“He seems like a nice guy. He was really sorry about everything.”
Jori sneered. “I bet he isnow.”
Caleb wanted to jump on the hate Javier bandwagon, but he truly believed the guy regretted it. And that he hadn’t known what was going on. Maybe they’d never be best friends, but Caleb wouldn’t spit in his coffee if he ever came to the shop to order something.
“He was nice. He helped with Bodhi and Ravi’s grandparents.”
Jori’s expression fell again. “What happened with that?”
Caleb hesitated, but it was obvious most of the café family knew what went down, so he told the whole story—even the parts where he’d been the one to fuck up. “I don’t know if they’re still in town, but the twins are too afraid to go back to the building for more than a few minutes at a time. We picked up Bodhi’s things on Friday, but he was shaking the whole time.”
Jori’s expression turned dark, which told Caleb he knew enough about Bodhi and Ravi’s pasts to hate them just on principle. “What can we do?”
Caleb went soft all over at the reminder that everyone here was the family he’d always craved. “Nothing. They’ll eventually get tired and leave town.” He looked over his shoulder to see Mila squirming in her little seat. “Baby’s awake.”
Jori moved away from Caleb and quickly grabbed her out of the seat. Khai, who had been sunning himself a few feet away, popped up with a little grin on his face as he stretched his arms above his head, then scooted over to nestle around Jori’s back.
Caleb had known for a good long while that Khai was into Jori, but he wasn’t sure Jori realized it. They looked a perfect picture together with Mila yawning between them, and Caleb felt a little pulse of envy at how easy it all seemed. He didn’t want all that—the idea of a nuclear family made him itchy all over.
But he wanted that feeling of contentment the way he saw on both Khai and Jori’s faces. And while he knew he could have it with Bodhi, there was a lot standing in their way.
Caleb jumped a little when an ocean-chilled hand dropped on his shoulder, and he turned, shielding his eyes against the sun as Bodhi shook his wet hair and sat down. He was grinning from ear to ear, and he looked so much lighter and happier than he had in weeks.
“Happy?”
Bodhi laughed and nodded. “Water’s cold.”
“Want me to warm you up?” Caleb asked.
Bodhi’s lips parted on what might have been a gasp, but where before he would have just politely declined, this time he nodded. Caleb felt around behind him without taking his gaze off Bodhi, and eventually his fingers snagged a towel. He carefully shook it out to get rid of any sand, then he draped it around Bodhi’s shoulders and urged him to come close.
Their legs tangled together, and Caleb fought the urge to pin him to the ground and kiss him. Audience be damned.
“I used to hate the ocean,” Bodhi said after a beat. His fingers were stiff and shaking a little from the cold. “We went on vacation to La Jolla one year and sand got in my swim trunks.”
Caleb grimaced. “Worst.”
Bodhi laughed and shrugged. “Chafed my dick.”
Caleb winced and palmed himself, making Bodhi laugh harder.
“My grandparents got mad when I didn’t want to swim again. My grandpa got annoyed and threw me in the water. Then I got in trouble because I had my hearing aids on, and they fried.”
Caleb felt that hot pulse of rage—almost to the point where he could see himself committing an actual crime, and he had to breathe through it. “I hate them both.”
Bodhi’s smile was soft and a little sad. “I’m here now. They don’t matter.”
That wasn’t really true. They did matter. The past had shaped and defined parts of Bodhi that would never change, no matter how much healing he did. But it wasn’t Caleb’s place to say that. His place was to be there and love the absolute hell out of Bodhi in every single form and shape he took.
Caleb stroked Bodhi’s cheek, then leaned in to kiss him until he felt something wet and soggy hit the side of his head. He turned to glare and saw his brother standing there with arms crossed over his head, smirking.
“Get a room.”
